Joseph La Cava

Like many actors of his day, Joseph La Cava's contribution to films will never be fully measured or documented. He started appearing in films in the 1930s and through a friendship with Bud Abbott, became Abbott's stand-in when Abbott was filming the Abbott and Costello series. This lead to a few notable roles during those productions because Abbott was usually very kind to La Cava and tried to see that he'd get dialog or at least upgraded to a silent bit where he'd interact with the actors but he wouldn't speak. Like most actor's, his work with the person he stood in constantly kept La Cava busy but it also lead to him establishing connections with various casting directors who would put him to work when Abbott was filming a movie. The trouble was that since Abbott and Costello were insanely popular during the 1940s and early 1950s, La Cava didn't work in too many other films. By the early 1950s, La Cava took over his usual duties as Abbott's stand-in on the Abbott and Costello show