Customer Reviews

Private Snuffy Smith

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

 

 

Private Snuffy Smith is a wonderful old film. The DVD has significantly improved the original video quality.

The movie synopsis takes you back to where the military would give you food, clothes, and a 21 dollars a day. Coming from a background of moon shining and avoiding creditors, Smith joins the army. While in the army a stolen invention gets slipped into his bag, and the rest of the movie keeps getting better.

Good copy, recommend!

The best thing about Eddie Cline's comedic misfire, PRIVATE SNUFFY SMITH is three Jimmie Dodd songs. The youthful future Head Mouseketeer demonstrates guitar mastery as he sings most pleasantly. "Time's a-Wastin'" was penned by vaudevillians Olsen & Johnson. Lyrics to "The Yard Bird" incorporate Snuffy Smithisms and references, while "I Don't Know What To Do Blues" is quite nice.

Cline was steeped in directing comedies, all the way back to silent era collaborations with Buster Keaton, and the actors involved were also skilled, so fault for an unhumorous script may lie in its creation by a committee of four.

The cinematic career of star Bud Duncan, who stood well-under 5 feet, began and ended in the funny pages. From 1911 on, he was Jeff in a series of silent Mutt & Jeff shorts; Duncan's last movies were two early-40s Snuffy Smith programmers. This one is totally undistinguished, dumb in fact.


Gray market discs such as this offer no commentary, deleted scenes or other bonus features. Dubs are "best available source" and can vary from very good to only fair.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(5.1) Private Snuffy Smith (1942) Bud Duncan/Edgar Kennedy/Sarah Padden/J. Farrell MacDonald/Jimmie Dodd