IN THE NAVY

(1941)
With Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, Clair Dodd, Dick Foran, The Andrews Sisters (Patty, Maxine and LaVerne), Shemp Howard.
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Black and White
Reviewed by JB

     Universal and the boys had HOLD THAT GHOST all ready to release as a followup to BUCK PRIVATES, but when that film proved to a humongous hit, the studio quickly started production of IN THE NAVY to capitalize on BUCK PRIVATES' success.  Back were The Andrews Sisters and Shemp Howard, and in place of Nat Pendleton, they brought in Dick Foran.  Dick Powell is around to sing a few songs and Clair Dodd is around to eventually fall in love with him.

    As for the comedy, the Boys treat us to "The Lemon Bit", "13 x 7 = 28" and "Buzzin' the Bee", here called "The Sons of Neptune".  If you don't know these routines by those names, you are probably not a big Abbott and Costello fan, but rest assured, they are all surefire routines from burlesque, performed to perfection byt Bud and Lou.  However, the movie's funniest scene has Lou attempting to sleep in a hammock, and repeatedly crashing to the floor.  Not quite the near-perfect film BUCK PRIVATES was, IN THE NAVY is still prime Abbott and Costello. 3 - JB

Abbott and Costello      The Age of Comedy