Customer Reviews

Abbott & Costello: Buck Privates [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Made for peanuts, BUCK PRIVATES was a tremendous hit for Universal studios and firmly established Abbott and Costello as movie stars. Bud and Lou's routines are among their best; indeed, the film is really not much more than a string of burlesque routines held together by a simple plotline. "The Dice Game," "The Drill Routine," "You're 40, She's 10," and several others burlesque bits are here to keep you laughing. The romantic triangle plot is rather forgettable, although one can certainly understand why both Lee Bowman and Alan Curtis are pursuing lovely Jane Frazee. The Andrews Sisters contribute some great songs, including the immortal "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Dated but still very entertaining, BUCK PRIVATES delivered just what the movie going public needed in 1941. And it still delivers today.

This great work of entertainment from l942 can be watched repeatedly and for different reasons. Sometimes I watch it just to catch the hysterical routines of our beloved A&C. The funniest is when Bud is trying to instruct Lou how to carry his rifle. Notice the tallest of the soldiers at the end of the row who can barely keep from screaming with laughter. His mouth trembles, he bows his head so you can't see his face, etc. Also, The Andrew Sisters are their peak, bouncing everybody with their classic, "Boogey-Woogie Boy" toe-tapping extravaganza with Patty dynamic. Even better in some ways is the fantastic "Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four" which comes towards the end. Look at those jive-cats, circa l942 swing and sway and shake their groove thangs. This was a perfect antidote in that year because of the horrible news pouring in from war-torn Europe and Americans were over there risking life and life. Buck Privates moves so fast you're startled when it ends with "You're a Lucky Fellow Mr. Smith". You wanna just reverse and start it all over again. Bravo to Patty, Laverne and Maxine, not to mention Abbott and Costello.

Fun, World War II period piece. A & C in one of their best but the Andrew Sisters and the great swing music are what really set this apart. Just to hear and see "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Apple Blosson Time" is enough to recommend this movie. And don't miss the killer jitter-bug scene toward the end of the movie. It rocks! (Any of the so-called swing kids out there, worthy of their high-rise drapes, should already have this movie in their collection.) Also, don't miss Shemp Howard, sans Moe and Larry, as the mess cook.

Abbott & Costello's 2nd film and the first to give them star billing. The duo play "SLICKER SMITH" and "HERBIE BROWN" two sidewalk necktie salesmen who ACCIDENTLLY enlist in the Army to avoid getting arrested. When they try to evade a patrolman, they decide to hide in a VERY LONG of people outside a movie theatre. That's what the place WAS until the government turned into an Army Recruiting Station. In the end the boys, thinking that they were taking part in a ZANY raffle, are AMAZED to learn that they ACTUALLY enlisted in the Army. The two FUNNIEST highlights in this classic comedy are: (1) "THE DICE GAME". On the train carrying the new recruits to basic training camp, Lou walks in on Bud and his pals playing dice. Costello admits to being a novice in playing the game, so Abbott DECIDES to take ADVANTAGE of the situtation. After explaining to his partner the rules of the game, Abbott lets Lou join in. But throughout the entire game Costello SURPRISES Abbott with his knowledge of the gambling jargon such as "FADE THAT" and "LET IT RIDE". (2) THE DRILL ROUTINE. This is a VERY HILARIOUS scene, in which Bud TRIES to instruct his partner on carrying his rifle and learning how to march. (Pay CLOSE attention to the soldier on next to Lou, as he goes to GREAT LENGTHS to keep from laughing).

[NOTE: I have reviewed OTHER FILMS under the heading "APLUS11@GALILEO.COM". If any viewer wants to write me concerning these reviews and any NEW reviews I make, they can write me at the following heading "ABBCOS@YAHOO.COM"].

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's second film for Universal and the first in which they get star billing, has them playing two con men who ACCIDENTALLY enlist in the Army in order to avoid getting arrested.

Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown are street peddlers selling neck ties while constantly running from the police. To escape an officer they run into an Army Recruiting Station (in a vacant movie theater). Through a misunderstanding, they are recruited into the U.S. Army. They are sent off to boot camp to find out their drill instructor is the very same cop who chased them into the recruiting station in the first place. The boys have a hilarious time frustrating their humorless drill instructor.

Routines & Hilarious Moments:

Dice Routine
Drill Routine
You're 40, She's 10
Boxing Match
Put the pack on his back
Turn that radio off!

TRIVIA: (1)Abbott and Costellos drill routine ran only two-and-a-half minutes in the script, but was allowed five minutes of screen time because of their ad-libbing. Much of their dialogue in the film was ad-libbed.(2)During WWII, the Japanese used to show the "DRILL ROUTINE" to show how stupid the American Army was. (3)A sneak preview was held in late January 1941 for soldiers at Fort MacArthur, California.(4)This film took in $4,000,000, more than either "CITZEN KANE" (1941) or "HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY" (1941).

I loved this movie! Not because I'm a fan of Abbott and Costello, but because I'm a huge Andrews Sisters fan and they are featured very prominently in this film. In fact, they do the entire "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" number in this movie as well as many others. It is a great way to see the Andrews Sisters perform and sing. I recommend it highly!

If you love Abbott and Costello like I do you won't like this film. It's one of their many blunders. The plot is flimsy and jumpy and these two comics don't really get a chance to do their best stuff. They were put in this film to sell the film and it sold a lot of tickets and a lot of people were disappointed with the comedy. Buy it if you must but it's not a funny film!

Need to keep the Grand kids quit just put on Bud & Lou in Buck Privates & they'll be to busy watching & you can even watch with them. It's a very good movie but of course Bud & Lou do an outstanding job of acting. Their team work together is outstanding & making you laugh is their goal & they really do it in Buck Private. This movie is good for the adults & any age between. If you don't like Buck Privates the you don't like comedy.

How studios and their, so called, executives decide not to keep printing copies of REAL entertainment like this amazes me. NO talent HACKS like will ferrel and jack black have so many discs made of their TRASH and LEGENDS like Abbott and Costello go undiscovered by todays society. It's disgraceful.

This is a great comedy/musical and a very Patriotic film. Showing the FACT that America is the greatest country in the world and showing it in a good light. Then again, those might be just the reasons it's been taken out of single print and hidden into box collections.

Buck Privates is a FINE Family film from a better day. And the sweet sounds of the Andrews Sisters only adds to the Class and Greatness of this film. It's a 5 Star Film, no questions asked. If you don't think so, you don't know entertainment.

Bud Abbott (1895-1974) and Lou Costello (1906-59) were comedy giants for two decades, wowing the public on screen from 1940 to 1956 and on TV from 1951 to 1953. They were the true successors to Laurel and Hardy. "Buck Privates" was their second film, and the one that propelled them onto the A list. They followed this with nearly 40 films, the best of which were such classics as "Hold that Ghost" (1941) and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). The "A & C Meet..." films alone spawned 7 films. By the mid 50s the comedic style of Martin and Lewis gained the upper hand and personal disputes between the partners brought the comedy to an end. As they had eclipsed Laurel and Hardy, Martin and Lewis stole their thunder, but even today one can't help but laugh at the gags.

"Buck Privates" is probably their best film, aided in no small part by the terrific songs and dances of the Andrew Sisters, who would join them in two more films ("In the Navy" and "Hold that Ghost") that same year. LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty not only worked with Abbott and Costello, but also with The Ritz Brothers ("Argentine Nights") and Crosby and Hope ("Road to Rio") and also appeared with the top musicians of the 40s and 50s. At the time of "Buck Privates" the sisters had already established a name for themselves with such big hits as "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", "Hold Tight", "Roll out the Barrel", "Ferryboat Serenade", and "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar". They perform four songs in the film - "You're a Lucky Fellow Mr. Smith", "Apple Blossom Time", "Bounce me Brother with a Solid Four", and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Boogie Woogie" was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song.

Abbott and Costello were originally a vaudeville act, and what they did was to bring their act to the big screen. Films were a series of smaller bits strung together with a plot. In this they copied the style of the Marx Brothers (even though their pedigree makes them look like successors to Laurel and Hardy, who used a completely different motif for their films) right down to the minor love plot, the menacing heavy, and the musical numbers.

There are so many funny bits in this film it's hard to list them all. Lou initiates his "I'm a bad boy" catchphrase that would last for more than a decade. The drill routine was originally scheduled for a few minutes but went nearly 5 due to the ad-libbing (watch closely for the reactions from the actors who participate). The verbal patter between the boys is priceless, as Bud convinces Lou that if he marries a younger woman she will eventually be older than he is. Here's a sample -

Bud - You're 40 years-old and you're in love with this little girl that's 10 years-old. You're four times as old as that girl and you couldn't marry her, could you?

Lou - Not unless I come from the mountains.

Nat Pendleton (1895-1967) plays the heavy who pursues the boys. Pendelton was famous for the "slow burn" and he appeared in over 100 films. He reprieved his role in 1947's "Buck Privates Come Home" - his last film.

Look for Shemp Howard (1895-1955) for a minor role as a cook. Shemp had been acting since 1932 when he broke away from "Ted Healy and His Stooges". He appeared with W.C. Fields, Fatty Arbuckle, Lon Chaney, and even John Wayne, but was making no real headway. In 1946 when brother Curly had a stroke he re-joined the Three Stooges and they made 73 short films together.

1941 was a terrific year for films - "Citizen Kane", "The Maltese Falcon", Sergeant York", "How Green Was My Valley", Meet John Doe", "They Died with Their Boots On", "The Sea Wolf" "High Sierra", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", and "A Yank in the RAF". With such an impressive list, "Buck Privates" came in at #9 at the box office.

The NY Times called it "an hour and a half of uproarious monkeyshines." The film grossed a record $4 million, although some placed it as high as $10 million. It received 2 Oscar nominations but no wins - "Boogie Woogie" lost to "The last time I saw Paris" from "Lady Be Good" for Best Song and "Dumbo" won for Best Music. The film was so popular it generated a radio show later that year on the Lux Radio Theater. The Japanese were so impressed they showed the drill scene to their troops to demonstrate how poorly trained US soldiers were.

This is a great film from a great comedy team.