Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305077954
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 6305077959
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: April 01, 1998
Running Time: 84 minutes
Sales Rank: 79358
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: January 31, 1941
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Description:
Those two crazy cutups, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, turn the military upside down when they accidentally enlist in the Army. This hilarious comedy highlights some of the duo's funniest bits and routines.
Amazon.com:
Universal Studios hit box-office gold when they drafted vaudeville comedians and radio stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and turned them into one of the most successful screen teams of the 1940s and 1950s. After a tryout as supporting characters in the musical One Night in the Tropics, they starred in Buck Privates as con artists who accidentally enlist while hiding out from New York street cop Nat Pendleton. Naturally he winds up their drill sergeant and comic foil as they wreak havoc on the armed forces. It's vaudeville in fatigues, with the bare bones of a story provided by spoiled millionaire playboy Lee Bowman, his strapping All-American former chauffeur Alan Curtis, and the girl-next-door they both pursue, Jane Frazee. The lackluster subplot is directed with little verve by Arthur Lubin, and the film's energy comes completely from the snappy by-play of the comedians and Costello's flustered double takes and jumpy physical comedy (including a hilarious rifle drill in which the out-of-step soldier marches to the direction of a different compass). The Andrews Sisters sing 'You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith' and 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,' among others, and future Stooge Shemp Howard shows where the 'mess' in mess hall comes from as a cook on the receiving end of Costello's KP tomfoolery. This modest comedy became a smash hit and made Abbott and Costello Universal's most valuable commodity, prompting a quick follow-up with another peacetime armed forces comedy, In the Navy. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Awesome movie
As soon as I got this movie in I plugged it in at work (hospital) and everyone was laughing!! Good clean fun for all ages a classic and a must have!!!!!!
Rating: - Funny and Fun
The Army has never been so much fun as when Bud and Lou sign up for their Uncle Sam. Made to capitalize on their sudden popularity, a fine cast and breezy tone overcome the slight premise and give the boys an opportunity for some of their most hilarious gags. Add the fabulous Andrew Sisters to the mix and you've got a great time at the movies.
Slicker (Bud) and Herbie (Lou) are selling ties without a permit but when they duck into what they think is a movie theatre they end up enlisting in the army! This gives our favorite comedy duo a chance to display both their slapstick ability and their fabulous verbal routines. Nat Pendleton is the perfect foil as their Sergeant. As usual, Bud continues to get Lou into hot water, but it seems more of a gag here, rather than mean-spirited, with Bud coming off a bit softer than in later films. Groucho Marx didn't call him the greatest straight-man in the history of comedy for nothing.
Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges gets a nice bit as K Company's cook. He and Lou even get to do a number together! Most of the songs are done by the always great Andrew Sisters, however. They get to do the romantic "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time" and some breezy war songs on the train to bootcamp and at company dances which keep things moving right along.
The secondary story is actually pretty good here, and is not distracting at all. Lee Bowman is very good as the rich playboy (Randoph Parker III) used to getting things his way, ... Read More
Rating: - A great Andrews Sisters movie!
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!
Rating:  - You're In The Army Now
This was the first big hit for Abbott & Costello. The boys are peddling ties on the street, and duck into an Army recruiting station to escape a policeman. There are the usual sight gags and verbal jokes that made them the top comics of the 1940s. The Andrews Sisters provide the songs. A steam train takes the inductees to their training camp. [Note how all the men wore suits, ties, and hats.] There is a funny scene where Lou Costello learns how to play with dice. He is a fast learner! The next lesson shows a lesson in finance. Then a playboy gets a chance to learn things they don't teach in college. There is a humorous lesson in teaching close-order drill. Then another comedy routing.
There is a shooting match that is lost when the top marksman develops a problem to stay out; he is shunned. We see some rough crude humor in the boxing match. [Lou Costello shows his skill as a physical comedian.] Next morning there is a sham battle as a training exercise. Real army films are included for realism. Three patrols are set out to capture and destroy a guardhouse. One patrol manages to accomplish their mission. There is a party to celebrate, and we see a dance and song from that era. A side bet at 10-to-1 allows Company K to clean up. There is a final big number to end the film.
A few months later in December 1941 the nation changed forever. But the need for entertainment went on, and so did Abbot & Costello in other comedies.
Rating: - THERE'S NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN 'BUCK PRIVATES'
IN A NUTSHELL: THE QUINTESSENTIAL ABBOTT & COSTELLO FEATURE FILM
'BUCK PRIVATES' is unquestionably one of the best Bud Abbott and Lou Costello films. 'Buck Privates' features some of the A & C team's best and most memorable vaudeville routines. The perfect setting for these routines is what makes 'Buck Privates' work as a comic masterpeice.
WHAT 'BUCK' PRIVATES' IS ALL ABOUT:
Having been caught in the act of peddling neckties in the street, without a permit, Bud and Lou get hoodwinked into enlisting in the army to avoid being sent to jail. Ironically, they soon find themselves in boot camp under the command of the policeman who was prepared to arrest them.
SOUNDS LIKE VERY SILLY STUFF -- RIGHT?
It is silly, but it holds together very nicely and with a minimal, but coherent plot.
CLASSIC ABBOTT & COSTELLO ROUTINES FIT RIGHT IN
For Abbott and Costello, the strictness and structure of military discipline provides the perfect platform for a wide variety of burlesque skits that include many of the team's most famous and classic routines, such as; 'waiting for the little girl to catch-up', 'the dice game', 'the drill of the awkward squad', 'turn-on the radio' and 'the boxing ring'. I must admit that I have recited many of these routines over the years and they delight me to say them, and even more to hear them from the mouths of A & C.
'Buck Privates' also features the Andrews Sisters, ... Read More
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