Butch and Buddy from "Spring Parade" (1940)

Above: Butch and Buddy with Deanna Durbin in the film "Spring Parade" (1940).

"Butch and Buddy" were a pair of kid actors played by Billy "Butch" Lenhart (1930-) Kenneth "Buddy" Brown (1932-).

They appeared together in several Universal films in the early 1940s. The first pairing was in Universal's "The Under-Pup" (1939) starring Gloria Jean in her first film. They played the sons of Billy Gilbert's character.

Universal needed two young boy actors again for the zany comedy "Sandy is a Lady" (1940) starring 2-year old Baby Sandy, who was Universal's answer to Shirley Temple. Lenhart and Brown were chosen to play "Butch" and "Buddy" in the film, and this is how they got their stage names.

They were such a hit that they were paired together in several more movies over the next five years.

The first film where they were billed together as Butch and Buddy was in Spring Parade starring Deanna Durbin (read the new review here at the Deanna blog)

Their most well known films are:

"Never Give a Sucker and Even Break" (1941) with WC Fields and Gloria Jean

and

"In the Navy" (1941) with Abbott and Costello

After 1945 they pretty much dissovled as a comedy team, as neither had the desire to pursue film acting as a career.

Kenneth Brown appeared in only one other film after 1945, in "36 Hours" (1953) where he had a bit part as a cop.

Films with Butch and Buddy:

"Sandy is a Lady" (1940)
"Spring Parade" (1940)
"Jumpin' Jive" (1941)
"In the Navy" (1941)
"Man from Montana" (1941)
"Never Give a Sucker and Even Break" (1941)
"Doin the Town" (1941)
"Melody Lane" (1941)
"Johnny Doughboy" (1942)
"Cinderella Swings It" (1943)
"Spotlight Revue" (1943)
"A Lady Takes a Chance" (1943)
"Army Wives" (1944)
"Rough Ridin' Justice (1945) (cameo)

As of this writing, I do not know what they did after thier film career, but I am researching this.

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"Spring Parade" (1940)

Deanna looking cute in a babuska (head scarf)

In this cute film set in Austria, Deanna plays a farm girl named Ilonka. One day she goes to a carnival and meets a fortune teller who tells her (among other things) that she will find her husband in Vienna; the next day she travels there and is determined to fulfill the prophecies.

Deanna's character is somewhat carefree, and it's not explained whether or not she had any work or family obligatons back in her unprounouncable village home.

Once in Vienna, she lands a job as an assistant in a local bakery run by the always entertaining S.Z. Sakall. Other bakery employees include Anne Gwynne (Jenny) and the baker's young nephews, played by Butch and Buddy (Kenneth Brown and Billy Lenhart), child stars at the time that never became famous as a team. They were prominently featured on posters for the movie (see the poster below). I wonder what happened to them; I couldn't find much to read about them on the internet.

The spring parade of the title refers to a parade of soilders that passes by the bakery every day. One of the soilders (Robert Cummings) flirts with Jenny, but she has her eye on another man (a Count in fact, Count Zorndorf, played by Allyn Joslyn). Deanna becomes smitten with the soilder, and inspires him to compose songs, including "Waltzing in the Clouds", which Deanna sings.

She also sings two other songs: "When April Sings" and "It's Foolish But It's Fun", which is a great song to describe this movie. There are some funny shennegans and a few cases of mistaken identity, including a scene where the baker gets arrested and Deanna has to clear up matters with the Emperor.

Cameo appearances by Samuel S. Hinds, Franklin Pangborn and Mischa Auer, who buys Deanna's goat at the carnival.

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards:

Best Cinematography
Best Sound
Best Score (Charles Previn)
Best Song ("Waltzing in the Clouds")


For more photos from Spring Parade, check out this link which will take you to the gallery on the Deanna Durbin Devotees site.

Read Laura's review here. 

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