Imagine a short, round, confused man standing next to someone tall, astute and intellectual, and you have a couple who made a large audience laugh. Together Bud Abbott and Lou Costello formed a team with great chemistry; using their natural abilities and deep background they have produced a successful career that has continued for three decades. Steve Allen agrees: "Only a team as supremely talented as Abbott & Costello could have survived the transition from burlesque and vaudeville to radio, from movies to television to nightclubs, over a period of twenty-two years" (qtd. in Costello xii). Obviously from the beginning of Abbott and Costello's careers, these two comics were really talented. Before Costello, Abbott had previously worked with comedians Harry Steppe and Harry Evanson. "Both Steppe and Evanson, Bud had the rare ability to make them seem funnier than they were... [Also,] everyone in burlesque agreed that Bud Abbott would go far, if only he could find the right comic to collaborate with." (Thomas 37). The same problem occurred in the early years of Lou Costello's career. When Bud first saw Lou perform, he thought, "Joe Lyons [Costello's partner] just wasn't doing it right. But boy Costello was fine. Damn good, in fact, even without a strong, straight man" ( Thomas 50 ). Finally, in 1935, two years after their first meeting, Abbott and Costello officially decided to work together; they would later perform together for the first time in 1936 (Furmanek 18). Abbott and Costello were known as a double act or comedy duo, where one comedian is considered the straight man and the other is called the comic or funny man. The straight man (Bud Abbott) was known for being intelligent and reasonable, in contrast the comedian (Lou Costello) was commonly seen as a stupid and hapless character ("Double Act"). Brooks Atkinson, in his Times article describes: Abbott is the overbearing mastermind whose feverish and impatient steering of the conversation produces the crisis. Costello is the short, fat one who gets slapped. He is a moon-faced madman, with wide, gullible eyes, a high-pitched voice, and swollen hands that struggle in futile gestures. Both men reach a state of arousal that is wonderful to see. (qtd. by Thomas 73)What produced the classic humor of this duo was their uncanny ability to play off each other's roles and differences, as Abbott used his elegant and intelligent role to belittle the fat and dim-witted Costello.