<P> In February 1938 , Abbott and Costello joined the cast of The Kate Smith Hour radio program , and the sketch was first performed for a national radio audience that March . The routine may have been further polished before this broadcast by burlesque producer John Grant , who became the team 's writer , and Will Glickman , a staff writer on the radio show . Glickman may have added the nicknames of then - contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean to set up the routine 's premise . This version , with extensive wordplay based on the fact that most of the fictional baseball team 's players had `` strange nicknames '' that seemed to be questions , became known as `` Who 's on First ? '' Some versions continue with references to Enos Slaughter , which Costello misunderstands as `` He knows '' Slaughter . By 1944 , Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted . </P>
<P> In February 1938 , Abbott and Costello joined the cast of The Kate Smith Hour radio program , and the sketch was first performed for a national radio audience that March . The routine may have been further polished before this broadcast by burlesque producer John Grant , who became the team 's writer , and Will Glickman , a staff writer on the radio show . Glickman may have added the nicknames of then - contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean to set up the routine 's premise . This version , with extensive wordplay based on the fact that most of the fictional baseball team 's players had `` strange nicknames '' that seemed to be questions , became known as `` Who 's on First ? '' Some versions continue with references to Enos Slaughter , which Costello misunderstands as `` He knows '' Slaughter . By 1944 , Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted . </P>
when was abbott and costello who 's on first
when was abbott and costello who 's on first
February 1938
February 1938