Buck Privates
Buck Privates Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Arthur Lubin
Produced by	Alex Gottlieb
Written by	Arthur T. Horman
Starring	Bud Abbott Lou Costello The Andrews Sisters
Music by	Charles Previn
Editing by	Philip Cahn
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	January 31, 1941 (U.S. release)
Running time	84 min
Language	English
Budget	$233,000
Preceded by	One Night in the Tropics (1940)
Followed by	In The Navy (1941) Buck Privates Come Home (1947)
IMDb profile

Buck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bonafide movie stars. It was also the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies before the U.S. entered the war (In The Navy and Keep 'Em Flying.) A sequel to this movie, Buck Privates Come Home, was released in 1947. "Buck Privates" is also one of three A&C films that features The Andrews Sisters, who were also under contract to Universal Pictures at the time. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (504x768, 112 KB) This image is of a movie poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or the studio which produced the movie in question. ... Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 - May 12, 1995) was a film producer and director who directed many Abbott & Costello films. ... William Alexander “Bud” Abbott (October 2, 1895 – April 24, 1974) was an American actor, producer and comedian born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... Lou Costello, born Louis Francis Cristillo, March 6, 1906 - March 3, 1959), was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott. ... The Andrews Sisters on the cover of the reissue collection From left to right: Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1941 in film involved some significant events. ... One Night in the Tropics is a 1940 comedy film which is noted as being the film debut of Abbott and Costello - although they were not the main focus of the story, and only first show up nearly halfway through the film. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... In The Navy is a 1941 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... The year 1941 in film involved some significant events. ... Buck Privates Come Home is a 1947 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... The year 1941 in film involved some significant events. ... Comedy film is a film genre designed to be humorous. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... In The Navy is a 1941 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... Keep Em Flying is a 1941 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... Buck Privates Come Home is a 1947 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... The Andrews Sisters on the cover of the reissue collection From left to right: Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ...

Plot

Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown (Abbott and Costello) are two sidewalk 'salesmen' who hawk neckties out of a suitcase. They are chased by a cop and duck into a movie theater, not realizing that it's now being used as an Army Recruitment Center. They think they're signing up for theater prizes, but actually enlist. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A necktie (usually just called a tie) is a long piece of material worn around the neck and under a collar with a knot tied in front. ...

Meanwhile, spoiled playboy Randolph Parker (Lee Bowman) and his long-suffering valet, Bob Martin (Alan Curtis), are also signing up at the theater. Parker expects that his influential father will pull some strings so he can avoid military service. Bob, on the other hand, takes his military obligations in stride. Tensions between the two men escalate further with the introduction of Judy Gray (Jane Frazee), a camp hostess and friend of Bob's who Parker sets his sights on. Lee Bowman (December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979) was an American film and television actor. ... Alan Curtis (July 24, 1909 - February 2, 1953) was an American film actor appearing in over 50 films. ...

At camp, Slicker and Herbie are mortified to discover that the cop who chased them is now their drill sergeant! Randolph, meanwhile, learns that his father won't use his influence on his behalf, believing that a year in the Army will do Randolph some good. Life at camp isn't so bad, since the Andrews Sisters pop up at regular intervals to sing patriotic or sentimental tunes, and Herbie continues to mess up with little consequence.

Randolph decides to skip a shooting match that his company eventually lost to meet with Judy, which causes the rest of his company to resent him. However, during a war game exercise, Randolph redeems himself by saving Bob and coming up with a ruse to win the exercise for his company. He is finally accepted by the rest of the men, and even wins Bob and Judy's admiration. Randolph and Bob are offered places at officer's training school.

Trivia

• The famous 'drill routine', where Smitty tries to get Herbie and other soldiers to march in formation, was actually a series of shorter takes that were strung together to expand the bit to more than 3 minutes of screen time. ^[1]

• The Andrews Sisters perform four songs during the course of the film: You're A Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith; Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy; Bounce Me Brother With A Solid Four; and I'll Be With You When It's Apple Blossom Time.

• "Buck Privates" was the first service motion picture comedy released in 1941. However, the Three Stooges were first with their December 1940 short Boobs In Arms. Others quickly followed, including Bob Hope's Caught in the Draft and Laurel and Hardy's Great Guns. ^[2]

• Japan used this film as propaganda to show its own troops how incompetent the U.S. Army was.^[3]

• The Andrews Sisters performance of "Bounce Me Brother With A Solid Four" also features one of the more famous Lindy Hop dance sequences of the Swing Era. Many dancers from Los Angeles, including Dean Collins, Jewel McGowan, Ray Hirsch, and Patty Lacy, are featured.

• It was filmed from December 13, 1940 through January 11, 1941. ^[4]

• It was re-released in 1948 and on a double bill with Keep 'Em Flying in 1953. ^[5]

• Abbott and Costello performed a radio version of the film on the Lux Radio Theather on October 13, 1941.^[6]

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, a song about a virtuoso trumpet player, was a major hit for the Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune. ... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short films. ... Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ... Caught in the Draft is a 1941 comedy/war film, directed by David Butler. ... Laurel and Hardy, in a promotional still from their 1937 feature film Way Out West. ... Great Guns is a 1941 film directed by Monty Banks, produced by Sol Wurtzel for 20th Century Fox and starring Laurel and Hardy. ... Soviet Propaganda Poster during the World War II. The text reads Red Army Fighter, SAVE US! Chinese propaganda poster from during the Cultural Revolution. ... Dancing the Lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006) Lindy Hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... The Swing Era was the period of time (1935-1946) when big band swing music was the most popular music in America. ... Dean Collins, born Saul Cohen on May 29, 1917, in Columbus, Ohio, was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swingdance. ... Jewel McGowan was a dancer of Lindy Hop, a form of swing dance, in the 1940s and 1950s. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Keep Em Flying is a 1941 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

DVD Releases

April 1, 1998

February 10, 2004

Image File history File links BuckPrivates. ... Image File history File links A&cvolume1dvd. ...

References

External links

• Buck Privates at the Internet Movie Database