In the Navy

In the Navy. 1941 Universal Pictures.
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, Claire Dodd, The Andrews Sisters, Shemp Howard
Director: Arthur Lubin
Currently available from Amazon as part of the Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection box set.

Russ Raymond (Powell) is America's most popular singer, but he decides to abandon his pop career at its peak, and joins the Navy using an alias, Tommy Halsted. He entrusts this knowledge only to Smoky (Abbott) and Pomeroy (Costello), but somehow, a disguised reporter named Dorothy Roberts (Dodd) discovers the ruse, and follows him in hopes of taking a picture and revealing his true identity to the world. The first time Russ found out that Dorothy was really a reporter, he literally spanked the girl as the camera snapped away.

Meanwhile, Pomeroy is in love with Patty from the Andrews Sisters, and spends most of the movie trying to win her affections, despite his setback when Patty learns that he really isn't who he claims to be in his letters to her.

The Navy, who was reluctant to allow the crew to film on an actual ship, prevented Universal from releasing the film after they objected to a scene where Pomeroy impersonates a captain and puts a battleship through hazardous maneuvers. Universal simply added new scenes explaining the stunt as a dream he has, which ultimately didn't make the Navy look bad.

Recommended movie. Look for Shemp Howard in between his stints in the Three Stooges as a sailor and cook named Dizzy who manages to pull one over on Pomeroy when the latter tries to scam money off of him.