(This story was originally written and recorded for Retrocast 35, released on August 19, 2025.)

Fighting in a war is an expensive proposition for any country, and one way that the United States paid for its efforts during World War II was by selling war bonds.

To promote these bonds, the government enlisted the help of celebrities. Unlike today, where a 30-second TV announcement or a social media post would suffice, entertainers back then traveled from city to city to sell war bonds.

Among those celebrities were the comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, who are probably best remembered today for their “Who’s on First?” routine.

Abbott & Costello were so popular in their prime that they ranked among the highest-paid entertainers of the 1940s and 1950s.

But nothing could have prepared them for smooth-talking 12-year-old Jerry Young of Omaha, Nebraska. When he learned that the comedy duo would be in town to sell war bonds, Jerry, along with two friends in tow, snuck into the upscale Fontenelle Hotel on Thursday, July 30, 1942, to ask if they would be willing to appear live, on stage at a vaudeville show that he was putting on in his widowed mother’s backyard a couple of days later.

The duo had an easy out: they were scheduled not only to perform in Lincoln that evening but also had an appointment to meet with the state’s governor.

Jerry, however, was persistent and explained that he was putting on the charity show to raise money for the Red Cross.

Amazingly, Abbott and Costello agreed to do it. In exchange for their headlining performance, Jerry agreed to pay them 70 cents – that’s 35 cents each (nearly $7.00 each today) – which probably seemed like a whopping sum to the young boy.

Once the news broke that Abbott & Costello were going to perform, ticket sales skyrocketed. The price of admission to the show was set at 10 cents, which is roughly equivalent to $2.00 today.

And the crowd, which numbered more than 1,000 people, was certainly going to get their money’s worth. In addition to Abbott and Costello, Jerry had arranged for more than fifty people to perform, all between the ages of six and twelve.

The crowd eventually grew restless watching the endless stream of youthful baton twirlers, tap dancers, singers, and saxophone players. They were there for only one reason: Abbott and Costello. They began to wonder if the duo would even show up. Then, with just three scheduled acts remaining, a car pulled up with the two entertainers inside. The police had escorted them along the entire 55-mile (88.5 km) journey from Lincoln.

It was Father Flanagan himself – of Boys Town fame – who took to the stage to introduce the comedians to the crowd.

The two went through their typical comedy routine before auctioning off some of their photographs to help raise additional money for the Red Cross.

For the icing on the cake, Bud Abbott decided to auction off Lou Costello’s shirt. But as the bids reached $10, Costello decided that it was probably best that he keep his shirt on and offered up $12 (nearly $240 today).

In the end, Jerry Young raised $272 (nearly $5,400 today) for the Red Cross.  Actually, that’s $271.30, if you subtract out the 70 cents that he had to pay Abbott and Costello for their services.