Buck Privates

Private Parts

Buck Privates
USA 1941 
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Universal/Shout Factory Blu Ray Zone A

Following on from the box office failure of One Night In The Tropics (reviewed here) but, also marking the success and popularity of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in their joint movie debut in that film (although, it turns out, not quite in Lou's case... more on that in a silent Laurel & Hardy review coming to the blog), they were signed to at least two more pictures and Buck Privates was the first of many where they were the main draw. Having said that, there are a couple of other characters who are also there to provide a kind of romantic rivalry in the film and who share the limelight with the two comedians.

Bud and Lou play two illegal street salesmen who run away from a police sergeant and join the line in a cinema for cover. They’re both too stupid to realise it’s a line for ‘peacetime recruitment’ for a year’s national service, to get people trained up as soldiers ‘just in case’ America entered the war... and so end up recruited themselves. Also recruited is a millionaire playboy portrayed by Lee Bowman and his ex-servant and main romantic competitor, played by Alan Curtis. Both of these mostly loathe each other and are both after the same army gal, played by Jane Frazee and, when the camera isn’t concentrating on various Abbott and Costello routines worked into the story, the rivalry between these two is shown as quite cut throat and nasty, until the rich playboy saves the life of his ex-employee and they both do their company proud in an army game at the finish of the movie.

So, yeah, it’s all the kinds of gags you would expect from this kind of ‘little people joining up for a greater cause’ movie but, of course, in terms of American movies, it would have been one of their earlier ones so, at the time, it wouldn’t have seemed quite to formula. Indeed, the movie was a huge hit, making more money than any other Universal picture had made up until that point. 

The comedy is mostly good stuff... some of the physical stuff is really creaky and there’s a hell of a lot of ad libbing going on (for instance, a drill routine was supposed to last three minutes but went on for over five, because all the ad libs from the boys were kept in) but the fast dialogue shenanigans, many once again based on ways Abbot could con money out of Costello, are all great and very witty. There’s also an early appearance of a boxing match that Costello gets conned into fighting which, if I remember rightly, was revisited in various ways by the duo over the years. 

Interjected among the comedy is the story of the rivalry between the two other male leads and, some really great song and dance numbers including The Andrews Sisters. This was the first of a few collaborations they filmed with Bud and Lou and they got a few big hit singles out of this one, including the tremendous Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company B, of course. 

A couple of things to mention here too. Firstly, keep an eye out for the cook who features prominently with Lou in a musical scene in the army kitchen tent... it’s none other than Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges fame. Secondly, that long drill scene (which I have to say, was not exactly a highlight of the picture for me) was something that the Japanese used to show their soldiers during the war, to demonstrate just how stupid the American soldiers were. Hmmm... a somewhat back handed compliment I guess. 

And, like I said, Buck Privates really did the business at the box office and the prints were at a shortage and in demand from cinemas. In fact, it delayed the production of the next Abbott and Costello film, also directed by Lubin (who did a number of these and was given a $5000 bonus by the company after this one proved so successful), because the studio wanted to give it a bigger budget and restyle it to a bigger picture. So I guess that’ll be the third film coming up in this beautifully restored Abbott And Costello - The Universal Collection Blu Ray set so... I’ll get onto that one soon.