Keep 'Em Flying (1941) :
Brief Review -
The final film in Abbott & Costello's Service Comedy Trilogy is full of foolish tantrums, but funny alright. People who have seen the first film in Arthur Lubin's service comedy trilogy, "Buck Privates" (1941), can easily notice that Keep Em Flying has used all the same tantrums. Instead of the Army, it's the Air Force this time, and that's the only difference in the basic plot. In Buck Privates, a spoiled playboy joins the army to impress the girl; here, we have a pro pilot, but once again, an irresponsible fella who joins the airforce to impress the girl. The barnstorming stunt pilot has two goofball assistants, Blackie and Heathcliff, who decide to go with him. They can't fly the plane and become janitors. The plot has nothing new to offer, and the screenplay is outdated as well. What makes it crispy is Martha Raye's double role. I don't know how they did it in the early 40s, but what an achievement. Hats off to the visual hook-up. Whatever double role goof-ups you have seen till date, believe me, a lot of them have been influenced by this. Keep Em Flying has a lot of foolish scenes, including those adventurous stunts. Not all are foolish. I mean, some are really good, but have something problematic. Sometimes it's visuals and sometimes the execution. Anyhow, the show is spoiled right in the middle. What I missed the most was some highlight scenes. Like Buck Privates had that bargaining scene, whereas In The Navy had that submarine game scene featuring our favourite duo. However, Martha does cover some of the loss, but she's not on the same level as the duo, right? Nevertheless, Abbott and Costello provide you with enough laughs with their traditional methods and some new ones once in a while. This one is Lubin's weakest film in this trilogy, but it's not boring or skippable.
RATING - 6.5/10*
The final film in Abbott & Costello's Service Comedy Trilogy is full of foolish tantrums, but funny alright. People who have seen the first film in Arthur Lubin's service comedy trilogy, "Buck Privates" (1941), can easily notice that Keep Em Flying has used all the same tantrums. Instead of the Army, it's the Air Force this time, and that's the only difference in the basic plot. In Buck Privates, a spoiled playboy joins the army to impress the girl; here, we have a pro pilot, but once again, an irresponsible fella who joins the airforce to impress the girl. The barnstorming stunt pilot has two goofball assistants, Blackie and Heathcliff, who decide to go with him. They can't fly the plane and become janitors. The plot has nothing new to offer, and the screenplay is outdated as well. What makes it crispy is Martha Raye's double role. I don't know how they did it in the early 40s, but what an achievement. Hats off to the visual hook-up. Whatever double role goof-ups you have seen till date, believe me, a lot of them have been influenced by this. Keep Em Flying has a lot of foolish scenes, including those adventurous stunts. Not all are foolish. I mean, some are really good, but have something problematic. Sometimes it's visuals and sometimes the execution. Anyhow, the show is spoiled right in the middle. What I missed the most was some highlight scenes. Like Buck Privates had that bargaining scene, whereas In The Navy had that submarine game scene featuring our favourite duo. However, Martha does cover some of the loss, but she's not on the same level as the duo, right? Nevertheless, Abbott and Costello provide you with enough laughs with their traditional methods and some new ones once in a while. This one is Lubin's weakest film in this trilogy, but it's not boring or skippable.
RATING - 6.5/10*