Buck Privates Come Home

USA 1947
produced by
Robert Arthur for Universal
directed by Charles Barton
starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Beverly Simmons, Joan Shawlee (as Joan Fulton), Nat Pendleton, Tom Brown, Don Porter, Donald MacBride, Don Beddoe, Charles Trowbridge, Russell Hicks, Joe Kirk, Knox Manning, Milburn Stone
story by Richard Macaulay, Bradford Ropes, screenplay by John Grant, Frederic I. Rinaldo, Robert Lees, music by Walter Shumann

Abbott & Costello

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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When Abbott and Costello come home from winning a war (the second of those World Wars to be precise), Costello couldn't help but bring a 7 year old French girl (Beverly Simmons) with him. Of course, he was a little too blue-eyed about it, and thus his attempt to smuggle the girl into the USA is detected before reaching American shores - but since the girl is quite resourceful on her own, she manages to escape authorities, and now it's up to Abbott, Costello, the blonde (Joan Shawlee) who was supposed to take her back but became sympathetic to her cause, and her racecar-builder boyfriend (Tom Brown) to keep her out of the hands of the law, especially one over-zealous but underqualified cop (Nat Pendleton) who was also Costello's main nemesis in the army. After a big carchase finale, out heroes triumph over authorities of course by moving everyone to tears ...

There are good and bad things to say about this movie: On the plus side, Lou Costello has some pretty good comedy moments, and the carchase involving a vintage racecar is just great (and pretty well-executed even by today's standards). On the minus side though, Bud Abbott doesn't at all contribute to the humour of this movie anymore and most of the time you're just left wondering why he's so rude, the movie's romantic couple of do-gooders (Joan Shawlee and Tom Brown) are positively boring in their goodness (and thus slow down the film at times), and the story as such is so hard trying to "have a heart" it comes across as nothing more than cheesy.

Now don't get me wrong, Abbott and Costello have done much worse during their career - but that doesn't make this one a particularly good film ...

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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