Private Buckaroo

When Harry James is drafted, the rest of the band joins up in this sweet little Universal musical programmer. It's about half specialty numbers, and half minor plots, with singer Dick Foran thinking he shouldn't have to drill, and Harry James being baffled by having to play a bugle instead of a trumpet. Shemp Howard feuds with Joe E. Lewis over Mary Wickes, and so forth.

There are a lot of songs in this one, but the big production number is the Andrews sisters singing "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", which breaks into a nicely shot jitterbug dance number, while James and his band mutate the theme from swing to klezmer and back again. Some great acrobatic dancing by a young troupe of dancers; Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan are in the movie, but they don't dance.

Brief, light rousing, unpretentious and just the sort of programmer to play on a double bill with THE BUZZARD OF BERLIN.

This is like a Abbott & Costello movie without Abbott & Costello. It's a service comedy only a year removed from "Buck Privates", and features the Andrews Sisters who co-starred with A&C in "Buck Privates", "In the Navy" and "Hold That Ghost". The male lead is Dick Foran, who co-starred in "In the navy", "Ride 'Em Cowboy" and "Keep 'Em Flying". Mark Wickes had a memorable role with Costello in "Hold That Ghost". Shemp Howard played supporting comic lead in a number of A&C pictures including "Who Done It?", "Africa Screams", "In the Navy", "Ride 'em Cowboy" and more, while Jennifer Holt can be seen in "pardon My Sarong" and Peggy Ryan in "Here Come the Co-eds". All that aside, this is a entertaining and fun film to watch. You just have the feeling somebody cut out all of Bud and Lou's scenes!

This film is loaded with stars (Harry James, the Andrews Sisters, Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, even Huntz Hall!), but it is the oldest of the performing Howard brothers, Shemp, who steals the show. He ad libs little comments throughout the film and does a very funny musical number with the Andrews Sisters. One would think that seeing comedian Joe E. Lewis in a film would be a great treat, but he is completely upstaged by Shemp. He does a very funny sketch in a night club with Mary Wickes. This is Shemp at his finest. In addition, you have the Andrews Sisters singing some Vic Mizzy music with "Three Little Sisters".

The cardboard comedy and the pencilled-in plot scarcely have a moment to bore you before the next musical number comes along. Some numbers are better than others-- unfortunately, the title song has not aged well-- but the Andrews Sisters make the movie worthwhile. And Harry James reminds us that he wasn't *only* Betty Grable's husband...

At just over an hour, this film does not exceed its welcome, despite the acquired taste of the Andrews Sisters. Patti, Laverne and Maxene were perky and certainly had good voices, but their screen personalities are either OTT (Patti) or dull (the others). To carry a film, it just doesn't work.

Elsewhere there's Harry James and his Music Makers; Harry gets drafted and the band go with him (even the one with a flat foot), and that's about all the plot is.

There's a funny restaurant sketch, and some nice songs and music, and the film passes the time without making the viewer cringe. It is a typical flagwaver, a patriotic morale-booster.

Oh, and it has a 16-year old Donald O'Connor, showing a flash of promise of what would come later, along with Peggy Ryan.