Who's On First
Who's On First? is a legendary routine by the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, based on the fielding positions of the players. Because the "names" of the players can all easily be heard as questions, or non-responsive answers to Costello's questions, Abbott's explanations leave Costello almost hopelessly confused.
The comedy routine was first featured in the 1940 film, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and also performed the routine numerous times on radio.
As a result of the routine, Abbott and Costello were honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York, even though they had no other connection to the sport. TIME magazine named the routine Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th century.
The names given in the routine for the players at each position are:
- Who - First base
- What - Second base
- I Don't Know - Third base
- Why - Left field
- Because - Center field
- Tomorrow - Pitcher
- Today - Catcher
- I Don't Give a Darn - Shortstop
The name of the shortstop is not given until the very end of the routine, and the right fielder is never identified.
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