''Buck Privates Come Home'' is a 1947 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Charles Barton and starring the team of Abbott and Costello. It was released by

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

and is a sequel to their earlier film ''

Buck Privates ''Buck Privates'' is a 1941 musical film, musical military comedy film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, peacetime draft o ...

'' (1941). This film marks the final role of veteran actor

Nat Pendleton Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 – October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler, film actor, and stage performer. His younger brother, Edmund J. Pendleton (1899-1987), was a well-known music composer and choir master ...

and the film debut of

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number on ...

(in the role of an unnamed medic).

Plot

After serving in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Herbie Brown and Slicker Smith return to the United States aboard a troop ship. Also on board is their old nemesis, Sgt. Collins. As the ship nears New York, Collins and his superiors search the men's belongings for contraband. Herbie accidentally activates a time bomb, made to look like a camera, that he picked up as a souvenir and has to throw it out the porthole. A six-year-old French orphan, Evey, whom Herbie and Slicker befriended, is found in Herbie's duffle bag. She is handed over to Lt. Sylvia Hunter, who delivers her to immigration officials in New York. However, during a shift change at the office, Evey is mistaken for a neighborhood kid and set free. Meanwhile, Herbie and Slicker are back to their pre-war occupation of peddling ties in Times Square. Collins is also back at his old job—a police officer assigned to the same beat. He is about to arrest the boys when Evey shows up and helps them escape. Herbie and Slicker attempt to adopt Evey, but are told that one of them must be married and have a steady income. Evey suggests that Herbie marry Sylvia. They show up at her apartment, but learn that Sylvia already has a boyfriend, Bill Gregory. At one point, Herbie and Slicker purchase what seems to be an ideal home for $750, but the seller doesn't want to let them see the interior prior to purchase. Before Herbie can get the front door open, the seller gives a signal and a truck hauls off the façade, revealing that the boys had just purchased a broken-down old bus. The two have to fix it up to use as a home. Bill is a midget car racer. He is sure he will win the $20,000 prize at the Gold Cup Stakes, but his car is being held at a local garage until past-due bills are paid. Herbie and Slicker use their separation pay and loans from their old service pals to get the car out of hock. Collins, however, has other plans. He had been demoted repeatedly to ever less desirable beats thanks to the boys' escaping from him. He stakes out the garage in hopes of catching them and returning Evey to the immigration authorities to get himself back in good favor with his boss. He eventually chases them to the track, where Herbie gets in Bill's race car and leads everyone on a wild chase through the streets of New York. Herbie is eventually caught, but not before the head of an automobile company is impressed enough to order 20 of Bill's cars and 200 engines. With his financial future secure, Bill can now marry Sylvia and adopt Evey. Slicker and Herbie will be allowed to visit Evey if they get jobs. Collins' captain suggests that they join the police force, which they do—with Collins as their instructor!

Cast

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New J ...

as Slicker Smith *

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

as Herbie Brown * Tom Brown as Bill Gregory *

Joan Shawlee Joan Shawlee (March 5, 1926 – March 22, 1987), nee Joan Fulton (and also credited sometimes under that name, such as in the film noir, Woman On The Run, 1950), was an American film and television actress. She is known for her recurring role i ...

as Sylvia Hunter (as Joan Fulton) *

as Sergeant Collins * Beverly Simmons as Evey LeBrec *

Don Porter Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ''Private Secretary'', and Russell Lawrence, the wi ...

as Captain Christie *

Donald MacBride Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an ...

as Police Captain *

Don Beddoe Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor. Early years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the ...

as Mr. Roberts *

Charles Trowbridge Charles Silas Richard Trowbridge (January 10, 1882 – October 30, 1967) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1915 and 1958. Biography Trowbridge was born in Veracruz, Mexico, where his father served in the ...

as Mr. Quince * Russell Hicks as Mr. Appleby *

Joe Kirk Ignazio "Nat" Curcuruto (October 1, 1903 – April 16, 1975), better known by his stage name Joe Kirk, was an American radio, film, and television actor who was best known for playing the role of Mr. Bacciagalupe on ''The Abbott and Costello S ...

as Real Estate Salesman *

Knox Manning Charles Knox Manning (January 17, 1904 – August 26, 1980) was an American film actor. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. He and Annette North Manning are interred at Ivy Lawn Cemete ...

as Commentator * Milburn Stone as Announcer *

as Medic (uncredited)

Production

It was filmed from November 18, 1946, through January 23, 1947. It was originally budgeted at $1,167,500 but came in $34,500 over budget, making it the most expensive Abbott and Costello vehicle produced at Universal. The leads were paid $196,133.Furmanek p 147-148 Arthur T. Horman, the writer for the original movie, ''

'', wrote the first treatment for this sequel, titled ''The Return of the Buck Privates'', but it was not used.Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). ''Abbott and Costello in Hollywood''. New York: Perigee Books. There is a joke used in the film that is often attributed to

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. Herbie says, "I'd rather marry a homely girl than a pretty girl anyway," to which Slicker replies, "Why?" Herbie responds, "Well, if you marry a pretty girl, she is liable to run away." Evey chimes in with, "But Uncle Herbie, isn't a homely girl liable to run away, too?" Herbie's response is simple, "Yeah, but who cares?" This gag is also used in their film ''

Pardon My Sarong ''Pardon My Sarong'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello. Plot Tommy Layton, a wealthy bachelor, rents a city bus to take him from Chicago to Los Angeles to participate in a yacht race to Hawai’i. The bus drivers, Algy and Welli ...

''. When Costello drives the midget car through the rear of a movie theater, there is a poster that shows a fictional film, ''Abbott and Costello in 'Romeo Junior'' on the wall. Scenes of Abbott and Costello in 'Romeo and Juliet' outfits, with Betty Alexander as Juliet, were filmed and were intended to be playing on the screen of the theater, but the scene was deleted.

Routines

*''The Sawhorse Table'' takes place on the ship. Costello creates a table by putting a board on a sawhorse. Every time one of them puts something down on one end of the table, the other one puts something on the other end to balance it. Neither one of them are aware of what is happening, until the table finally loses its balance and a cake flies off the table into Pendleton's face.

Home media

This film has been released three times on DVD. Originally released as a single DVD on April 8, 1998, it was released twice as part of two different Abbott and Costello collections. The first time, on ''The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Two'', on May 4, 2004, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of ''Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection''.

References

External links

* *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{Charles Barton 1947 films 1947 comedy films Abbott and Costello films American black-and-white films American auto racing films American sequel films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Charles Barton Films scored by Walter Schumann Military humor in film Universal Pictures films Films about the United States Army Films about veterans American comedy films 1940s American films