Private Buckaroo

Private Buckaroo, a high-energy, patriotic movie from 1942, has two uses now. The first is to show us the optimism of our elders as they readied themselves to support the troops fighting in WWII. Sure, the jokes are corny, but the musical numbers crank up the confidence with everything from "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" to "Six Jerks in a Jeep." It's not a bad idea to now and then remind ourselves of what an older generation of Americans were facing.

The second use of the movie is to provide fodder for all those graduate students eager for an easy doctorate in "American Popular Culture," a phenomenon that proves, if the money is right, that American universities will offer degrees in just about anything.

The barest of plots has Harry James being drafted. Naturally, his whole orchestra signs up, too, including Lon Prentice (Dick Foran), his singer who has an attitude adjustment problem. We see the high-jinks of training, a romantic encounter that will serve to straighten Prentice out, and a big show just before the boys ship overseas. All this is just a clothesline to pin on at least 13 musical numbers, and The Andrews Sisters and Harry James do most of them. The comedy intermissions are several. To give you an idea of what Universal's writers were capable of, the three-way romantic laugh relief involves Bonnie-Belle Schlopkiss (a tall and emphatic Mary Wickes), Sergeant Muggsy Sharell (Shemp Howard, who was earlier and later became again one of the Three Stooges) and Lancelot Pringle McBiff (an odd incarnation of stand up comic Joe E. Lewis). Personally, I enjoyed most Huntz Hall as a corporal trying to teach James how to play reveille.

Although some people today can pass by The Andrews Sisters because of their style, particularly Patty Andrews' mugging, the three were expert at close harmony. They have six numbers; all are skillfully delivered with a great deal of verve. As far as Harry James goes, I can't think of a better way to open a movie than James and Helen Forrest giving us the full treatment of "You Made Me Love You." And in one showstopper we have The Jivin' Jacks and Jills, a group of dancing teen-agers formed by Universal to showcase the studio's young talent. The ten kids tap and leap all over the stage to "Apple Tree." The fact that the story line is almost non-existent and that romantic lead Dick Foran, who sounds a bit like a cross between Nelson Eddy and Dennis Morgan, has the personality of a cardboard box really doesn't matter at all.

Doctoral candidates, start writing your dissertation on "The Underlying Significance of B Movies on the Cultural Development of American Civilization During the Formative Years of World War Two, With an Emphasis on the Influence of Teen-Age Tap Dancers on the Defeat of the Axis."

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...

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.

What this Universal production lacks in production values, it more than makes up for with sheer pizazz. Those Jivin' Jacks and Jills left me gasping for breath. There's enough sheer energy in their acrobatics to light up a city for a week. And don't forget the Andrews Sisters who do some pretty fancy steppin' themselves. In fact, this is a showcase for the threesome, topped off by a signature version of "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree". Plus trumpeter James gets a lot of time with his band and even makes fun of himself with an army trumpet, (was that really Huntz Hall of the Bowery Boys holding James's sheet music and playing it straight for maybe the only time in his clownish career).

Speaking of comedy acts, short homely Shemp Howard gets a featured role along with long tall Mary Wickes. Their little routines together are gems, especially the nightclub table between swinging doors. Add Joe E. Brown as Howard's rival and there's more mugging than you can count. Hard to believe that director Cline puts all these lively elements together in a single, smooth 68-minute package.

Also, you can tell this was early in the war since the patriotic touches are in abundance, and everyone is eager to do his or her part, even slacker Dick Foran who finally comes around. A snappy dynamo like this musical should have been sent to the Axis in Tokyo and Berlin. Then they would have known there was no hope of winning a war against the sheer pep and energy of the American homefront. Anyhow, count this one as a genuine sleeper amongst low- budget, hep-cat musicals.

This is one of those movies which usually gets dismissed as ephemeral junk (look at the ratings in all those "Movies for TV" type books). But so far this year I have seen it twice, and have enjoyed it immensely both times round. This is certainly not due to the plot, which is your standard guy joins armed forces..guy has attitude problem...guy learns the error of his ways type plot which seemed to be recycled endlessly by Universal at around this time in their Abbott and Costello pictures. Fortunately the plot doesn't intrude too much into this movie, and in fact apart from its patriotic fervor, which is understandable in the context of the time, one of the joys of this picture is that it doesn't take itself in the slightest bit seriously.

What this picture does have going for it is a great cast, and a veteran comedy director. While the cast may not be big name stars, for anyone out there familiar with the entertainment world of this period, almost everyone in it has a recognizable persona. It also has some great music, and some really off the wall humour. The opening sequence with Shemp Howard and Mary Wickes is an absolute delight, and the surreal nature of the humour continues throughout (especially the bit with Ernest Treux), even into the musical numbers. The Andrews Sister's "apple tree" effort has to be one of the most bizarre (and entertaining) musical numbers I've ever seen. Finally, watching this picture reminded me of what a personable performer, and of what an under-appreciated singer Dick Foran was. I give it 8 out of 10. No accounting for taste, is there?