Formed in 1946, Martin and Lewis were comic gold during the first half of the 1950’s, dominating stage, screen, and the new medium of television. The duo even had a radio a radio show on NBC from 1949 until 1953. The pair’s film career began in 1949, when they were signed by Paramount producer Hal Wallis to provide comic relief in My Friend Irma. The duo’s first starring roles came a year later in At War With the Army. Ostensibly an adaptation of James B. Allardice’s play, in truth, it serves as vague outline into which Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis dropped their outsized personalities and characterizations.

The basic plot (such as it is), centers on Dean Martin’s Sgt. Vic Puccinelli having to reign in his longtime pal Pfc. Alvin Korwin, Jerry Lewis as he slacks about his duties on an army base. Prior to the war, the two were a singing and dancing duo, but now that Puccinelli outranks Korwin the two are at odds. Korwin wants a three day pass to go so his newborn child and Puccinelli either can’t help him or doesn’t want to. When Alvin isn’t trying to get home, he’s desperate to get a song he’s written recorded so he and Vic can secure a record deal. The bits of story that do exist are sprinkled amongst song and dance numbers and displays of physical comedy.

I suspect that the somewhat confusing narrative is by design. In 1950, Martin & Lewis had yet to truly establish themselves in films, but they had become very popular in their respective roles of “Straight Man and Funny Guy,’ on shows like NBC’s Colgate Comedy Hour, where they had crazy fun. Having had the opportunity to see a few clips of their appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour, it’s clear that the aim was to transfer that style of routine to film. Unfortunately, television and film are very different mediums; what’s funny on the small screen can misfire on film.

While At War With the Army can’t be considered a highpoint of Martin & Lewis’ movie career, it still has some worthwhile moments. Dean does a fine job as straight man to Jerry’s manic energy, and Dean’s smooth, dulcet tones are always welcome during the musical numbers. Jerry Lewis is a master of physical comedy, and shows it throughout the film. In one particularly memorable scene, Lewis must run an obstacle course as part of PT, and manages to come up with several ingenious ways of circumventing the obstacles.

If you’re an avid Martin and Lewis fan, adding At War With the Army to your Blu-ray collection is a no brainer. However, if you’re just familiarizing yourself with the duo, this is far from their best work, and not the best place to start.

Newly remastered in HD and presented in its proper 1.37:1 aspect ratio, this transfer is far from immaculate. That being said, it’s important to remember that the film is sixty-five years old, and fell into the public domain. The opening credits show significant damage, including scratches, and dirt. The opening scene looks undeniably soft, and lacks strong focus. Thankfully, things improve from there, though issues with dirt and softness pop up here and there. There are moments of image clarity, but when it’s bad, it’s really bad. It’s still much better than any of the previous DVD releases.

It should come as no surprise that the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is nothing special. There’s some noticeable rattling when Lewis’ voice hits some of its highest pitches. Thankfully, most of the time, dialogue is clear enough. Volume levels are quite good, and distortions really are minimal.

There are no subtitles included.

There are no extras available.