Buck Privates

This comedy, which launched Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's careers, follows two small time con men who duck into an army recruitment center to dodge the police and end up accidentally enlisting. The film was originally conceived as a straight military romance drama centered on a wealthy soldier named Randolph Parker and his love interest, with Abbott and Costello slotted in as comic relief, but as production went on it became clear the pair were the real draw and the film turned into their star making vehicle. Made for two hundred forty five thousand dollars, it grossed four million and became Universal's biggest hit of 1941, pushing the duo to third place among the year's top box office draws. The song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and Charles Previn was also nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, with the number significantly raising the profile of the Andrews Sisters, who performed it. Who it's for: Anyone curious about the moment Abbott and Costello became stars, and about classic Hollywood military comedy. Who it's not for: Viewers looking for the earnest military romance the film was originally built around will be disappointed, since it effectively became an Abbott and Costello showcase instead.