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 / Maxene / LaVerne
Dick Foran	...	Dynamite Dugan
Billy Lenhart	...	Butch
Kenneth Brown	...	Buddy
Shemp Howard	...	Dizzy
Nick Condos	...	Dance Specialty (as Condos Brothers)
Steve Condos	...	Dance Specialty (as 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 | pastry | crooner | abbott and costello | cook | 

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Taglines:

THE FLEET'S ALL IN...Since Those Riotous "Buck Privates" Abbott and Costello Joined Up! (original poster)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The group gets assigned to the USS Alabama and sets sail for Pearl Harbor, HI, from San Diego, CA. With the movie being released on 30 May 1941, the real USS Alabama (BB-60) was commissioned on 16 Aug 1942 and earned nine battle stars during her service in World War II.

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Quotes

Seaman Pomeroy Watson: I'm going to buy every record the Andrews Sisters ever made.

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Connections

Featured in The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)

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Soundtracks

Gimme Some Skin, My Friend
(1941)
Lyrics by Don Raye
Music by Gene de Paul
Sung by The Andrews Sisters (uncredited) at the dance hall

User Reviews

Bud and Lou at sea...

Somewhere, hidden within what seems like a ton of singing and dancing numbers and the requisite romantic subplot, there's actually a very fine Abbott and Costello comedy to be found.

Not that I have anything personal against the Andrews Sisters--but the time devoted to their singing numbers is time I would rather see Bud & Lou work their magic. But--when given the opportunity--Bud & Lou do a stellar job with such classic routines as the Lemon Bit & 7x13=28.

And fans of the Three Stooges may get a kick out of seeing Shemp Howard in this film--although he rarely gets an opportunity to flex his comedic muscles--reportedly Shemp did a lot of funny stuff in his A & C appearances that got left on the cutting room floor. Still, I enjoyed when during the Lemon Bit, Shemp ask Bud if he's mad then advises him to suck on a lemon.

Another highlight--and maybe the funniest scene in the entire film-- is Lou's dream sequence where he masquerades as the Captain of the ship.

Overall, if you can bare all the singing and dancing, then "In the Navy" rates as a fine Bud & Lou comedy that could have been great if a lot of the fat was trimmed--but then again, I could say the same for a lot of Bud & Lou's early features.