In The Navy (1941) :
Brief Review -
Another great comedy in Abbott & Costello's Service Comedy Trilogy in the most memorable year of their career. In The Navy was Abbott and Costell's second service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940, after "Buck Privates" (1941). The film manages to pull off another great comedy in the trilogy that ended with "Keep 'Em Flying" (1941). Army, Navy and Airforce, they did comedies on all three departments of defence services before the United States entered World War II. In The Navy is as funny as any Abbott and Costello film, and has some of the greatest comic scenes of all time, but lacks good writing. Now that's not a big issue, and it is not even an issue for those who love to watch good comedies without good stories. For me, this film has three big highlight comedy scenes that are just outstanding. One is the submarine game. Oh god, how did Lou Abbott even do the tricking with those bowls? The second one, of course, is the mathematics around number 28. So, 7 into 4 is 28 you say. Well, Costello will prove you wrong with his insane calculations. For him, it's 7 into 13 that makes 28. I believe that the water scene is the third best comedy scene. The film is about Pomeroy and Smiley's adventures in the Navy as they help a famous American singer, Russ, in hiding his identity and saving him from a female journalist who wants to use his picture to make the front page hot. Abbott and Costello are both terrific forms of the high-on-water entertainer. The film suffers due to weak writing, especially during the love story part. Russ and Dorothy's equation seemed off track throughout the film, and the climax was bizarre. And excluding that, Arthur Lubin has another winner in hand with a perfect riding vehicle for Abbott and Costello fans, and yes, don't forget The Andrews Sisters.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Another great comedy in Abbott & Costello's Service Comedy Trilogy in the most memorable year of their career. In The Navy was Abbott and Costell's second service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940, after "Buck Privates" (1941). The film manages to pull off another great comedy in the trilogy that ended with "Keep 'Em Flying" (1941). Army, Navy and Airforce, they did comedies on all three departments of defence services before the United States entered World War II. In The Navy is as funny as any Abbott and Costello film, and has some of the greatest comic scenes of all time, but lacks good writing. Now that's not a big issue, and it is not even an issue for those who love to watch good comedies without good stories. For me, this film has three big highlight comedy scenes that are just outstanding. One is the submarine game. Oh god, how did Lou Abbott even do the tricking with those bowls? The second one, of course, is the mathematics around number 28. So, 7 into 4 is 28 you say. Well, Costello will prove you wrong with his insane calculations. For him, it's 7 into 13 that makes 28. I believe that the water scene is the third best comedy scene. The film is about Pomeroy and Smiley's adventures in the Navy as they help a famous American singer, Russ, in hiding his identity and saving him from a female journalist who wants to use his picture to make the front page hot. Abbott and Costello are both terrific forms of the high-on-water entertainer. The film suffers due to weak writing, especially during the love story part. Russ and Dorothy's equation seemed off track throughout the film, and the climax was bizarre. And excluding that, Arthur Lubin has another winner in hand with a perfect riding vehicle for Abbott and Costello fans, and yes, don't forget The Andrews Sisters.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.