The World War 2 Radio Podcast · Brick Pickle Media LLC

Abbott & Costello 1945 Christmas Party

·29 min·1 clip

Costello says his landlady was arrested for shoplifting and hid an alarm clock in her bustle.

1. The World War 2 Radio Podcast presents Abbott and Costello's NBC episode “Lou's Christmas Party,” aired December 20, 1945. 2. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello matter here because they were the comic pair carrying the Christmas broadcast, with Connie Haynes and Will Osborne's orchestra also named in the show open. 3. The episode uses a Christmas party setup to drive Abbott and Costello's wordplay, sponsor breaks, and a late sentimental turn. 4. Costello says he had to get his landlady, Mrs. Satchelport, out of jail on bail after she was arrested for shoplifting. 5. He sends invitations that read “B-A-P-O-B,” which he explains as “Bring a pound of butter,” not “R-S-V-P.” 6. Abbott keeps pushing Costello about the Christmas tree, and Costello says it is so tall he cut a hole in the ceiling. 7. The tree routine runs through “fir,” “fur,” bark, trunks, and pine family jokes, with Costello insisting “This Christmas tree belongs to me.” 8. Costello says he is trimming the tree with spaghetti because he could not find tinsel. 9. He adds that every time he plugs the spaghetti into meatballs, the tree “light up.” 10. Betsy May Mucho turns down the party because she is going to an Ambassador Hotel dinner in Los Angeles, and Lena Gensler also refuses to come. 11. Mrs. Niles rejects the invitation, and Abbott points out that this is the third turn-down Costello has gotten. 12. The script keeps cycling through malapropisms and insults as Abbott and Costello argue in cabs and on the street about Glendale, voting, and being called a dog. 13. Connie Haynes sings “I Took My Heart Instead,” and the sponsor break interrupts the comedy with Camel copy about the T-zone and smokers trying different brands. 14. Another sponsor passage says “experience is the best teacher” and links that line to smokers choosing Camels after cigarettes were scarce. 15. At midnight, Abbott tells Costello that nobody came to the party, and Costello says he is “just a failure.” 16. Costello says Santa Claus has not come to his house since he was seven, then recalls telling other children there was no Santa Claus. 17. The childhood flashback includes Santa's report card, the Sunday school teacher's note, and Costello's confession that he was “a busy little bee.” 18. The tone mixes fast vaudeville banter, sponsor interruptions, and a sentimental Christmas memory before the ending returns to the party gathering. 19. Listeners who like Abbott and Costello wordplay, old-time radio, and Christmas comedy. 20. Skip it if you want modern pacing or minimal sponsor material.

As heard by us

A 1945 Christmas routine where party invitations, jealousy, and a victory-bond appeal all crowd the same broadcast.

Abbott and Costello's 1945 Christmas party routine turns a simple problem into steady comic business: getting anyone to accept an invitation. Betsy May Mucho's dinner plan, Lena Gensler's jealousy, and Mrs.

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Need a Christmas party where the guest list keeps becoming the joke, with a victory-bond reminder waiting at the door?

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