utgard14 Review of Buck Privates

Buck Privates (1941)

"I was only lookin' at her to see if she was lookin' at me to see if I was lookin' at her."

[7/10 · 25 September 2015]

Fun wartime comedy starring Abbott & Costello. It's just their second film (and their first as the stars) but it has a freshness about it that some later films of theirs don't have. The energy level is high in this one and the musical numbers don't feel as intrusive as they sometimes did in the duo's early films. The plot has Bud and Lou accidentally enrolling in the US Army while trying to escape from a policeman and finding themselves at boot camp with the same policeman now as their drill sergeant. Funny routines from the boys include the famous drill routine, the craps game, and "you're 40, she's 10." Great songs from the Andrews Sisters include "(I'll Be with You) In Apple Blossom Time," "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four," and the timeless "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The only negative for me is the lame love triangle involving Alan Curtis, Jane Frazee, and Lee Bowman. Bud and Lou are in great form here. Nat Pendleton is fun as the drill sergeant. It's not one of Abbott & Costello's best but it is entertaining.