Doughboys (film)

For other uses, see Doughboy (disambiguation).

Doughboys is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film starring Buster Keaton. It was Keaton's second starring talkie vehicle^[1] and has been called Keaton's "most successful sound Picture."^[2] A Spanish-language version was also made under the title, De Frente, Marchen.

Doughboys
Directed by	Edward Sedgwick
Written by	Al Boasberg Richard Schayer Sidney Lazarus
Starring	Buster Keaton Sally Eilers Cliff Edwards Edward Brophy
Cinematography	Leonard Smith
Edited by	William LeVanway
Music by	William Axt
Production company	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Distributed by	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Release date	August 30, 1930 (1930-08-30)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Elmer (Buster Keaton), a member of the idle rich, is smitten by working girl Mary (Sally Eilers), 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 and learns that his drill sergeant, Brophy (Edward Brophy), is also interested in Mary.

Cast

• Buster Keaton as Elmer
• Sally Eilers as Mary
• Cliff Edwards as Nescopeck
• Edward Brophy as Sgt. Brophy
• Victor Potel as Svendenburg
• Arnold Korff as Gustav
• Frank Mayo as Captain Scott
• Pitzy Katz as Abie Cohn
• William Steele as Lieutenant Randolph
• Edward Sedgwick as Guggleheimer the Camp Cook (uncredited)

Reception

Keaton had creative input in Doughboys, 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."^[3] Keaton felt that Doughboys was the best of the films he made for MGM.^[1]