There is a subgenre of war movies called “service comedies”. Basically, these are comedies that do not occur in a war zone. Recent examples would be “Stripes” and “Biloxi Blues”. They are pretty rare these days, but in the 30s, 40s, and 50s they were common. The three great comedy duos from that time – Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis – all made more than one. I thought it might be fun to compare one each from them. And see if they hold up.
“The Flying Deuces” is a Laurel and Hardy movie from 1939. The duo are living in Paris. Ollie falls in love with an innkeeper’s daughter, but it is not meant to be, of course. Not only is she way out of his league, but she is also married to a French Foreign Legion officer. Ollie decides to commit suicide by jumping in the Seine. The level of the humor is such that he expects Stan to join him and there is a rogue shark swimming around. Georgette’s husband comes along and convinces them to join the Legion to forget. After an extended laundry gag, the pair decide they have forgotten well enough to go home. In the middle of their attempt to desert, Ollie sings “Harvest Moon” and Stan dances. It’s that kind of movie. Later, in jail, Stan plays the bed frame like a harp in an homage to Harpo Marx. The movie gets its name from the fact that they escape by stealing an airplane. This results in some fairly nice stunt flying, but not a big finish. It’s an appropriately lame ending for a movie that lacks entertainment value. It is just an excuse for slapstick routines that don’t bring mirth. In fact, the song and the harp scenes are pretty embarrassing. If you are not already a Laurel and Hardy fan, skip it.
“Keep ‘Em Flying” was the fourth Abbott and Costello movie in ten months and it shows. It was their third service comedy after “Buck Privates” and “In the Navy”. This one shows the signs of overkill. Many of the gags are retreads and the public saw through this as the movie was not a success. The boys are working for a circus. Their best friend, Jinx Roberts (Dick Foran), is a stunt pilot who is a ladies’ man, naturally. A typical gag involves Lou being hit numerous times with a baseball bat. Ahh, the golden age of comedy. When the trio gets fired, they join the Air Corps so hijinx can ensue. This being a 40s comedy, you must have romance and songs. Martha Raye plays twin sisters, so the plot includes mistaken identity. Raye does a good job adding life to an otherwise tired effort. She sings a song called “Pig Foot Pete” which incredibly was nominated for Best Original Song! There is a subplot with Jinx being the best pilot trainee, but an old nemesis is the flight instructor. You can guess where this is heading. Meanwhile, there are several songs and several slapstick routines. One of them involves Bud and Lou riding a torpedo all over the base. To top this, the duo later accidentally take-off so we can be entertained by their buffoonery in the air. The scene is marginally better than the one in “Flying Deuces”, but that is not saying much. It you want similar, but funny, try Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World”. Actually, the funniest moment is unintentional. Jinx goes up to rescue the flight instructor when his parachute gets caught on his tail. Sure, why not? The film is bereft of laughs and has less than “Flying Deuces”, but the plot is better, although predictable and cliché-ridden. It’s typical patriotic bull shit and Abbott and Costello should have learned that less is sometimes more. However, you can’t blame the studio for taking advantage of how hot the stars were at the time.
Speaking of hot, Martin and Lewis were coming off their smash debut in “My Friend Irma”. “At War with the Army” was actually their first starring feature, but was held back for the release of “My Friend Irma Goes West”. It was directed by the competent Hal Walker of Crosby/Hope road pictures fame. He later directed Martin and Lewis in “Sailors Beware”. It is based on a play and that is obvious since most of the action takes place in a headquarters building. The movie sets the theme of being a satirical look at military life when the narrator informs us that the deadliest weapon in the Army’s arsenal is – the sergeant’s whistle. I did not see that coming! Dean plays his typical ladies’ man and verbally abusive friend to Jerry who plays an Audie Murphy type. Just kidding, he’s a sad sack, of course. Dean is a paper pusher who wants combat. He and Jerry are songwriters which is an excuse for songs. Jerry gets to mug his way through a pair and Dean gets to woo the ladies with a couple. There is a cursory subplot involving a dumb Dora who is pregnant. Who’s the father? We are supposed to care, but the cast doesn’t, so why bother? The only reason to watch is to see Lewis steal the show. He was that time period’s Robin Williams and he is funny here. He gets to play drag and has a classic run through the obstacle course which is silly stuff, but amusing. Dean makes a good straight man (but he does get to zing Jerry occasionally) and this early pairing evinces the formula that would result in sixteen movies and superstardom. The movie pokes some fun at the Army bureaucracy, but it is not exactly hard-hitting satire. It doesn’t aspire to much more than fluff and manages to achieve some entertainment value.
None of the three movies is good, but “At War with the Army” is clearly the best of the trio. My theory would be that Martin and Lewis were not tired. Their trajectory was just ascending, whereas the other two duos had seen better days and were kind of phoning it in. I like all three of the duos, but the comedy in their war films cannot compete with modern comedies like “Stripes”. They do hang with crap like “Down Periscope”. By the way, why don’t we have comedy duos any more?
The Flying Deuces = D
Keep ‘Em Flying = D
At War With the Army = C+
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