In the Navy (1941)

Russ Raymond, America's number one crooner, disappears and joins the Navy under the name Tommy Halstead. Dorothy Roberts, a magazine journalist, is intent on finding out what happened to ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Arthur T. Horman (screenplay), John Grant (screenplay)

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bud Abbott	...	Smokey Adams
Lou Costello	...	Pomeroy Watson
Dick Powell	...	Thomas Halstead
Claire Dodd	...	Dorothy Roberts
The Andrews Sisters	...	Patty Andrews / Maxene Andrews / LaVerne Andrews
Dick Foran	...	Dynamite Dugan
Billy Lenhart	...	Butch
Kenneth Brown	...	Buddy
Shemp Howard	...	Dizzy
Nick Condos	...	Dance Specialty (as The Condos Brothers)
Steve Condos	...	Dance Specialty (as The Condos Brothers)

Storyline

Russ Raymond, America's number one crooner, disappears and joins the Navy under the name Tommy Halstead. Dorothy Roberts, a magazine journalist, is intent on finding out what happened to Russ and she tries everything she can to get a picture of him to prove he's Russ Raymond. Tommy's friends, Pomeroy Watson and Smokey Adams,help him while Pomeroy writes love letters to Patty Andrews. But because Smokey makes Pomeroy lie about himself in the letters, and when Patty comes to the Navy base, she's furious at Pomeroy. When Pomeroy, Smokey, Tommy and the Andrews sisters set sail for Hawaii, Pomeroy discovers there's a tomato in the potato locker, and she's been snapping shots of Tommy the whole trip. Whether Pomeroy's proving that 7 x 13 = 28 - three different ways, having Smokey help him play ship captain for Patty, or falling out of his hammock, it's an Abbott and Costello classic.

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Plot Keywords:

shell game | navy | bud abbott billed above the title | lou costello billed above the title | dick powell billed above the title | 

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Taglines:

They'll torpedo your troubles and blitz your blues...with waves of laughter and a barrage of boogie-woogie!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie makes extensive use of miniatures. After the film was completed Lou Costello took one of the battleships and put it in his swimming pool as a souvenir.

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Quotes

Smokey Adams: Did you ever go to school, stupid?
Seaman Pomeroy Watson: Yeah, and I come out the same way.

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Connections

References Buck Privates (1941)

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Soundtracks

Anchors Aweigh
(1906) (uncredited)
Written by Charles A. Zimmerman
Lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles and R. Lovell
Played during the opening and end credits
Played as background music.

User Reviews

Pleasant comedy

Lou: "I'll fight these men in a field of honor"

Bud: "But they have no honor"

Lou: "That's okay, I ain't got no field!"

One of the earliest Abbott & Costello films, "In the Navy" has a better balance of humor and music than, say, the Marx Brothers outings of the same period. The songs, although dated, are still quite catchy, and there is also a spectacular tap-dancing number by the Condos Brothers (OK, the Hawaiian song is perfectly awful, but at least nobody plays a harp for 10 minutes here). The comedy is visual, verbal, and at times even surreal (Costello draws a line with a piece of chalk on a blackboard - and then hangs his cap on it!). This film is not great cinematic art, but it does offer some great laughs. (**1/2)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hello, Sailor

Filming Locations:

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$380,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1