PRIVATE BUCKAROOS is the only one of the starring films of that forties phenomenon The Andrews Sisters that is easy to see today since it apparently fell into public domain and is available in a number of budget collections. Despite their star billing, the Andrews gals actually run a somewhat distant fourth in screen time to Dick Foran, Shemp Howard, and Harry James, not coming into the film until about the second reel and then their contributions limited to only four or five song numbers. They are a joy to see though and this perky musical from the early days of WWII completely captures the patriotism and spirit of the era.
Running only a few minutes over a hour, this B musical barely has time for a storyline and what's there is slim. Big band singer Dick Foran is upset because he is repeatedly turned down in his attempts to enlists because of having flat feet. He somehow gets "cured" by a doctor and quickly enlist and then in an inexplicable personality change proves to be the spoiled show biz boy while in training, whining about regulations and duties. Hunky blond Foran is quite appealing in most of his other films but in this one his character is obnoxious and frankly the "change" to good joe is as sudden and incredible as the shift in personality once he is enlisted. The music in this modest film is unsurprisingly excellent with the Andrews, Foran, and Harry James & Orchestra but there's so much of it it actually makes the film seem longer. There's some excellent comedy relief from Shemp Howard, Joe E. Lewis, and especially the magnificent Mary Wickes as Shemp's belligerent stringbean of a girlfriend. Miss Wickes is a much loved character actress of course but it's wonderful to see her here in one of her larger early roles and proving to be a splendid knockabout comedienne in the Joan Davis mold. I frankly would have much rather the screenwriters (somebody apparently did write this despite the limited acting scenes) have concentrated on the wacky romantic triangle of Howard, Wickes, and Lewis than a conventional and extremely thin Foran - Jennifer Holt romance that doesn't ring true for a minute. The ending is so sudden one feels almost as if a reel or two is missing from the film but it's very effective in a way in illustrating how quickly things happened in the hectic years of WWII.
Running only a few minutes over a hour, this B musical barely has time for a storyline and what's there is slim. Big band singer Dick Foran is upset because he is repeatedly turned down in his attempts to enlists because of having flat feet. He somehow gets "cured" by a doctor and quickly enlist and then in an inexplicable personality change proves to be the spoiled show biz boy while in training, whining about regulations and duties. Hunky blond Foran is quite appealing in most of his other films but in this one his character is obnoxious and frankly the "change" to good joe is as sudden and incredible as the shift in personality once he is enlisted. The music in this modest film is unsurprisingly excellent with the Andrews, Foran, and Harry James & Orchestra but there's so much of it it actually makes the film seem longer. There's some excellent comedy relief from Shemp Howard, Joe E. Lewis, and especially the magnificent Mary Wickes as Shemp's belligerent stringbean of a girlfriend. Miss Wickes is a much loved character actress of course but it's wonderful to see her here in one of her larger early roles and proving to be a splendid knockabout comedienne in the Joan Davis mold. I frankly would have much rather the screenwriters (somebody apparently did write this despite the limited acting scenes) have concentrated on the wacky romantic triangle of Howard, Wickes, and Lewis than a conventional and extremely thin Foran - Jennifer Holt romance that doesn't ring true for a minute. The ending is so sudden one feels almost as if a reel or two is missing from the film but it's very effective in a way in illustrating how quickly things happened in the hectic years of WWII.