MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

AaronCapenBanner Abbott & Costello star as Smokey Adams & Pomeroy Watson, two naval recruits who are friends with popular crooner Tommy Halstead(played by Dick Powell) who, in a desperate attempt to escape from his over-adoring fans, enlists in the navy. He tries to remain anonymous, but a determined female journalist sneaks aboard disguised as a sailor, but is later uncovered. Guess what happens next? Meanwhile, Smokey & Pomeroy have their own misadventures... Disappointing comedy just isn't that funny, despite using some of their successful routines, this is just a slight and forgettable variation on their far more successful earlier "Buck Privates". The Andrews Sisters also costar here.

bob the moo Popular crooner Russ Raymond pulls a disappearing act at the height of his popularity, everyone wants the story as to where he has gone. One journalist finds him serving in the Navy under an assumed name but has to get proof for her sceptical boss. While she keeps trying to get into the base and get proof, two of the sailors have their own problems – specifically Seaman Pomeroy Watson who has romantic aspirations with one of the Andrews Sisters.I shan't bother describing the plot more than I have above because I have already put more effort into it than the film itself does. I have seen many Abbott & Costello films and this is probably one of the ones with the thinnest plots – normally they have "straight" scenes to carry the plot but these are minimal here and the Abbott & Costello bits don't have much of a connection to the "main" narrative. This makes for an odd feeling film because it doesn't offer much to be engaged with or provide much of a structure to things. This also leaves the usual "romantic" plot with Costello hanging out there on its own – something that it cannot cope with and that doesn't work much. This lack of structure prevents the film getting a flow and instead lets it stand or fall on whatever it happens to be doing at that time.Fortunately there are several good comedy routines with A&C which provide chuckles – none of them are classic by any means but they are still funny. The musical numbers are OK, although "give me some skin" is a weirdly memorable routine from three very white singers! Abbott & Costello work well with one another and their material. You can sort of see that they are not working with their best material but they don't let it show that much in their comic turns. Powell is dull as he has been in other similar roles while Dodd has a bit of spirit but isn't used well by the material. The Andrews Sisters may well have been big draws of the day and talented singers but they are not great actresses and indeed Patty has no chemistry or presence to speak of – really hurting the romantic thread.Overall then this is only a so-so A&C film. The lack of structure or plot hurts it and, while it is quite amusing it is never funny enough or strong enough to cover the other gaps. Fans will get something from it of course but it is not a great film despite some amusing scenes.

gridoon Lou: "I'll fight these men in a field of honor"Bud: "But they have no honor"Lou: "That's okay, I ain't got no field!"One of the earliest Abbott & Costello films, "In the Navy" has a better balance of humor and music than, say, the Marx Brothers outings of the same period. The songs, although dated, are still quite catchy, and there is also a spectacular tap-dancing number by the Condos Brothers (OK, the Hawaiian song is perfectly awful, but at least nobody plays a harp for 10 minutes here). The comedy is visual, verbal, and at times even surreal (Costello draws a line with a piece of chalk on a blackboard - and then hangs his cap on it!). This film is not great cinematic art, but it does offer some great laughs. (**1/2)

classicsoncall "In The Navy" is the second Abbott and Costello service film, with a nod to their first, "Buck Privates" in the opening credits. Genuinely high on patriotism, it brings back The Andrews Sisters and Shemp Howard from the prior picture.The plot involves crooner Russ Raymond (Dick Powell) dropping out of the celebrity spotlight, only to join the Navy under the name of Tom Halstead. He is relentlessly pursued by newspaper photographer Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd), but gee, how many pictures did she need? As Smoky Adams (Abbott) and Seaman Pomeroy Watson (Costello), the boys are up to their usual antics which include Abbott's sleight of hand lemon routine, a money changing bit and a classic 7 times 13 equals 28, and Costello can prove it three different ways! In a slightly unsavory gag, the boys lay in wait for each other with mouths full of water ready to spray each other, but they keep breaking up and the sequence looks more like a series of outtakes that were left in the film.The Andrews Sisters are in usual fine form, with Patty much more animated in her lead role than in "Buck Privates". They keep the film moving with songs from beginning to end, with a few well choreographed production numbers thrown in. The highlight of the film though belongs to Lou Costello, as he impersonates the Captain of the ship to impress the Andrews Sisters, and commandeers the ship in a series of naval routines, defying all the laws of physics along the way. With two service comedies under their belt, Bud and Lou would wind up in yet another branch of the service very quickly in 1941's "Keep 'Em Flying", and with the war over, one final time in 1947's "Buck Privates Come Home", reprising the original characters from their first Army film.