Film Credits

Screenplay by: True Boardman, Nat Perrin and John Grant

Directed by: Arthur Lubin

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Carol Bruce, Martha Raye, William Gargan, Dick Foran

Review

In addition to their recent laserdisc release of In the Navy, MCA/Universal released another Abbott & Costello comedy - Keep 'Em Flying. In Keep 'Em Flying, Blackie Benson (Abbott) and Heathcliff (Costello) enlist in the Army Air Corps to stay next to their friend, daredevil carnival flyer Jinx Roberts (Dick Foran). Because of his carefree manner, Jinx has problems fitting in with the Army program, and he's more interested in wooing USO singer Linda Joyce (Carol Bruce) than anything else. As for Blackie and Heathcliff, they spend much of their time trying to keep themselves and Jinx out of trouble. Blackie and Heathcliff also have to be on the lookout for the confusing affections of twin sisters Barbara and Gloria Phelps (one rowdy, one conservative, and both played by Martha Raye).

Although Keep 'Em Flying has its share of laughs, the film and the routines aren't nearly as enjoyable as those contained in In the Navy. Still, Keep 'Em Flying does have its moments. Aside from a couple of flying-related Abbott & Costello "mishaps" (one where Costello lets loose an armed missile on their training base, and another where Abbott & Costello find themselves "mysteriously" in the air in a plane they can't fly), most of the humor comes from the boys' constantly mistaking the identity of each of the Phelps sisters. Don't forget to be on the lookout for another lame joke about Buck Privates, Abbott & Costello's first film together.

Keep 'Em Flying is part of MCA/Universal's "Encore Edition" series, and the laserdisc and transfer are definitely in line with one's expectations of an "Encore Edition" entry. The image is sharply defined and crisp, and the contrasts are very good. Besides a few just-less-than-perfect stock footage sequences, the source material is in excellent condition. While the opening credits are banded by black on all four sides to make ensure that no picture information is lost, the remainder of the film appears full-screen (which also means that it's cropped a tiny bit on the top and bottom). The CX-encoded digital Western Electric mono soundtrack has no problems. Unmentioned on the jacket, an astounding 9m15s combination theatrical trailer/promo reel for Keep 'Em Flying follows the film on side two. The disc was pressed at Pioneer and is encoded with but a single chapter marker (for the trailer).

Supplementary Recap

• Keep 'Em Flying theatrical trailer / promo reel