Joe Kirk
Encyclopedia
Joe Kirk was a U.S. radio, film, and television actor who was best known for playing the role of Mr. Bacciagalupe on The Abbott and Costello Show
.
, where he worked as an master of ceremonies
and a comedian
during the 1930s.
and post-war era of the 1940s. In addition to his ongoing—and best-known role—as Mr. Bacciagalupe, the highly excitable Italian neighbor, Kirk played many other bit parts on the show as well.
As Mr. Bacciagalupe, Kirk spoke with a thick Sicilian-American
accent; his surname was pronounced in the Sicilian manner, ("Bach-galoop"), not in "proper" Italian, as ("Bachia-galoop-eh"). When excited, Mr. Bacciagalupe frequently made improvised asides in Sicilian dialect, which were obviously appreciated by many in the audience. Lou Costello, who was Italian American himself, also understood these side-remarks, and sometimes could not stay in character, but laughed along as well.
In the episodes featuring his character, Mr. Bacciagalupe would often show impatience with the indecision portrayed by Lou Costello, whom he called by his Sicilian name, Luigi. As he "lost his temperature," Mr. Bacciagalupe would lapse into broken Sicilian phrases and increasingly animated gesticulation to express his frustration. Sometimes he would find his place of business wrecked by Abbott and Costello’s slapstick antics; at other times he would confound them completely and they would retreat in confusion as he crowed in triumph.
Kirk’s Mr. Bacciagalupe appeared in 15 of the 26 episodes in the show's first season, 1951-1952. In all, he appeared in 19 episodes of the show's 52 total episodes through its end in 1954.
, including Spooks Run Wild
(1941), Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (1941), Mr. Wise Guy (1942), and Smart Alecks (1942).Kirk appeared as the villager Schwartz in Universal's "House Of Frankenstein" (1944). He was occasionally billed as Joseph I. Kirk, the "I" standing for his birth-name, Ignacio.
Through his marriage to Marie Cristillo, the sister of Lou Costello
, Kirk secured steady appearances (albeit in small roles) in Abbott and Costello
films. His more prominent parts included the pet shop owner in Rio Rita
(1942), Honest Dan the Bookie in Here Come the Co-Eds
(1946), the shady real estate agent in Buck Privates Come Home
(1947),uncredited by-stander in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and Dr. Orvilla in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
(1953).
Kirk continued acting through the late 1950s, with appearances in The Jackie Robinson Story
(1950), the 1956 Bowery Boys
comedy Hot Shots and Fritz Lang
’s drama Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
(1956). He also took small roles in television shows such as Adventures of Superman
, Sheriff of Cochise
and U.S. Marshal
, before retiring from show business in 1958.
He was married to Marie Katherine Cristillo (1912–1988), who was the sister of Lou Costello
and daughter of the producer Sebastian Cristillo. After their marriage Marie was known interchangeably as both Marie Curcuruto and Marie Kirk. The couple had two sons.
He was the great-uncle of the actress Marki Costello, who is the granddaughter of Lou Costello.
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
.
Vaudeville career
Joe Kirk got his professional start in vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, where he worked as an master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
and a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
during the 1930s.
Radio career
Kirk was a regular voice actor on Abbott and Costello's radio show during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and post-war era of the 1940s. In addition to his ongoing—and best-known role—as Mr. Bacciagalupe, the highly excitable Italian neighbor, Kirk played many other bit parts on the show as well.
As Mr. Bacciagalupe, Kirk spoke with a thick Sicilian-American
Sicilian-American
Sicilian Americans are American people from Sicily or of Sicilian heritage. They are considered Italian Americans but are sometimes treated as a separate group due to cultural and historical differences between Sicily and the mainland....
accent; his surname was pronounced in the Sicilian manner, ("Bach-galoop"), not in "proper" Italian, as ("Bachia-galoop-eh"). When excited, Mr. Bacciagalupe frequently made improvised asides in Sicilian dialect, which were obviously appreciated by many in the audience. Lou Costello, who was Italian American himself, also understood these side-remarks, and sometimes could not stay in character, but laughed along as well.
Television career
In 1951, Kirk brought the popular role of Mr. Bacciagalupe to the television version of The Abbott and Costello Show. Kirk’s friendly, mustachioed character held a variety of jobs. At various points in the show, he was a barber, grocer, fruit vendor, ice cream vendor, peanut vendor, bakery owner, and music store salesman.In the episodes featuring his character, Mr. Bacciagalupe would often show impatience with the indecision portrayed by Lou Costello, whom he called by his Sicilian name, Luigi. As he "lost his temperature," Mr. Bacciagalupe would lapse into broken Sicilian phrases and increasingly animated gesticulation to express his frustration. Sometimes he would find his place of business wrecked by Abbott and Costello’s slapstick antics; at other times he would confound them completely and they would retreat in confusion as he crowed in triumph.
Kirk’s Mr. Bacciagalupe appeared in 15 of the 26 episodes in the show's first season, 1951-1952. In all, he appeared in 19 episodes of the show's 52 total episodes through its end in 1954.
Film career
The bulk of Joe Kirk’s early film career consisted of playing bit parts, often uncredited, in low budget productions. Typical roles for him were "ethnic" Sicilian-Americanss—gangsters, bartenders, bookies, and henchmen. He appeared in several films produced at Monogram PicturesMonogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
, including Spooks Run Wild
Spooks Run Wild
Spooks Run Wild is a 1941 film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series, starring Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and Bobby Jordan. Released in 1941, it was directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the series, and produced by Sam Katzman . It is based on an original...
(1941), Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (1941), Mr. Wise Guy (1942), and Smart Alecks (1942).Kirk appeared as the villager Schwartz in Universal's "House Of Frankenstein" (1944). He was occasionally billed as Joseph I. Kirk, the "I" standing for his birth-name, Ignacio.
Through his marriage to Marie Cristillo, the sister of Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
, Kirk secured steady appearances (albeit in small roles) in Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
films. His more prominent parts included the pet shop owner in Rio Rita
Rio Rita (1942 film)
Rio Rita is a 1942 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello. It was based upon the 1927 Flo Ziegfeld Broadway musical, which was previously made into a 1929 film also titled Rio Rita that starred the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey.-Plot:...
(1942), Honest Dan the Bookie in Here Come the Co-Eds
Here Come the Co-Eds
Here Come The Co-Eds is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.-Plot:Three friends, Oliver Quackenbush , Molly McCarthy , and her brother Slats work for the Miramar Ballroom as taxi dancers. Slats plants a phony article in the local newspaper that declares Molly's ambition to...
(1946), the shady real estate agent in Buck Privates Come Home
Buck Privates Come Home
Buck Privates Come Home is a 1947 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is a sequel to their 1941 hit, Buck Privates....
(1947),uncredited by-stander in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and Dr. Orvilla in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
Abbott and Costello Go To Mars is a 1953 American science fiction comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film follows the misadventures of Lester and Orville who accidentally find themselves on a rocketship bound for Mars, which accidentally...
(1953).
Kirk continued acting through the late 1950s, with appearances in The Jackie Robinson Story
The Jackie Robinson Story
The Jackie Robinson Story is a 1950 biographical film starring baseball legend Jackie Robinson as himself. The film focuses on Robinson's struggle with the abuse of racist bigots as he becomes the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era...
(1950), the 1956 Bowery Boys
Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys were a nativist, anti-Catholic, and anti-Irish gang based north of the Five Points district of New York City in the mid-19th century. They were primarily stationed in the Bowery section of New York, which was, at the time, extended north of the Five Points...
comedy Hot Shots and Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
’s drama Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a 1956 film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Douglas Morrow. The film, considered film noir, was the last American film directed by Lang.-Plot:...
(1956). He also took small roles in television shows such as Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
, Sheriff of Cochise
Sheriff of Cochise
Sheriff of Cochise , renamed U.S. Marshal , is a 58-episode syndicated western-themed crime drama set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan. In the first two seasons, Morgan was sheriff of Cochise County...
and U.S. Marshal
Sheriff of Cochise
Sheriff of Cochise , renamed U.S. Marshal , is a 58-episode syndicated western-themed crime drama set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan. In the first two seasons, Morgan was sheriff of Cochise County...
, before retiring from show business in 1958.
Personal life
To his family, Joe Kirk was known by his birth name, Ignacio Curcuruto or Nat Curcuruto. He was one of four children -- Letitia, Philip (1902 - 1995), Nat (1903 - 1975), and Josephine -- born in New York City to the Sicilian American immigrants Giuseppe ("Joe") Curcuruto and Elvira Puglisi Curcuruto (1882–1977).He was married to Marie Katherine Cristillo (1912–1988), who was the sister of Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
and daughter of the producer Sebastian Cristillo. After their marriage Marie was known interchangeably as both Marie Curcuruto and Marie Kirk. The couple had two sons.
He was the great-uncle of the actress Marki Costello, who is the granddaughter of Lou Costello.