Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie

Home

Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie United States

Shout Factory | 1947 | 77 min | Not rated | No Release Date

Cover
coming
soon

Price

Movie rating

7
 / 10

Blu-ray rating

Users0.0 of 50.0
Reviewer3.0 of 53.0
Overall3.0 of 53.0

Overview

Buck Privates Come Home (1947)

Bud and Lou return to civilian life in this hysterical slapstick adventure. Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown are caught with Evey, a young stowaway, on board their returning ship by Sgt. Collins. Held by immigration authorities, Evey manages to run away and finds Slicker and Herbie peddling "silk" ties in Times Square. Just when they're about to be arrested by Collins, now a cop, Evey helps them escape. Deciding they need to find someone to adopt Evey, they look for her "Aunt" Sylvia. Sylvia's fiance is a midget-car racer certain to win an upcoming race if he can only get his car out of the garage, where it's being held for unpaid bills. Pooling their cash, Slicker and Herbie help get the car on track when an irate Collins shows up. Herbie accidentally starts the car and leads the police and immigration officials on a madcap cross-country race that's become one of the most hilarious and memorable in film history.

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Tom Brown (I), Joan Shawlee, Nat Pendleton
Narrator: Knox Manning
Director: Charles Barton

Comedy100%
AdventureInsignificant
ActionInsignificant

Specifications

  • Video

    Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
    Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

  • Audio

    English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

  • Subtitles

    English SDH

  • Discs

    Blu-ray Disc
    Single disc (1 BD)

  • Playback

    Region A (B, C untested)

Review

Rating summary

Movie3.5 of 53.5
Video3.5 of 53.5
Audio4.0 of 54.0
Extras2.5 of 52.5
Overall3.0 of 53.0

Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 1, 2019

Fresh from World War II service, Herbie (Lou Costello) and Slicker (Bud Abbott) are ready to return to America, but they don’t have a plan for the future. Herbie complicates the arrival by taking French orphan Evey (Beverly Simmons) with him, but his superiors demand she be turned over to immigration, separating her from these unlikely guardians. Fighting to adopt her, Herbie tries to encourage marriage between Lt. Sylvia (Joan Fulton) and her boyfriend, Bill (Tom Brown), hoping they’ll take Evey in, but trouble arrives with Sgt. Collins (Nat Pendleton), who’s trying to keep the child away from Herbie and Slicker, seeking revenge on the troublemakers.


A sequel to 1941’s “Buck Privates,” “Buck Privates Come Home” picks up the story post-war, with Slicker and Herbie considering their future after service. However, Abbott and Costello aren’t through with military antics, as the opening of the follow-up focuses on ship-based wackiness, including the “sawhorse” routine, which finds the men trying to balance dinner on a moving table propped up by a single support beam. “Buck Privates Come Home” has the plot with Evey and adoption blues, but most of the feature is handed over to slapstick set pieces, permitting Abbott and Costello to reclaim partnership momentum lost to efforts such as “Little Giant” and “The Time of Their Lives.”


Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality  3.5 of 5

Matters have improved a bit for the Buck Privates, with the AVC encoded image (1.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Buck Privates Come Home" offering a slightly stronger sense of cinematic life than its predecessor. While the picture is loaded with editorial transitions, diminishing resolution, softer detail comes through when allowed to, securing facial features and textured costuming. Sets are open for study as well, along with slapstick particulars, including food items from the "sawhorse" routine. Delineation is comfortable. Source is in decent shape, with mild scratches and speckling.


Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality  4.0 of 5

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles well during the broader antics of "Buck Privates Come Home," finding reaction extremes comfortable, never blowing out highs. Dialogue exchanges are appreciable, with varied performance coming through sharply. Scoring is also defined, supplying bouncier instrumentation to aid the comedic mood of the effort. Mild hiss is detected.


Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras  2.5 of 5

  • Image Gallery (4:07) collects film stills, publicity shots, poster art, and lobby cards.
  • Production Notes (1:27) offer information on the making of "Buck Privates Come Home."
  • And a Theatrical Trailer (2:14, SD) is included.


Buck Privates Come Home Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation  3.0 of 5

"Buck Privates Come Home" restores prime Abbott and Costello energy, even making a direct reference to Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes influence as the picture gets sillier. There's a midget car race conclusion to introduce speed to the endeavor, filling in the last to-do box for an Abbott and Costello production. It's all a little too routine, but that appears to be the point, with the production making a direct effort to return the stars to their madcap glory.