I just love this film, for the most part, and not just because it came out the year I was born. Universal gathered some of their best musical and comedic talent for for this military recruitment-promoting film. True, they overdid trying to make serving in the armed forces seem like a picnic, with everyone beating the door down to get in the army. True, they could have made much better use of the comedy talent, which included Dead End Kids standout comedian Huntz Hall, and a very young Don O'Connor, as well as Joe E. Lewis, stooge Shemp Howard, and Olive-like willowy Mary Wickes. The last two carried 90% of the effective comedy, along with the Andrew Sisters. Huntz was limited to teaching famous trumpeter Harry James how to do army bugle calls, without much success, until near the end: a running gag. Don O'Connor, in his first of many films for Universal, at age 16, only appears briefly in a few scenes, sometimes with his future constant film companion for the next few years:Peggy Ryan. Peggy gets to do a brief sampling of her athletic dancing talent in the jive dancing scene, which included the 'Jivin' Jacks and Jills'. She even gets a couple of kisses to or from Don, which would be very rare in their subsequent films, when Don's character typically regarded her as a fun playmate, but not a serious romantic interest. Shemp and Lewis compete for Mary's attention in the early part. Poor Shemp has to pay off the nightclub receptionist to get admitted, but his dollar only gets them a table in a recess between 2 swinging kitchen doors. You can guess the rest. In stooge style, he gets slapped and punched by the much taller Mary and ,later, by the Andrew Sisters while they are singing "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree".Presumably, they didn't want him to sit with them.Dick Foran plays the title character and sings the title song while wearing a cowboy hat. This is in recognition of his frequent film appearances as a singing cowboy. With his Nelson Eddy-like voice and appearance, he leads in several additional songs, mostly the army-related ones, including "We're in the Army Now". Also, the beginning of the finale, with "We've Got a Job to Do", before the Andrew Sisters finish with "Johnny Get Your Gun", amid marching soldiers and film clips of various war-related activities. He also begins an extensive treatment of the African American spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen", while playing the piano. Harry James' band shows up with singer Helen Forest, and they mostly take over from Dick, with singing, followed by Harry's featured trumpet playing.Speaking of Harry James, I've seen several films that included his legendary skill on the trumpet, as well as his band, and this film is by far his best and most pervasive showing. The film begins with his trumpet and Helen Forest singing the popular early 20th century standard "You Made Me Love You". Toward the end, Harry does a very difficult trumpet number: "Concerto for Trumpet", immediately followed by the Andrew Sister's rather comical "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", which begins with them pulling a heavy cardboard apple tree on stage and ends with them collapsing under the tree, having disposed of an unwanted Shemp several times. Again, this act is immediately followed by the 'Jivin' Jacks and Jills' plus D.O. and Peggy, dancing to a lively James number. Quite an entertainment sequence!I've already mentioned several performances by the then very popular Andrew Sisters. Like James and Foran, they kept popping up for yet another number throughout. Besides the numbers I've mentioned, they begin with "Three Little Sisters". The lyrics have one sister hot for a soldier, another for a sailor, and the third for a marine(there being no separate air force then).Their next number has them in the back of a jeep, with 3 soldiers in front, bouncing along on a bumpy road to an army camp, while singing the lively "Six Jerks in a Jeep". Two years later, Fox studios would repeat this scene with their USO-themed "Four Jills in a Jeep", with Phil Silvers driving the girls over another bumpy road to an army camp.After we've finished with the Shemp-Mary-Lewis problems in James's nightclub, and the various leads have overcome their problems getting accepted into the army, the between-the-musicals tends to focus on Dick Foran, who is the formulistic romantic lead. He develops a transient romantic interest in the training company commander's niece, played by unknown Jennifer Holt. This was only her 2nd film role. Although not apparent in this film, apparently the rational for choosing her was that she nearly always played a cowgirl in her future films, and thus seemed like a good match for Foran, with his frequent cowboy roles and persona in this film. Of course, formulistically, she initially hated Foran's character, with his superior attitude upon joining the army. But, he gets a kiss from her while marching in formation onto the troop ship. That's about the extent of it.Having seen a number of these flag-waving revues, made by various studios, this is clearly the most entertaining. Two years later, Universal would produce a rather similar flag waver: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", also very good entertainment. See both on You Tube.

This is more of a musical revue with a slight edge of a plot, and truly enjoyable only when the Andrews Sisters are singing or some well known clowns are providing some dated but still humorous chuckles. Of course, when the Andrews Sisters get loose with "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" (with anybody else but me....), it almost tops their performance of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in Abbott and Costello's earlier "Buck Privates", of which this is obviously a low budget follow-up to. Ted Lewis leads the band, and performs "Me and My Shadow" (with a black dancer, of course...), while Shemp Howard and Mary Wickes provide the necessary amount of laughs simply by searching for a table in a nightclub to make this (barely) a passable time filler. Of course, Mary Wickes could flip pancakes and crack jokes in her deadpan manner and she'd steal the show.

"Private Buckaroo" doesn't try to be anything more than it claimed to be at the time – an enlistment promo for the Army. It was 1942 and the U.S. had just committed its full force to World War II. While we may like to think that everyone eligible ran to the enlistment offices to sign up after Pearl Harbor (many did, but many more were still needed), there was natural human reticence about war, healthy fear of war and for life, immediate family needs, and other reasons that kept many men, especially, from running to join the ranks. So, Uncle Sam enlisted the support of Hollywood in this and other productions to help convince men and women to join up. We had many other films during World War II, with varying degrees of action, drama, and depictions of the horror and losses of war, as well as the heroics of many people. But films like "Private Buckaroo" were not intended for the same purposes of telling the stories of war. My point with all of this is that this film can't be viewed with other plot-driven movies about the war. It does have a very thin plot that, for the most part today, may seem annoying to many people. But, granting it as a means to string together the entertainment, we can quickly let it go and simply enjoy the tremendous musical performances of this film. The comedy is OK too, but not anything outstanding. My rating for this film is based solely on the performers and the great talents the movie showcases. We have so few films from the first half of the 20th century that include the performances of many of the great swing bands and musical entertainers of the day. This one has some of the very best of the Andrews Sisters and Harry James and his band. For that reason alone, this is worth watching, enjoying and keeping.

Private buckaroo is not a western like the title suggests,its a wartime comedy musical made during world war two.in 1942.it features the singing sensations of the 40's;the Andrew sisters.and boasts a very good cast,Dick Foran(the mummy's hand,atomic submarine)Shemp Howard (of the three stooges)Harry James(big band leader)Joe E Lewis.and Huntz Hall(Bowery boys)and Donald O'Conner.i was confused by the title,i thought it was either a western.but i was wrong,its a very good movie from the otherwise monster producing universal.i enjoyed private buckaroo too bad its a really short movie at a little more than an hour.i believe this was the second movie on a double bill,but i may be wrong.thought the movie is way before my time,i have heard the Andrew sisters music before.the comedy is very vaudeville and the scenes with harry James trying to blow a bugle after hes drafted are hilarious. private buckaroo is played by;Dick Foran who had just finished the mummy's tomb at the same studio.he also has his flatfeet fixed so he can join the army.shemp Howard supplies the goof ball antics as a bumbling Sergeant.i enjoyed private buckaroo,I'm giving it the maximum 10 out of ten,call me crazy but i liked it.