I never knew it, but Abbott & Costello had owed a whole lot of back taxes to the government. Most of it came due when they filed suit against Universal for a bunch of money the studio had held and subsequently won. Unfortunately, they for some reason or other deferred not to include Uncle Sam figuring that they had done their share for their country during World War II and much of their work in the bond drive of that era.
The IRS didn't see it that way and came down hard on the comedy team. They declared bankruptcy in 1957. Lou Costello died on March 3, 1959 of a heart attack.
Bud Abbott died on April 24, 1974. He had a comfortable retirement. According to Bud Abbott Jr. he had worked out a settlement with the IRS so that he could continue to receive earnings for his films.
Aren't we lucky? Has anyone seen "Who's on first?"
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