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TO :r. DATE: 1-1C-48 FROM SUBJECT: LOU COSTELDQ; LOU COSTELLO, JR.FCUMDATIO Infornation Concerning In accordance with your request tnere is set forti a summary available information or Lou Costello, tne movie comedian. I. BICGRAHICALDATA Lou Costello was born larch 6, l908, and wes christened Louis Francis. Cristello. his place cf birth is not given. .ailc in his teens, he quit hign school and begen to work in a haberdashery, wnich job he soon quit to become an actor. His first attenpts were unsuccess'ul anc he then decided to becone a prize fighter. Fourteen fights later he enced up on the lest Coest wnere he became a Hollywood stunt man.. regular straight man was taken ill. 3ud agreed tc susstitute ard they have been together ever since. They played rost of the burlescue and many of the vaudeville circuits togetner. Their first break came in l93e when they were given a l0-minute spot on Kate Smith's program. Their real success came wnen they began making movies in Hollywcod. Sirce then they have mede nuncrous pictures ard their. suc-. cess is well-known. (Current 3iography, Cctober, l94l) II. COSTELLO AN ADIRER OF CHARLI CHAPLIN 2 Ir. June of l943 the Bureau receivec information that Harry Crocker of the Los Angeles Examiner ani a close contact of Cherlie Chaplin's, intanded to. FILED launch a publicity progrem for the purpose of bettering Chaplin's public reputa-. tion. Chaplin's reputation, of course, has suffsred due to his nunerous escapades.. Crocker said that Costello, who was s fond admirer of Chaplin, was going to nel?. COPY in regard to this progrsm. (31-58496-x1) RECORDED II. CCSTLLO REPORTED HAVING LARGE LIBRARY OF OBSCENE FILI In Cctober of l944 during the course of an investigation of a purported. ring of obscene motion picture operetors in Hollyvood, irformation was received. I that the best kr.owm customersfor obscene film in Hollyuood were Red Skelton, Lou. [Costello, George Raft and others. Ore informant, who, it nas been shorm, tends. to exaggerate the facts, said that Lou Costellc had the largest library of obscene film in Hollywood. The informert remarked that Costello "nad it runring out of. .his ears." (7l-1843-5) F Cn Cctober 22, l946. the Los Angeles'tffice 'advisec that Lcu Costell. he togugsted assistorce from one. of New jersey to "take care of". 7010 b70