Bud, Lou, and the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Buck Privates, the 1941 comedy that made stars of Abbott and Costello, doesn't rank among the team's best films (e.g.,  A&C Meet Frankenstein, Hold That Ghost, The Time of Their Lives). Still, that's to be somewhat expected since Bud and Lou aren't even top-billed in the cast. 

Lee Bowman and Jane Frazee.

That honor belongs to Lee Bowman and Alan Curtis, who play new Army recruits vying for the affections of a pretty USO hostess (Jane Frazee). Bowman's rich playboy has a hard time bonding with his fellow soldiers, especially after he ditches a rifle competition to go on a date. It's a superfluous plot that serves to bridge the gaps between Bud and Lou's routines and the Andrews Sisters' musical numbers.

Bud wants to borrow $50.

As for the boys, they play street hucksters who accidentally join the Army, thinking that they're signing up for a raffle in a movie theater. It's easy to see why the duo were the film's breakout stars. With only one other movie to their credit (One Night in the Tropics), they were able to introduce several of their funniest vaudeville routines. Thus, audiences were treated to classic gags like: "You're 40--she's 10," "Give me the $40 and you'll owe me $10," and the craps game. If some of these routines sound familiar, that's because Bud and Lou recycled them in later movies.

Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne Andrews.

The Andrews Sisters were already recording hit songs by 1941. However, their second film appearance in Buck Privates raised their profile significantly. That was mostly due to the debut of one of their signature hits "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The song earned an Academy Award nomination (losing to "The Last Time I Saw Paris"). Charles Previn's music score also received an Oscar nomination.

Its combination of broad comedy and catchy music turned Buck Privates into one of the biggest box office draws of 1941. Universal Pictures, which was already making Hold That Ghost with Abbott and Costello, put that movie on hold to produce another service comedy. In the Navy reteamed the boys (now top-billed) with the Andrews Sisters--and featured Dick Powell in one of his last singing roles. It turned into box office gold as well and the Andrews Sisters were quickly added to the Hold the Ghost cast.

By 1942, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were the biggest box office stars in America. They remained among the top 10 stars annually throughout the 1940s. Buck Privates is a good introduction to some their best comedy routines, but the pair would make better movies in the coming years.