In the Navy (film)
| In the Navy | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
| Produced by | Alex Gottlieb |
| Written by |
Arthur T. Horman John Grant |
| Starring |
Bud Abbott Lou Costello Dick Powell The Andrews Sisters |
| Music by | Charles Previn |
| Edited by | Philip Cahn |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $379,207.42 |
| Box office | $2 million (est.) |
In the Navy is a 1941 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It was the second service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team appeared in two other service comedies in 1941, before the United States entered the war: Buck Privates released in January and Keep 'Em Flying released in November.
Popular crooner Russ Raymond (Dick Powell) abandons his career at its peak and joins the Navy using his real name, Tommy Halstead. However, Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd), a reporter, discovers his identity and follows him in the hopes of photographing him and revealing his identity to the world.
Aboard the battleship Alabama, Tommy meets up with Smoky (Bud Abbott) and Pomeroy (Lou Costello), who help hide him from Dorothy, who hatches numerous schemes in an attempt to photograph Tommy/Russ being a sailor. Pomeroy is in love with Patty, one of The Andrews Sisters, sends her numerous fan letters, and tries to impress her with false tales of his physique and his naval rank. Eventually, Patty discovers that Pomeroy is only a baker, and Pomeroy spends much of the movie attempting to win her affection.
After Buck Privates became a huge hit, the studio rushed Abbott and Costello into a second service comedy. In the Navy was filmed from April 8, 1941 through May 9, 1941. This was actually after the team had already completed Hold That Ghost. The latter was held back for revisions and the naval comedy was released as the team's second starring vehicle.
There was, however, one problem before it could be released: when the film was screened for the Navy, officers were offended by the sequence where Pomeroy (Costello) impersonates a captain and puts the battleship through a series of madcap maneuvers. Since the sequence was the climax of the film, it could not be edited out. The studio solved the problem by making the sequence Pomeroy's dream. This caused the film to go over its original budget of $335,000.
Portions of the film were shot in the Coachella Valley, California.
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