Another service movie, hmmm? First they were in the Army, then the Navy, and now Abbott and Costello join the U.S. Air Corps. This one seems to set us a step back when watching the A&C films in their release order. Though I think it works pleasantly enough as humorous Abbott and Costello fare, once again we face a good number of musical interruptions in the bargain, and these are not especially palatable. We've got no Andrews Sisters this time, so we have Carol Bruce belting out some songs for us instead. If that doesn't slow things to a crawl for you, then how's about Dick Foran crooning the title tune?
Actually, KEEP 'EM FLYING plays more like the story of Foran's character, Jinx Roberts -- a pilot with a rebellious nature and a tendency for trouble, who joins the Air Corps along with his dizzy buddies, Bud and Lou. Much time is spent dealing with the Jinx parts of the story while Abbott and Costello face problems of their own on the side. The highlights of these problems come in the guise of comedienne Martha Raye (yeah, she sings and dances, too) who portrays a couple of identical twin sisters, one who's sweet on Bud and another who's stuck on Lou. The best scene in the movie for my money is the "Go Ahead and Order Something" routine, where Abbott keeps coaxing Costello to order food at a restaurant, even though they've only got a quarter between them. Great stuff there, and sprinkled elsewhere in the film, too; just not very consistently this time out. **1/2 out of ****
Actually, KEEP 'EM FLYING plays more like the story of Foran's character, Jinx Roberts -- a pilot with a rebellious nature and a tendency for trouble, who joins the Air Corps along with his dizzy buddies, Bud and Lou. Much time is spent dealing with the Jinx parts of the story while Abbott and Costello face problems of their own on the side. The highlights of these problems come in the guise of comedienne Martha Raye (yeah, she sings and dances, too) who portrays a couple of identical twin sisters, one who's sweet on Bud and another who's stuck on Lou. The best scene in the movie for my money is the "Go Ahead and Order Something" routine, where Abbott keeps coaxing Costello to order food at a restaurant, even though they've only got a quarter between them. Great stuff there, and sprinkled elsewhere in the film, too; just not very consistently this time out. **1/2 out of ****