October 2 may also have been the birthdate of the greatest "straight man" of them all, William Alexander "Bud" Abbott. His official bio always gave October 2, 1895 as the date but a website operated by his family (and Lou Costello's) says on its opening page that it was October 2, 1897 and on their biography page that it was October 6, 1897. If you don't like any of those dates, browse some other sources and you'll find more choices.
There was a time, around age 11, when I liked everything Abbott and Costello did. Even then, I knew they weren't quite in the same league as the other old-time comedians I liked — Laurel and Hardy, Keaton, the Marxes, etc. — but I still liked them. As I got older, I found it increasingly difficult to sit through their lesser films and I decided that more and more of what they'd done were lesser films. I still love Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and a half-dozen others, and I especially like the TV series they did from 1952 to 1953. The TV shows were done on a shoestring budget but they're crammed full of vintage Abbott and Costello routines and, happily, nothing else. No contrived storylines, no romantic subplots…just Bud and Lou being Bud and Lou.
Costello was the majority stockholder in the act, demanding more money than his partner, clearly believing the popular line that Bud was expendable. I don't think so. Without Abbott to rein him in and give him something to bounce off of, Lou would have been repetitive and untethered. His screen character, when it worked, was defined by his relationship to Bud. In their live appearances, especially on radio, you can spot the moments when Abbott decides Costello's going on too long, taking a bit too far and chopping him off. Lou was more adorable and endearing but Bud was the one who knew how to work an audience.
Comedy Straight Man is one of those job descriptions that you just don't see much anymore. But it was a vital, if often unnoticed, show business skill and no one did it better than Bud Abbott. So happy birthday, Bud…unless, of course, this isn't your birthday.