Doughboys
About Doughboys
Elmer, a rich idler, wants Mary, who will not have him. Meaning to hire a chauffeur, he signs Army papers instead. Mary has joined a unit that entertains the troops. Elmer's sergeant wants her too. Buster Keaton plays Elmer. It is his second starring talkie.
Cast & crew
More about Doughboys
Edward Sedgwick directed. Richard Schayer is credited on the script. William Axt wrote the music. MGM released it in 1930. A Spanish-language version, De Frente, Marchen, was shot and is considered lost.
Themes
Background
A pre-Code comedy about a mistaken enlistment, released a decade after the war it jokes about.
Making
MGM was still shooting foreign-language versions of its comedies in 1930. The Spanish Doughboys was one of them, and it is gone.
Music
William Axt composed the music.
Preservation
The English-language film survives. The Spanish version, De Frente, Marchen, is considered lost.
Notes
- Keaton's second feature as a talking star. A later account calls it his most successful sound picture.
- The enlistment is a mistake. He thinks he is hiring a driver.
- The Spanish version does not survive.
- The sergeant is the rival, not another society man.
Scenes
- Elmer signs enlistment papers he thinks are a chauffeur's contract.
- Mary turns up with the entertainment unit, and the sergeant is already interested.
Also available
- Internet Archive (1930-doughboys-2660815407662)
