Movie review – A&C #2 – “Buck Privates” (1941) ****

Abbott and Costello took to the big screen like a duck to water (former stunt man Costello especially proving to be a gifted visual comic), so Universal quickly ushered them into their own vehicle. It was the safest of comic formats – a service comedy – and the public gobbled it up. Apart from the dynamic performances of the leads, who are in excellent form, it’s likely audiences also enjoyed the depiction of army life – this film makes it seem like summer camp, where you’ll have camp hostesses give you cigarettes and apples and sing you songs (including the Andrews sisters) and plenty of time off to go jitterbugging, play ping pong in the rec hall, watch boxing or sing romantic songs in the evening by cherry blossoms.

Some fans pooh-pooh the amount of time given to the “straight” story in this film about a playboy drafted into the army along with his chauffeur and fighting over the one girl, but I enjoy it. (NB For all the noises about the army treating everyone equally, it’s fairly obvious the girl prefers the playboy (helped by the fact that (a) his character has a bit of a journey whereas the chauffeur has none, and (b) Lee Bowman is far more charismatic actor than Alan Curtis) – though the way Curtis climbs over Bowman’s back during the manoeuvres sequence and the fact all three go off together at the end of officers school implies maybe they’ll be able to live in a ménage a trios.

Anyway, the story acts as a nice counter point to the Abbott and Costello routines, which are really outstanding (Costello also sings a very funny song and takes place in a brilliant boxing match). Nat Pendleton is hilarious as the sergeant understandably tormented by the duo, and as an unexpected bonus there are some really good songs, especially the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Lovers of bad extra acting watch this production number closely – look how bored the soldier is who is standing next to the least pretty Andrews sister (the one whom can’t dance very well and isn’t given any dialogue) – he can’t even clap in time.