Buck Privates
1941 Directed by Arthur Lubin
Synopsis
Petty con artists, Bud & Lou mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
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Desperate to get away from cop Nat Pendleton (a favorite of mine), street con artists Bud and Lou accidentally join the U.S. Army. Too bad for them, Pendleton ends up as their sergeant. Buck Privates is merely OK in terms of military hi-jinks and once again, the romantic leads might as well be invisible, but this Oscar-nominated crowd-pleaser is more about building patriotic spirit (though it should be noted that America was still a year out from joining WWII; the film is centered around the early peacetime draft), and it does deliver on that count.
As fun as Abbott and Costello are throughout the picture (their bits flow more organically through the story than they did in One Night in…
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It's not as funny as some of the other Bud Abbott and Lou Costello comedies mostly because they are not headlining this one - every time they are out of the frame we get treated to a mixture of musical numbers, draft propaganda, romantic triangles that are far less interesting than what A&L have to offer. Still, it is kind of fun, lighthearted fluff.
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I had never seen an Abbott and Costello movie before. This one made me laugh. I chuckled the whole way through it. Love it. It's a good movie. I'm glad I've seen it now.
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Considered by many to be one of the best in the Abbott & Costello filmography. I went in with high hopes and left semi-disappointed. The duos comedy routines work but they are pushed to the side to wedge in a love triangle storyline which in the end doesn't produce a satisfying conclusion. Glad to see one of my favorites Nat Pendleton as Sgt. Collins (Love him in the Thin Man series)
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Desperate to get away from cop Nat Pendleton (a favorite of mine), street con artists Bud and Lou accidentally join the U.S. Army. Too bad for them, Pendleton ends up as their sergeant. Buck Privates is merely OK in terms of military hi-jinks and once again, the romantic leads might as well be invisible, but this Oscar-nominated crowd-pleaser is more about building patriotic spirit (though it should be noted that America was still a year out from joining WWII; the film is centered around the early peacetime draft), and it does deliver on that count.
As fun as Abbott and Costello are throughout the picture (their bits flow more organically through the story than they did in One Night in…
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- Buck Privates is the second film of comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and the one that made them internationally famous. It was critically and commercially well received in 1941 – the year that also saw Citizen Kane and How Green Was My Valley – and grossed $4 million when tickets were only 25 cents (grossing more than both Kane and Valley and becoming Universal’s top grosser up to that time). The film is lots of fun with good music and catchy tunes mingled throughout and the timeless comedy routines of Abbott & Costello. This was the first film to feature the duo as the leads but while they are seen more they still are mainly involved as comedic…
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It's not as funny as some of the other Bud Abbott and Lou Costello comedies mostly because they are not headlining this one - every time they are out of the frame we get treated to a mixture of musical numbers, draft propaganda, romantic triangles that are far less interesting than what A&L have to offer. Still, it is kind of fun, lighthearted fluff.
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As a kid on Sunday mornings you could get up and watch an Abbott & Costello movie and then watch a classic horror movie. Every Sunday, back to back, that was my weekend throughout my childhood.
I've seen all of their movies, so many times. I thought I would start watching them again last night. Watched the first couple.
"Buck Privates" plays out like a piece of Pro-Draft propaganda, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. It's got some great songs by the Andrews Sisters and a lot of great bits from Abbott & Costello.
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It's incredible how the comedy of A&C remains legitimately hilarious to this day. I love it.