"In The Navy" is the second Abbott and Costello service film, with a nod to their first, "Buck Privates" in the opening credits. Genuinely high on patriotism, it brings back The Andrews Sisters and Shemp Howard from the prior picture.
The plot involves crooner Russ Raymond (Dick Powell) dropping out of the celebrity spotlight, only to join the Navy under the name of Tom Halstead. He is relentlessly pursued by newspaper photographer Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd), but gee, how many pictures did she need?
As Smoky Adams (Abbott) and Seaman Pomeroy Watson (Costello), the boys are up to their usual antics which include Abbott's sleight of hand lemon routine, a money changing bit and a classic 7 times 13 equals 28, and Costello can prove it three different ways! In a slightly unsavory gag, the boys lay in wait for each other with mouths full of water ready to spray each other, but they keep breaking up and the sequence looks more like a series of outtakes that were left in the film.
The Andrews Sisters are in usual fine form, with Patty much more animated in her lead role than in "Buck Privates". They keep the film moving with songs from beginning to end, with a few well choreographed production numbers thrown in.
The highlight of the film though belongs to Lou Costello, as he impersonates the Captain of the ship to impress the Andrews Sisters, and commandeers the ship in a series of naval routines, defying all the laws of physics along the way.
With two service comedies under their belt, Bud and Lou would wind up in yet another branch of the service very quickly in 1941's "Keep 'Em Flying", and with the war over, one final time in 1947's "Buck Privates Come Home", reprising the original characters from their first Army film.
The plot involves crooner Russ Raymond (Dick Powell) dropping out of the celebrity spotlight, only to join the Navy under the name of Tom Halstead. He is relentlessly pursued by newspaper photographer Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd), but gee, how many pictures did she need?
As Smoky Adams (Abbott) and Seaman Pomeroy Watson (Costello), the boys are up to their usual antics which include Abbott's sleight of hand lemon routine, a money changing bit and a classic 7 times 13 equals 28, and Costello can prove it three different ways! In a slightly unsavory gag, the boys lay in wait for each other with mouths full of water ready to spray each other, but they keep breaking up and the sequence looks more like a series of outtakes that were left in the film.
The Andrews Sisters are in usual fine form, with Patty much more animated in her lead role than in "Buck Privates". They keep the film moving with songs from beginning to end, with a few well choreographed production numbers thrown in.
The highlight of the film though belongs to Lou Costello, as he impersonates the Captain of the ship to impress the Andrews Sisters, and commandeers the ship in a series of naval routines, defying all the laws of physics along the way.
With two service comedies under their belt, Bud and Lou would wind up in yet another branch of the service very quickly in 1941's "Keep 'Em Flying", and with the war over, one final time in 1947's "Buck Privates Come Home", reprising the original characters from their first Army film.