After wrecking havoc in the army and navy it was inevitable that Abbott and Costello turn their attention to the air force. Again, there’s a romantic male lead – a womanising flyer who joins the air corps, played by Dick Foran, a lunkish actor who was briefly a cowboy star for Warners before they dropped him, after which he played a few leads for Universal. As usual, the social aspects of the armed forces are emphasised, in particular the availability of the USO, soldiers breaking out into song and dance every now and then, with plenty of time off to go to shows and go on dates.The best feature of the film is Martha Raye as twin sisters, one of whom likes Abbott the other who likes Costello. It’s great to see scenes with a woman chasing after Costello (Costello plays a sexual innocent here – Raye definitely does the cashing), and Raye sings some jaunty songs. This is a bit more sentimental than the others, especially in the scene where Costello pleads to be allowed in the service (“now we’re training for the biggest game we’ve ever had there’s got to be a place for us”). The straight plot concerns cocky Foran learning to be one of the team – it’s not very interesting, and the pursuit of the love interest too easy (the only complication is his girl’s brother is a crap flyer – as if Foran isn’t going to solve that). Abbott and Costello take to the sky for a decent sequence, though the serious plot finale is hampered by unconvincing model work. The weakest of Abbot and Costello’s service comedies.
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