In The Navy (1941)

The massive success of BUCK PRIVATES which featured Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Army caused Universal to halt production on their next film HOLD THAT GHOST and whip up this wan comedy which put them in the Navy. It's one of their weaker vehicles but ironically was a huge hit for them. There's one genuinely hilarious routine with Abbott conning Costello out of his money by getting him trying to guess which cup has a lemon under it as Abbott switches them around. The Andrews Sisters are responsible for two of the three musical highlights, the lively Gimme Some Skin My Friend and the kitschy Hula-Ba-Luau which the sisters perform with native drums attached to their hips and the Condo Brothers do a bouncy tap number. Other than that, it's pretty dull going. Dick Powell as a popular radio crooner hiding out in the navy and Claire Dodd as a newspaper reporter provide the anemic romance. With Dick Foran and Shemp Howard.