Lou Costello : His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

Let me tell you a story about how this became the quote attributed to him on his "Full Bio" IMDB page.

I was perusing the full bio page when I reached the bottom, and there listed as his last words was something like, "That was the best strawberry shake I ever had". I am confident that is far from the exact quote, but I am certain that it was something about how much he enjoyed the strawberry shake he had just eaten.

Shortly before reading Lou Costello's IMDB page, I had been researching his death on Google, and came across several archived newspapers which related something entirely different concerning his last words. The strawberry shake incident had occurred earlier in the day, and in the moments before his death he told his nurse of his desire to switch positions, to his side, saying "I think I'll be more comfortable". His nurse stated that he leaned forward, and then leaned back, and was gone.

I went through IMDB's process of deleting the last words attributed to him, my intent only being to remove them, rather than have them replaced as I considered his last words to be somewhat unremarkable. However, it appears that an IMDB editor chose to take the extra step of attributing his true last words to him in his quotes section.

These words, which seemed so unremarkable to me at the time, and which I thought was a quite humorous addition to his bio, have so much meaning, and are so poignant. I didn't see that at first, because they were from a man who wanted to shift into a better position. For those who live a life based in faith, or who believe that the best there is does not come during the course of this life, his last words are incredibly meaningful, and powerful. It doesn't matter what the situation was in relation to what he said. Perhaps he wasn't speaking to his nurse in that moment, but to himself, to God, and to all of the angels surrounding him.

"I'll be more comfortable."

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

To say that there were angels "surrounding him" is, I believe, an excessively romanticized idea, but otherwise, perhaps your statements are correct.

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

Nothing romanticized about it, some of us are humble enough to recognize the power of angels.

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

I thought this was a reasonable post until fantasy popped in. Angels, along with the tooth fairy and Santa Claus I suppose!

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

I've heard both "That's the best ice cream soda I've ever tasted" and "I think I'll be more comfortable" as Lou's last words. The former came fro 5b4 m his manager, Eddie Sherman, who had brought Lou the strawberry soda he'd asked for.

There are basically two problems with last words. First, you can never be sure of their reliability: survivors often change them for public consumption to make them sound meaningful or statesmanlike. Second, others often imbue those words (accurate or not) with their own meaning or interpretation that usually has nothing to do with the deceased or the circumstances of his death.

The OP sounds like a very religious person and that's fine, but he clearly seems to be getting carried away with his own interpretation of faith and imputing it to Lou Costello, or at least to Lou's circumstances. When Lou said "I think I'll be more comfortable" I think it's safe to state he was saying nothing more than that: no thoughts of religion, the afterlife or even of death, since by all accounts he died abruptly and without warning. He just wanted to be more comfortable in his hospital bed. Carrying it further, as the OP did, and bringing in angels and all the rest, is his version of religious faith. It has nothing whatever to do with Lou Costello, or to the facts of his death.

Everyone is of course entitled to their own religious beliefs. If you like to believe there are angels hovering around us and all the rest, you're free to do so. If you want to believe that Lou got a strawberry ice cream soda in Heaven, that's your right. 2000 But when you try to invest someone's last words (of debatable provenance) with your own religious interpretation and insinuate your own particular religious faith into someone else's life -- and death -- that's crossing a very delicate line.

Lou's alleged last words about wanting to be more comfortable may have been ironic in view of what was about to happen, but I wouldn't make anything more out of them than that.

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.


The OP sounds like a very religious person and that's fine, but he clearly seems to be getting carried away with his own interpretation of faith and impugning it to Lou Costello, or at least to Lou's circumstances.


I agree that the OP is overdoing the religious interpretation. (As they say, when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.) But he was hardly impugning anyone or anything. He was merely attributing it to Costello or his circumstances.

It is better to be kind than to be clever or good looking. -- Derek

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

Okay, very good. Serves me right for writing when I'm tired. Imputing. Thank you for pointing out the error.

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

The "Strawberry shake" quote came from his mgr/publicist. I read a great book by Lou's youngest daughter called, "Lou's on First". In it, she describes being at the hospital at his death when Eddie Sherman arrived. The nurse had already told her about his last words. Sherman gets on the phone to Hedda or Louella & makes up the whole story; said people would like it better!

But I have to agree, his actual words do hold such significance. Who knows, he may have been in the arms of the angels!

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

I can believe Eddie Sherman invented that "strawberry soda" line as Lou's last words. But it's a nice tale, and the line is certainly more wistful than the bascially mundane remark relayed by Carol.

But his "actual words" (assuming they were his actual words) about wanting to be more comfortable hold no significance whatsoever. The man was asking for his pillows to be shifted so he'd be more comfortable in bed. That's it. Period.

I don't know why some people insist on reading anything "meaningful" into what was a routine request, let alone trying to make something mystical about it by inserting their own religious opinions into another man's actions. That goes for fanciful musings about angels too.

Even simply claiming that "I think I'll feel more comfortable" has an ironic significance because he died immediately after is stretching things past the point of ludicrousness. It was just an everyday statement that happened to be the last thing Lou ever said. What's so difficult about accepting it as such?

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

I agree with hobnob53 entirely, it seems the "obsessed" on here have to justify the existence of their "god" on subjects that should not even involve their beliefs! I am an atheist but I do not bring my thoughts on these posts unless they bring theirs! I loved Abott and Costello and devour books etc on them. Nothing I have read points to either of them being particularly religious. Costello made a remark many would have at the time and the "obsessed" bring "god" into that!

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

Well, what I object to is people imbuing what is in fact a straightforward act or statement, with no relevance beyond itself, with some deep significance or hidden meaning. And of course, most times people who do such things insert their own beliefs and opinions and try to attribute them to whomever or whatever it is they're talking about.

You're right, zebulonguy, neither Bud nor Lou was particularly religious in their lives, but even if they had been this wouldn't have been proof that Lou's last words carried any religious or other meaning or intent. And if someone's going to insist on this flight of fancy, it's up to them to provide some evidence that this is true, or even credible.

If somebody says, I hope angels surrounded Lou and carried him to Heaven, fine, let them express their hope. When they start speculating, or even stating as fact, that Lou knew he was about to die, that he saw angels, and chose his last words with the hereafter in mind, this is not only unwarranted and unsupportable nonsense, it betrays a pretty arrogant attitude -- ascribing one's own opinions to those of another person.

Re: His Last Words: 'I Think I'll Be More Comfortable'.

So sad people have to attack a religious person on this board like I've seen here. The op was just making an innocent interpretation of someone's last words. I don't even find it aggressively religious like the op was trying to shove religion down anyone's throats either. It's like berating someone who says "God bless you" after you sneeze. I almost hate putting my two cents in anywhere on the internet because people are so ready to attack for little to no reason. Everything doesn't have to be a shouting contest.
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