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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Arthur T. Horman (screenplay)
John Grant (special material for Abbott and Costello)
Release Date:
31 January 1941 (USA) more
Plot:
Bud and Lou enlist in the army in order to escape being hauled off to jail, and soon find themselves in boot camp... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
User Comments:
Excellent Wartime Comedy more (32 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Lee Bowman | ... | Randolph Parker III | |
| Alan Curtis | ... | Bob Martin | |
| Bud Abbott | ... | Slicker Smith | |
| Lou Costello | ... | Herbie Brown | |
| The Andrews Sisters | ... | Patty, Maxene, LaVerne | |
| Jane Frazee | ... | Judy Gray | |
| Nat Pendleton | ... | Sgt. Michael Collins | |
| Samuel S. Hinds | ... | Major General Emerson | |
| Harry Strang | ... | Sgt. Callahan | |
| Nella Walker | ... | Mrs. Parker II | |
| Leonard Elliott | ... | Henry | |
| Shemp Howard | ... | Chef | |
| M.J. Frankovich | ... | Announcer (as Mike Frankovitch) | |
| Dora Clement | ... | Miss Durling - Camp Hostess (as Dora Clemant) | |
| Jean Brooks | ... | Camp Hostess (as Jeanne Kelly) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Rookies (UK)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
84 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #7029)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
This film took in $4 million (at a time when theater admission ranged between 10 cents and 25 cents), more than either Citizen Kane (1941) or How Green Was My Valley (1941). more
Goofs:
Continuity: During the dice game, Lou's tie is on for the close-ups, but off for the long shots. more
Quotes:
Slicker Smith:
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?
Herbie Brown:
Not unless I come from the mountains.
Slicker Smith:
All right- you're 40 years-old, you're four times as old as this girl, and you can't marry her, so you wait five years. By that time the little girl's 15 and you're 45. You're only three times as old as that little girl. So you wait 15 years and when the girl is 30, you're at 60. You're only twice as old as that little girl.
Herbie Brown:
She's catching up.
Slicker Smith:
Yes, yes. Now here's the question. How long do you have to wait until you and that little girl are the same age?
Herbie Brown:
Now what kinda question is that? That's ridiculous!
Slicker Smith:
Ridiculous or not, answer the question.
Herbie Brown:
If I wait for that girl she'll pass me up. She'll wind up older than I am.
Slicker Smith:
What are you talking about?
Herbie Brown:
She'll have to wait for me!
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982) more
Soundtrack:
Taps more
FAQ
List: Wacky boxingmore
more (32 total)
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I have seen only a few of the Abbott and Costello films, and find in most of them that the films themselves are but an excuse for them to do their (hilarious) routines, with some uninteresting story added in for padding. Since they made no bones about this, and it generally worked, because they did not disguise it (unlike Laurel and Hardy). With many of A&C's pictures, their scenes are always great. I find their TV show to be the purest representation of their humor. BUCK PRIVATES must surely rank not only as the best Abbott and Costello movie, but also as one of the best comedy films of all time. On top of this, it is like an 84-minute slice of American history. The romantic sub-plot in this film is very relevant to audiences of the day and is not trivial or silly (like those in the films of the Marx Bros. and Laurel and Hardy). Lou Costello is hilarious as ever here. Abbott is in full form too. The supporting cast is perfect, especially Nat Pendleton, not to mention a brilliant series of music numbers by the great Andrews Sisters. Their main number, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," is truly a historical moment, and it's a great performance to boot. It's easy to see how this was the most popular comedy of it's day. All in all, I was very impressed by this film. I hope it gets shown more often on TV so new audiences can enjoy this rousing and hilarious movie.