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Lou Costello

Lou Costello

Actor, also producer · Died March 3, 1959, aged 52 · Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Louis Francis Costello (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959) was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott. Costello was famous for his bumbling, chubby, clean-cut image that has appealed to many Americans over the decades, and for his shouted line of "HEEEEYYY ABBOTT!!."

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 6, 1906
Died
March 3, 1959 (aged 52)
From
Paterson, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
38 on MovieCove · 65 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 3% in 30 days

What are Lou Costello's films like?

Across their 35 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy25 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
44%
Morality
19%
Society
12%
Self
12%
Ideas
6%
Power
4%
Survival
4%
Friendship18 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 34 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 34 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 19 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 3

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 26 · Charged 8 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 24 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 30

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 33 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 34 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

33 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 21 of 33 analyzed roles.

Hero
21 of 33
Trickster
11 of 33
Ally
1 of 33
Show the 33 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
29
Absurd
23
Warm
12
Tense
6
Contemplative
4
Other
9

How their films linger

Fun31 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good31 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy30
  • Bittersweet3
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lou Costello's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 38 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lou Costello's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

65 credits, 38 with a MovieCove page; 29 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us(2005)

    as Orville

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Many Faces of Dracula(2000)

    as Wilbur Gray (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Best of Abbott & Costello Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • Dracula in the Movies(1992)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Wilbur Grey / Tubby (archive footage)

  • Showbiz Goes to War(1982)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Hollywood Clowns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Horror Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The World of Abbott and Costello (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Character in Film Clips (archive footage)

  • The Big Parade of Comedy(1964)

    as Wishy in 'Rio Rita' (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock(1959)

    as Artie Pinsetter

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Dance with Me, Henry(1956)

    as Lou Henry

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy(1955)

    as Lou Costello

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops(1955)

    as Willie 'Tubby' Piper

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1953)

    as Tubby

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Go to Mars(1953)

    as Orville

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Neal Andrews

  • Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd(1952)

    as Captain 'Puddin' head' Feathergill

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Abbott and Costello Show(1952)

    Show 52 episodes · Writer · as Lou Costello

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Lost in Alaska(1952)

    as George Bell

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Jack and the Beanstalk(1952)

    Producer · as Jack / Jack Strong

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Christmas Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Costello

  • Comin' Round the Mountain(1951)

    as Wilbert Smith

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Knights of the Bath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Albert (archive footage)

  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man(1951)

    as Lou Francis

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion(1950)

    as Lou Hotchkiss

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Fun on the Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Actor

  • Kitchen Mechanics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Actor

  • Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff(1949)

    as Freddie Phillips

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Africa Screams(1949)

    as Stanley Livington

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Mexican Hayride(1948)

    as Joe Bascom / Harry Fish

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948)

    as Wilbur Grey

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Noose Hangs High(1948)

    Executive Producer · as Homer Hinchcliffe

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Oysters and Muscles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Oliver

  • The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap(1947)

    as Chester Wooley

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Buck Privates Come Home(1947)

    as Herbie Brown

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Time of Their Lives(1946)

    as Horatio Prim

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Little Giant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Benny Miller

  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood(1945)

    as Abercrombie

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Naughty Nineties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Sebastian Dinwiddle

  • Here Come the Co-eds(1945)

    as Oliver Quackenbush

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Lost in a Harem(1944)

    as Harvey Garvey

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • In Society (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Albert Mansfield

  • Twenty Years After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as (archive footage)

  • Hit the Ice(1943)

    as Weejie 'Tubby' McCoy

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • It Ain't Hay(1943)

    as Wilbur Hoolihan

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Who Done It? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mervin Q. Milgrim

  • Pardon My Sarong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Wellington Pflug, aka Moola

  • Rio Rita(1942)

    as Wishy

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Ride 'Em Cowboy(1942)

    as Willoughby

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Keep 'Em Flying(1941)

    as Heathcliff

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Hold That Ghost(1941)

    as Ferdinand Jones

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • In the Navy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Pomeroy Watson

  • Buck Privates(1941)

    as Herbie Brown

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • One Night in the Tropics(1940)

    as Costello

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Cossacks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Extra (uncredited)

  • Circus Rookies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Extra

  • The Battle of the Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Boxing Hall Extra (uncredited)

  • The Fair Co-Ed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Actor

  • Bardelys the Magnificent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Extra (uncredited)

  • Midget Car Maniacs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Costello

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 64 titles, 63 of them dated from 1926 to 2007.

Biggest box office

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

$4.8M worldwide

Highest rated

The Time of Their Lives (1946)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

The Abbott and Costello Show (1952)

Film career

Top draw in 12 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting64 of 64: 61 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdWriting1 of 64: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing2 of 64: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

64 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1920s5 · acting1940s29 · 29 acting · 1 crew1950s16 · 16 acting · 2 crew1960s2 · acting1970s3 · acting1980s1 · acting1990s3 · acting2000s4 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 0% of 27 roles
274752

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Lou Costello's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 37; across their 34 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Midcredits score across 38 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th21
  • 25th to 49th8

Shape of the crowd

27 of their 38 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser27
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

Dracula in the Movies (1992)

91st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Time of Their Lives (1946)

Midcredits 92nd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 32 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Lou Costello work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lou Costello's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bud Abbott shares the most, 33.

Directors

Writers

  • John Grant25 titles    See newest 12 of 25 shared titles with John Grant
  • Frederic I. Rinaldo7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Frederic I. Rinaldo
  • Robert Lees7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Robert Lees
  • Lee Loeb3 titles    See all 3 shared titles with Lee Loeb

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Charles Van Enger10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Charles Van Enger
  • George Robinson9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with George Robinson
  • Frank Gross7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Frank Gross
  • Frank Skinner5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Frank Skinner

Producers

Mixed roles