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"Who's On First?" is descended from turn-of-the-century burlesque sketches like "The Baker Scene" (the shop is located on Watt Street) and "Who Dyed" (the owner is named Who). By the early 1930s, a "Baseball Routine" had become a standard bit for burlesque comics across the country.

Shortly after Abbott and Costello teamed up, they honed the sketch, using the nicknames of then-contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean (and their alleged French cousin, Goof�) to set up the premise. Later, burlesque producer John Grant, who became the team's head writer, helped them refine it further. By 1944, Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted.

It was said that Abbott and Costello had performed "Who's On First?" 15,000 times in their careers, and rarely was it performed the same way twice. Once, they did the routine at President Roosevelt's request. It was featured in the team's 1940 film debut, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and it is that version which is considered their finest recorded rendition. They also performed the routine numerous times on radio and television.

In 1956 a gold record of "Who's On First?" was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. A video (taken from "The Naughty Nineties") now plays continuously on screens at the Hall.

In 2005 the line "Who's On First?" was included on the American Film Institute's list of 100 memorable movie quotes.

The names given in the routine for the players at each position are:

• First Base: Who
• Second Base: What
• Third base: I Don't Know
• Left field: Why
• Center Field: Because
• Pitcher: Tomorrow
• Catcher: Today
• Shortstop: I Don't Give a Darn

The name of the shortstop is not given until the very end of the routine, and the right fielder is never identified, though an interpretation of the transcript could give his name as Naturally.

Abbott's explanations leave Costello hopelessly confused and infuriated, until the end of the routine when he finally appears to catch on. "You got a couple of days on your team?" He never quite figures out that the first baseman's name literally is "Who." But after all this he announces, "I don't give a darn!" ("Oh, that's our shortstop.") That is the most commonly heard ending, which varied depending on the perceived sensibilities of the audience. The even-milder 'I Don't Care' was used in the version seen in the film The Naughty Nineties. A recording of the obvious 'I Don't Give a Damn' has also turned up on occasion.