Keep 'Em Flying

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Martha Raye, Carol Bruce, William B. Davidson
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Rating: Passed
Genre: Comedy
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A circus pilot (Dick Foran) joins the air corps, followed by his two close friends (Bud Abbott, Lou Costello), who quickly find themselves in over their heads.

Review:

Tim: After their first two starring roles were in service comedies (Buck Privates and In the Navy), I was excited to see Bud Abbott and Lou Costello branch out with Hold That Ghost. Their fourth starring pic actually felt like a bit of a step back, because we once again return to a service comedy. I'm a little more forgiving, because they've already done the Army and Navy, so doing the Air Force made logical sense. (Now, I know the Air Force wasn't created until 6 years after this movie was made, so it was technical the aviation branch of the Army in the movie, but it just makes it easier to say Air Force). This film does round out the A&C service comedies into a handy trilogy.

One thing I've tried to do is to differentiate between different A&C movies. Sure, there are minor differences, but the formula is exactly the same. That normally gets old very, very fast, but by doing the Army, then the Navy, then the Air Force, the formula felt much fresher than it otherwise would. It's kind of fun to think about this as a trilogy of films. So, while minor differentiate is easy enough, they had a formula that worked, so it makes sense that they executed the formula. At some point, it's very possible that I'll tire of the formula, but at this point, it still works. I actually loved the little nods to both Buck Privates and In the Navy here.

If you've seen any A&C movies, you know what to expect. They get involved in some group or situation that's above their heads and we sit back and laugh at their bumbling attempts to do anything. Abbott will always get Costello into trouble and Costello's antics make up the funniest parts of the film. In this case, that formula accurately describes the story. There's even the more typical leading man character who has his own romantic subplot. Again, the formula works, so they kept using it. One change I really appreciated was actually letting Abbott and Costello have romantic stories of their own. Of course, this being A&C, it wouldn't be a normal relationship. They actually fall for twins and some of the film's funniest moments involve Costello's bewilderment, not recognizing that the girls are twins. The highlight of the film is probably the scene in the diner- first with Abbott yelling at Costello not to order anything, and then with Costello's rampant confusion with the twins. That sequence was genuinely funny.

There's a few other memorable scenes. I didn't love the torpedo scene as much as some. Yes, it was fun and well orchestrated, but it felt a little too dangerous to me- the character could easily have died or killed many other people and it's hard to laugh about that. I didn't appreciate the obvious strings holding the tires up at the end of that. The scenes aboard the airplane were actually very well done. It was very fun seeing Costello stumble across the wing, through the bottom of the plane, and out the back while Abbott tried to keep them from crashing. That sequence was a stronger one and definitely one of the highlights. I also like the use of miniatures with the parachute entangled scene. It obviously wasn't real, but it was very well done.

Like Hold That Ghost, this film did a good job of weaving the A&C antics into the overall story. While a few did feel like unnecessary pauses in the main storyline, for the most part, they integrated well. There were a few unnecessary musical numbers which didn't add much, though. I also thought that Abbott and Costello took a step back by having Dick Foran play a larger role. I'm okay with how it was presented here, but I really hope they don't go back to being guest stars in their own movie. I like it much better when they're front and center. It was fine here, but it wasn't as well done as their previous film.

Keep 'Em Flying is a fun, entertaining Abbott & Costello movie. It serves as a wonderful conclusion to the service comedy trilogy and delivers another enjoyable viewing experience. Yes, the films are a little formulaic at this point, but they've adapted and evolved nicely. This movie brings to close a frenetic year where Abbott & Costello put out four films. That's impressive and while this isn't the best movie of 1941 from them, it's a very, very good way to end the year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: One Night in the Tropics, Buck Privates, In the Navy, Hold That Ghost