Doughboys (1930 film)

Doughboys
Directed by	Edward Sedwick
Written by	Dialogue by Al Boasberg and Richard Schayer. Story by Al Boasberg and Sidney Lazarus
Starring	Buster Keaton Sally Ellers Cliff Edwards Edward Brophy
Music by	William Axt
Cinematography	Leonard Smith
Editing by	William LeVanway
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	August 30, 1931 (1931-08-30)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Doughboys is a 1930 American comedy film starring Buster Keaton. It was Keaton's first starring talkie vehicle.^[1]

Plot

Elmer (Keaton), a member of the idle rich, is smitten by working girl Mary (Sally Ellers), who will have nothing to do with him. When Elmer's chauffeur gets caught up in an army recruitment drive and quits, Elmer goes to an employment agency to find a new driver and accidentally enlists in the army.

Elmer learns that Mary is on the base to entertain the troops, but also learns that his drill sargeant, Brophy (Edward Brophy) is also interested in Mary.

Cast

• Buster Keaton as Elmer
• Sally Ellers as Mary
• Cliff Edwards as Nescopeck
• Edward Brophy as Sgt. Brophy
• Victor Potel as Svendenburg
• Arnold Korff as Gustav
• Frank Mayo as Captain Scott

Reception

Keaton had creative input in Dougboys, which was partly inspired by his own experience in World War I. Although the writers kept inserting puns and verbal jokes into the script, Keaton insisted that his dialogue, at least, be less "jokey."^[2] Keaton felt that Doughboys was the best of the films he made for MGM.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Neibaur, James L. (2010). The Fall of Buster Keaton: His Films for M-G-M, Educational Pictures, and Columbia. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. pp. 42. ISBN 978-0810876828. 
2. ^ Doughboys, TCM.

External links

• Doughboys at the Internet Movie Database