Film Credits

Written by: Arthur T. Horman and John Grant

Directed by: Arthur Lubin

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, The Andrews Sisters, Claire Dodd, Dick Foran, Shemp Howard

Review

I probably don't need to tell you this, but Abbott & Costello films are notoriously uneven - some can be quite funny while others fall flat. Thankfully, MCA/Universal's recent laserdisc release of In the Navy is one of the better ones (or for Abbott & Costello loathers, it's one of the "more tolerable" ones). In this outing, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello portray a couple of sailors, Smokey Adams and Pomeroy Watson, who try to help singing-sensation pal Tommy Halstead (Dick Powell). Tired of the spotlight (not to mention his annoying "adoring" fans), Tommy dropped out of sight and has enlisted in the Navy under a false identity. Things go well until nosy and overly-ambitious reporter Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd) locates Tommy and wants to tell the whole world where the missing star is. A subplot has Pomeroy falling for Patty Andrews (of The Andrews Sisters, who also perform several songs) and trying his best to impress her. But forget the silly plots, what you're really here to see are Abbott & Costello antics, and In the Navy doesn't disappoint. Routines include Abbott cheating Costello and Shemp Howard out of their money by way of the shell-game trick; Costello proving that 7 x 13 = 28 (a classic); and a sequence in which a dreaming Costello thinks he's the ship's captain and nearly destroys the entire Navy fleet. In homage to their first film together, the opening credits contain a Buck Privates joke.

In the Navy is an entry in MCA/Universal "Encore Edition" laserdisc series, but besides being a 1940's film, there is nothing really special in either the film or transfer that warrants its inclusion in the series. Contrasts are fair and few blemishes appear on the print, but the image exhibits a constant amount of grain and has a somewhat soft focus. Side two is in CAV and has perfect still frames. The CX-encoded digital Western Electric mono soundtrack isn't perfect, but it's quite good just the same. The disc was pressed at Pioneer. As has been MCA/Universal's recent trend with their "Encore Edition" releases, In the Navy is not chapter encoded and contains neither a trailer nor other supplementary features.

Another Abbott & Costello comedy also appeared on laserdisc recently - see our review of Keep 'Em Flying later on this issue.