IN THE NAVY

US, 1941, 86 minutes, Black and white.
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, Claire Dodd, The Andrews Sisters, Dick Foran, Shemp Howard.
Directed by Arthur Lubin.

In the Navy was a Buck Privates’ film, following on the very successful Abbott and Costello comedy, Buck Privates where they were GIs in the army.

Bud Abbott and Costello had appeared as supporting cast in One Night in the Tropics and they was so popular that they made several films during 1941, including Hold That Ghost.

There is a sub-plot concerning Dick Powell as a popular crooner who wants to get away from the fans and adulation and join the Navy anonymously. Claire Dodd portrays a journalist who wants to write an expose story, taking every opportunity to photograph him, including stowing away on a ship.

Abbott and Costello portray workers in the Navy, never having gone to sea, but involved in all kinds of shenanigans and training.

As usual, there are a number of verbal routines, one always concerning money and Abbott getting the better of Costello, as well is a routine where Costello tries to prove that 7×13 = 28.

While Dick Powell had been a singer in films of the 1930s, he does get an opportunity to sing here. But, one of the main features is the presence of The Andrews Sisters who appeared in other Abbott and Costello films, including Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost, who sing several numbers, but also have some speaking parts, especially Patty who is in correspondence with Costello who puts all kinds of false information into the letters, disillusioning her when she sees him.

There are some adventures on sea in the last part of the film, with Costello as captain of the ship. The report was that Navy officials found this offensive but that the sequence was already in the finished film – with Universal turning it into a dream sequence.

The film was one of the most popular of 1941.