Doughboys

I've read some terrible things about «Doughboys" (1930) , Buster Keaton's second talkie, over the years, but it's not really all that bad; mind you, it's not all that great, either. It is probably the archetypal "wrongly-enlisted-in-the-army" comedy, which has enough entries to make up an entire sub-genre. Keaton is a master of deadpan comedy, and his voice perfectly matches his demeanor. The film has occasional funny gags, but not enough to sustain its feature length. The script, if it can be called that, is very weak, but there are some impressive pyrotechnics, this being an MGM production. There is also a most bizarre "army revue" song-and dance show where the entire troupe, including Buster and apart from one girl, are men in drag (!). ** out of 4.

"Doughboys" is worthy of a higher rating than the above. It is a film where Buster Keaton had more creative control and is a more satisfying comedy than his other talkie films for "M.G.M." He wouldn't be allowed any further creative freedom after this film. I would imagine Buster would have found it difficult in making "Doughboys," what with the story being about a young socialite serving in the First World War. The comedian himself was a veteran of the same war and saw action in the trenches. The laughs are pretty good in this film and Buster performs some effective slapstick. He doesn't execute any of his usual dangerous stunt work but that doesn't matter. He is given a good plot to work with, as is the rest of the cast. He is a rather clumsy soldier in everything he does and manages to incur the wrath of his drill sergeant. However and just like in his silent films, Buster employs a lot of perseverance in order to win the day. The comedian certainly has a good voice for talkie films and that wasn't the reason for his decline. One of Buster Keaton's far better films from this period of his career.

Doughboys (1930)

* (out of 4)

Horrendous and embarrassing "comedy" features Buster Keaton playing a rich man who accidentally signs up for the Army but once there he's pleasantly surprised and happy to see the woman (Sally Eilers) who kept turning him down on the outside. After a classic (THE CAMERAMAN) and a good film (SPITE MARRIAGE) it pretty much went downhill for Keaton when he signed with MGM. I think some of the movies he made for the studio are underrated or at least overly criticized but DOUGHBOYS is without question the worst and I'd say it's also probably one of the worst to come from a major studio during this era. I'm really not sure where the start because the entire film is just one embarrassing moment after another but I guess we can start with the screenplay. This type of comedy certainly didn't go hand and hand with Keaton because he's the last type of comedian who should be playing a part like this. The actor constantly looks as if he's being held back by the screenplay and what's even worse is that every once in a while we're given "classic Keaton" routines but even these here fail miserably. There are a few instances where Keaton's style of slapstick is used but it just never works because the script is so lazy. Keaton slips and slides around in some mud, gets in trouble with the drill sergeant and for the first twenty-minutes of the movie he just comes across annoying by constantly giving dumb answers to questions. Eddie Brophy plays the drill sergeant and he too comes across quite annoying as he does nothing but scream and it's not funny. The direction is weak, the comedy has no laughs and the entire production just has a very cheap feel to it. There are a few chuckles here and there but that's not good enough for someone with as much talent as Keaton.

Buster Keaton stars in this very early sound picture of MGM, and shows all of the pratfalls, trips, stumbles, bumps, falls, and other physical mishaps for which he was known. I rate "Dough Boys" seven stars for two reasons. First is that characteristic for which Keaton became famous as one of the three top male comedians of the silent film era. Second is because of the considerable screenplay in which the MGM lot must have dedicated a great deal of workers and time to build the sets and staff this picture. The portrayals of Army training and then the drudgery of Army service in World War I is quite realistic and impressive. I can't think of any other film about the First World War that showed the conditions of the weather and trench warfare any better.

Of course, this is a comedy, but it's also a romance and a war picture. This was no doubt MGM's experimenting with Keaton to see if he would continue to go over in sound pictures. What most of Hollywood didn't realize at the time - which movie fans of later times knew in hindsight, was that antics with lots of pratfalls and other physical miscues wouldn't have the same weight once sound came to the picture. Screenplays then needed some dialog to go with antics to build the comedy. I think MGM learned quickly, because the very next year, Keaton starred in "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath" which has a rip-snorting hilarious screenplay. And the usual Keaton falls were fewer but other physical antics were used for great effect. That screenplay overall was very good, with a very good cast.

Also aiding in this film are Edward Brophy as Sergeant Brophy, and Cliff Edwards as Nescopeck. Keaton plays Elmer J. Stuyvesant Jr., a wealthy bachelor who tries to get a date with a showgirl, Mary. She rebuffs him until she encounters him again after he has mistakenly enlisted in the Army. A number of comedians made comedies about service during the early years of World War II. Probably the best known of those would be "Buck Privates" of 1941 that starred Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. That is a very good film with some top musical performances as well in the Andrews Sisters and others.

But, for what Abbott and Costello went through in training and otherwise had to do for the comedy, that movie is a picnic compared to what Keaton and others did in this film The trudging through rain and ankle-deep mud goes on and on, and the physical settings here could just as realistically have been taken right out of the front lines in France in 1917.

Keaton fans especially, should enjoy this film. After a couple more feature films with MGM, Keaton made many shorts that went with features to theaters, and he had minor parts in some other films and later, on television.

Buster's talkie years get a bad rap but this one is solid. It's fascinating to watch Buster's take on WWI, especially now that I know he actually was a WWI veteran and saw combat. There's some genuine movie magic here. If you're a Buster fan, it's worth a watch.