The film begins with some flag-waving stock newsreel footage of masses of marching soldiers. Then, 5-10 min. of scenes from "Buck Privates", especially those involving drill Sgt. Collins(Nat Pendleton), who was also their nemesis as a police officer before the war. He will again be a major character in this story, as he and Abbott and Costello settle back into their pre-war personas. Collins' beat territory changes in tune with the changing locations of A&C, so that he can continuously pester them. A goodly share of the film also related, directly or indirectly to stowaway war orphan, 6 y.o. Shirley Temple-like, Beverly Simmons, as Evey, who spent the journey home in Lou's duffle bag! The boys hope to adopt her, but will find that they need stable jobs and residence before they can qualify. Keeping her from being deported back to France requires stealth, luck, and pleading. Much of officer Collins' time is spent looking for Evey and her probable companions Her brief initial dealings with pretty WAC Sylvia, and through her, Bill, provides much of plot for the last portion, in which Sylvia provides a temporary home for them, and leads the transformation of their newly acquired old bus into a cheap home. Meanwhile, Bill, Sylvia's boyfriend, has financial problems resulting from his needing parts to build his mini racing car. A&C suggest maybe they can help, by loaning their severance pay, getting a GI loan, and borrowing money from their service buddies. Their attempt to get a GI loan is a huge disaster, as the small model made by Bill shoots out flame and makes a sound like gunshots when Costello pushes it along the loan officer's desk, leaving his office a total wreck. The noise scares the customers and draws police, and Lou can't figure out how to stop it. Very funny! Anyway, eventually, A&C get enough money to release his car from the garage where it is being kept. However, Collins and his henchmen have staked out the garage, so they are ready to fight when Bill and the boys arrive to take the car, at night. A free-for-all results, with the boys winning. At the racetrack, Bill wins the last qualifying race in preparation for the main race, with a $20,000. purse.
Time for the main race, but Collins and his goons show up, looking for Evey and Costello. So, Lou jumps in Bill's racer, and gets on the race track, weaving and spinning, as he has no experience driving a vehicle. He heads out into NYC traffic, then enters a horse race track with a race going on, then he's speeding down an air runway, before he goes through a brick wall: hilarious keystone cops-like performance. Bill had no chance to enter the race, but a car manufacturer is impressed by its performance, and orders 20 cars, plus 200 motors. Thus, Bill appears to have a promising financial future, so that he can marry Sylvia and adopt Evey.
One of the funniest sketches occurs when A&C & Evey are spending the night at Sylvia's. Costello sleeps in the bathtub, while Lou makes a primitive hammock out of a bed spread, some clothespins, and a clothesline that runs between the fire escape and the building across an alley. Amazingly, Lou doesn't fall out, but in the morning, the woman on the other end of the clothesline wants to pull the line toward her to get her clothes, but then sees Lou. She screams and her husband arrives and pulls the line his way. Abbott then pulls the line the other way. This battle continues back and forth, until the husband cuts the line, causing Lou to swing down to the next apartment, where he crashes through the window, lands on an occupied bed, causing the bed to fold into the wall, and back out again. Would have been even funnier if his bedmate had been a woman, but I doubt if the censorship board would have approved that.
In summary, this is a real laughathon. In terms of comedy, it's more fun than "Buck Privates", which was a musical comedy, in contrast to the present film. Many reviewers complain about the often inclusion of musical numbers in A&C films as disrupting the comedy. I think it depends on the nature of the screenplay.
Time for the main race, but Collins and his goons show up, looking for Evey and Costello. So, Lou jumps in Bill's racer, and gets on the race track, weaving and spinning, as he has no experience driving a vehicle. He heads out into NYC traffic, then enters a horse race track with a race going on, then he's speeding down an air runway, before he goes through a brick wall: hilarious keystone cops-like performance. Bill had no chance to enter the race, but a car manufacturer is impressed by its performance, and orders 20 cars, plus 200 motors. Thus, Bill appears to have a promising financial future, so that he can marry Sylvia and adopt Evey.
One of the funniest sketches occurs when A&C & Evey are spending the night at Sylvia's. Costello sleeps in the bathtub, while Lou makes a primitive hammock out of a bed spread, some clothespins, and a clothesline that runs between the fire escape and the building across an alley. Amazingly, Lou doesn't fall out, but in the morning, the woman on the other end of the clothesline wants to pull the line toward her to get her clothes, but then sees Lou. She screams and her husband arrives and pulls the line his way. Abbott then pulls the line the other way. This battle continues back and forth, until the husband cuts the line, causing Lou to swing down to the next apartment, where he crashes through the window, lands on an occupied bed, causing the bed to fold into the wall, and back out again. Would have been even funnier if his bedmate had been a woman, but I doubt if the censorship board would have approved that.
In summary, this is a real laughathon. In terms of comedy, it's more fun than "Buck Privates", which was a musical comedy, in contrast to the present film. Many reviewers complain about the often inclusion of musical numbers in A&C films as disrupting the comedy. I think it depends on the nature of the screenplay.