Definitely not so here, in 1941's Great Guns.  I don't recall ever seeing this before, and I definitely don't remember "LOL-ing" so much at one of their movies.  Yeah, it really is that good.  The pair are in top-notch form throughout.

Stanley and Oliver are part of the staff of a rather wealthy, and bed-ridden at the behest of his "doctor", man named Daniel Forrester (Dick Nelson.)  Daniel gets drafted, and once out of the care of his so-called doctor, turns out alright.  The pair follow him into the service, to keep an eye on him, and the hilarity ensues.

Expect the usual portfolio of L&H standard humor, but amped up a couple of notches.  From their initial oblivious-ness to the standards of army life, their pet raven Penelope (who winds up saving the day), hitching a ride on the machine gun target, and endless excellently executed and hilarious sight gags....  If you don't laugh at least once, you probably never will, at anything.

The plot? Well, it would have to revolve around Daniel's romantic interest, the base photo-shop operator, Ginger (Sheila Ryan.)  Other than that its purely one comedic loosely-military-based situation after another.

What interests me also, as it relates to war movies and history, is the portrayal of the typical horse-mounted cavalry as late as 1941.  Just a year later would see the last gasp of the horse on the front lines, as the rapid tech boom of WWII proved them obsolete, in favor of the motor pool and mechanized armor.

After the all-too serious (but excellent) The Deer Hunter, I needed to lighten the mood a bit.  So shut off the brain, and prepare to be entertained and laugh.

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Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 1 (Great Guns / Jitterbugs / The Big Noise) List Price: $34.98 Sale Price: $23.93 You save: $11.05 (32%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Description

By the 1940's, Laurel and Hardy were a bit past their prime, however, even average L & H, are funnier than a lot of today's films. This set collects 3 of their films from the 40's - "Great Guns," "Big Noise," and "Jitterbugs," which film critic Leonard Maltin calls "one of the team's better later efforts." For the fans and collectors. Some extras.

Though Laurel and Hardy fans will attest to the relative weakness of the three films included in this Gift set, Great Guns, Jitterbugs, and The Big Noise, the films still brim with classic Stan and Ollie antics, and more intriguingly, serve as historical markers of American Wartime Cinema. These post-Hal Roach, Twentieth Century Fox releases offer, even in the liner notes, information about how the film industry was influenced by World War II. Great Guns' plot most directly refers to the war, showing what happens when the Army recruits two clowns. Gunpowder gags, planes dropping flour bombs, and physical comedy inside the barracks, involving cots, dangling light bulbs, and mess kits abound in this film that hopefully entertained soldiers. Jitterbugs, the funniest film in the set, provides comedic escape from hardship by constructing a plot based on a dislike for gas rationing. In Jitterbugs, Stan and Ollie, stars of the Zoot Suit Band, encounter a scam artist who allegedly can turn water into gasoline with an invented pill. Together, the three men swindle their ways into absurd situations, culminating in hilarious scenes of Stan disguised as a wealthy elderly lady who at one point declares, to a bunch of gangsters, that she's feeling "quite gay." Clever double-entendres, subtle wordplay, and co-star Vivian Blaine make this film wonderful. A documentary entitled "Revenge of the Sons of the Desert," about Laurel and Hardy fan clubs and conventions, shows how the wacky spirits of Stan and Ollie live on into the present day. True, these three films may not be their strongest, but they defined comedy during some of America's grimmest times. --Trinie Dalton

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: Laurel
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Stan Laurel
• Oliver Hardy
• Sheila Ryan
• Dick Nelson
• Edmund MacDonald

Reviews

Related posts:

1. 1941 (1979)
2. Dive Bomber (1941)
3. The Great Dictator (1940)
4. Sergeant York (1941)
5. The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Wing and a Prayer is a period piece surrounding the Battle of Midway.  Mostly it takes place on board "Carrier X", or as we now know, would have been the uh... well, I can't find any actual reference to which ship this might have been, nor the deception that Carrier X was sent out to deliver.

That being to make a fast cruise around the South Pacific in hopes that the Japanese would mistake this ship for several different carriers to disguise the true strength of the Pacific fleet, and then Carrier X would lead the Japanese fleet back to Midway to be ambushed.  From what I can tell, I'm not sure this really happened.  OK, given the time, I guess we can give you that one.  No point giving away *correct* information or anything.  I dunno, maybe a historian can better fill in the blanks here....

ANYWAY.  The meat of the story follows the 5th Torpedo bomber group, led by Moulton (Dana Andrews) and the various mishaps and ultimately the battle of Midway itself....  Not sure what else to say here.  Of course there's the hard-ass flight commander Harper (Don Ameche, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt here).  There's also the usual cadre of characters, with a couple curveballs.  Such as Scott (William Eythe) the Oscar-winning actor turned cocky pilot.

They win some, they lose some, and of course, in the end we win.  As far as during-the-war-pictures go, however, this one really isn't that bad.  Also note the ambitious and well-done use of compositing special effects in this one.   The slanted Star Wars-like opening credits are a unique touch, and the compositing continues throughout, from the air battles, to the deck action, and everything in between.

Ultimately, though, what you've got here is a feel-good film for the folks back home.  Most of these type of films show the fighting men in good spirits, well health, and generally having a good time throughout, with bits of combat in between.  Always nice to think that your son or husband is really living this way, but I bet the reality was slightly different.

Better than average, but still a representative of the 'wartime propaganda' genre, you should probably check out Wing and a Prayer.

Also of note are the TBF Avengers used throughout the film.  You don't get to see them up-close and personal like this very often, and they're a bit of equipment usually overlooked (along with the crews) in favor of the Corsair or Hellcat fighters.  Another reason I liked this film.

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Wing and a Prayer List Price: $14.98 Sale Price: $6.93 You save: $8.05 (54%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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Don Ameche, Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford. An outstanding drama about newly trained pilots who endure a baptism by fire while battling Japanese forces aboard a Pacific-based aircraft carrier in the early days of WWII. 1944/b&w/97 min/NR/fullscreen.

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: AMECHE,DON
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Don Ameche
• Dana Andrews
• William Eythe
• Charles Bickford
• Cedric Hardwicke

Reviews

Related posts:

1. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
2. The Way Ahead (1944)
3. Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944)
4. The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
5. The Purple Heart (1944)

What do I mean?  Well, let's get the good out of the way right now.

The 101st Airborne is sent to the lines just prior to the German's infamous push into the Ardennes.  They're stranded, cut off, surrounded, without supplies and with dwindling morale and personnel.  Yet the manage to persevere, and (as we know) manage to hold the line until the weather breaks and air support can resume.

In this respect Battleground is one of the most frank and grueling pictures depicting what it must have been like, for its time that is.  It actually reminded me of the couple of Band of Brothers episodes set in the Ardennes.  Slightly (OK considerably) less graphic in language and injury, but with the same amount of tension, fear, desperation and courage going on.  Everything about it, even the triumphant march back off the line at the end, should make you proud of these guys.  And it does.

But.  (here it comes)  It's like some higher-up mucketymuck at the studio got a hold of the script and said, "This is too serious.  Add some corny gags and jokes.  Really corny ones."  And they did.  Gack, what a nightmare.  It's like someone superimposed I Love Lucy over the top of Bastogne at times.

Screen icon Van Johnson seems to carry the bulk of these, much to his character's detriment.  What could have been a very well done study of the guy thrust into the crap, put in charge, and ultimately (yet forcefully) overcoming his fears....  well, its kinda ruined by the silly gags.  All of them.  From the false-teeth-clicking (way overdone) to the Arnez-ish "oh noes!" by Johnson....  ack.  Keep an eye out, though,  for a few "racey" bits and gags that I'm surprised passed the censor types, mainly based around the French girl Denise (Darcel) and Holley.

There are a few familiar faces, such as the late Van Johnson, Richard Jaeckal (Dirty Dozen), a very young Ricardo Montalbon, and a suitably grisly James Whitmore, but mostly unfamiliar ones, at least to me.

A true near-classic, mired by gags, Battleground still carries a lot of weight.  It also took 2 Oscars in 1950 for best B/W Cinematography and Writing(!) believe it or not.

IMDB: Battleground (1949)
Amazon: Battleground

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Battleground List Price: $5.92 Sale Price: $5.88 You save: $0.04 (1%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this remarkable war film, nominated for six Oscars(R) (including Best Picture) about courageous American G.I.s caught up in the battle at Bastogne. Year: 1949

Director William Wellman (The Big Heat) offered up this 1949 treatment of the Battle of the Bulge, which won Oscars for best screenplay and best cinematography. The film concentrates on the camaraderie and the divisions between the troops as they ready for the big offensive. Told in a taut narrative, the men of the 101st, led by Van Johnson, wait out the winter in the Ardennes forest to confront the German army in what would be the last major offensive of World War II. The men are demoralized and trapped, with no hope of support from the Allies as they are forced to band together and defend their position. A classically assembled war drama that nevertheless manages to be both engrossing and entertaining, Battleground is a mainstay of the genre. --Robert Lane

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: JOHNSON,VAN
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Van Johnson
• John Hodiak
• Ricardo Montalban
• George Murphy
• Marshall Thompson

Features

• Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this remarkable war film, nominated for six Oscars(R) (including Best Picture) about courageous American G.I.s caught up in the battle at Bastogne. Year: 1949Running Time: 118 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR Age: 012569675216 UPC: 012569675216 Manufacturer No: 67521

Reviews

Related posts:

1. BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire’s Edge (2004)
2. The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
3. Twelve O’Clock High (1949)

I'd go as far as saying that Destination Tokyo is one of the prime examples of your typical US wartime "propaganda" films.  Not as bad as some I've seen, but definitely right up there on the list.

The fictionalized plot goes something like this.  The submarine USS Copperfin, led by Captain Cassidy (Cary Grant), is dispatched on Christmas Eve, presumably 1942.  Its mission?  To sneak past the nets directly into Tokyo Bay, and dispatch a landing party to provide weather reports in front of a Doolittle-style carrier-based bombing run over Tokyo.  And if targets present themselves on the way out (which they do) to fire at will (which they also do.)  As a typical wartime action picture its not all that bad, really.  It doesn't have quite the submarine tension of other movies, but its not bad.

What's really curious to me about Destination Tokyo is the portrayal of the sailors on board the Copperfin.  They all seem to be a bunch of happy-go-lucky types, more or less enjoying themselves and "palling" around in a happy friendly "aw shucks" style.  Sure there's danger (cue music) and sure enough one of them is killed by a downed Japanese pilot (cue music again), one comes down with appendicitis and is operated on by the medic (cue music!)... but overall they seem to have it pretty damned good.  Just the kind of thing all those mothers, wives, fathers, and kids back home would like to think is going on.  Compared to the alternative, that is.  Right down to the decoration-filled (we are on a space-limited submarine, right?) Christmas party.

Another thing you can't help but notice is the outright fear-mongering aimed at the Japanese that's portrayed here.  Wow, is all I can say.  "There isn't even a word for love in their language."  "They're taught to fight and kill from the age of five!"  Etc., etc.  I can understand the sentiment behind such propaganda, and the culture that created it, but looking back from this day-and-age, its pretty, well, unbelievable.

In short, Destination Tokyo is a flag-waving, patriotism-inducing, feel-good, picture made for the folks back home, during a period where we needed to feel good about what we were doing.... with the above caveats of course.  And hey, its got Cary Grant in it, so it can't be all bad, right?

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035799/
Amazon: Destination Tokyo (1943)

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Destination Tokyo List Price: $4.64 Sale Price: $4.60 You save: $0.04 (1%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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World War II submarine the U.S.S. Copperfin must complete a secret mission in Japanese waters. Film is as much about the relationship between the naval men as it is about their heroic mission. John Forsythe's film debut.DVD Features:FeaturetteTheatrical Trailer

The offbeat casting of Cary Grant as a submarine captain pays off in this tense WWII underwater picture; he ably trades in his sophistication for the sweaty close quarters of an action movie. The mission? Infiltrate the mined harbor of Tokyo itself, a feat bookended by a brief confrontation in the Aleutians and a depth-charge chase through the open sea. Skipper Grant is supported by the usual stock crew of Navy melting-pot types, with John Garfield drawing duty as the resident dame-crazy fantasist. (Somebody forgot to put the saltpeter in his chow, apparently.) The solid action alternates with dialogue that tends toward the schmaltzy or jingoistic (the movie's become somewhat notorious for its unusually nasty propagandistic jabs at the Japanese enemy). Destination Tokyo was the directing debut of Delmer Daves, who would later excel in smart Westerns such as 3:10 to Yuma. --Robert Horton

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: Warner Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Cary Grant
• John Garfield
• Alan Hale
• John Ridgely

Features

• World War II submarine the U.S.S. Copperfin must complete a secret mission in Japanese waters. Film is as much about the relationship between the naval men as it is about their heroic mission. John Forsythe's film debut.Running Time: 135 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR Age: 012569573222 UPC: 012569573222 Manufacturer No: 65732

Reviews

Related posts:

1. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
2. Bombardier (1943)
3. Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
4. Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
5. Air Force (1943)

The set comes in a fairly attractive package, the black/white with gold accents is a nice addition to the shelf.  Each disc is in a slim-line case, so overall the package isn't overwhelmingly huge....  The set breaks down like this (and my review of each follows)

Disc 1: America Taken by Surprise- 1941.

This a roughly one-hour-plus long documentary on the events leading up to and including the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Actually this is a pretty good portrait of events in the Pacific before Pearl.  I'm glad to see material like this included in a "Pacific War" set.  A lot of times we're basically told that WWII in the Pacific started at Pearl, and that's simply not the case.  Everything from the rise of the Empire, their conquest of Asia, and the politics behind everything....  Excellent material.  Although it cuts between lots of photographs, actual stock footage... and plenty of scenes from the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!"  which are unmistakable....

Disc 2: Attack and Counterattack - 1941-1943, and Disc 3: Victory in the Pacific - 1944-1945

Discs 2 & 3, though, are the real gems of this set.  They're roughly 2-hrs each completely made up of US military films of the period, chronicling various battles, from Pearl all the way to Okinawa.  Context is everything here, folks, and if you don't have it you won't enjoy these.  Made for military personnel, by military personnel, presumably during the war, there's a lot of propagandistic comments.  Not that its a bad thing, its a reflection of history we need to have.

I believe at least some of these were directed by John Ford, and some of the latter ones are narrated by Ronald Reagan, others narrated by the same voice you'll hear in the Looney Tunes "travelogue" style cartoons.  I can't remember (or find!) the credit at the moment, but the voice is unmistakable.

Some of the footage on these two discs is brutal, so fair warning.  It is entirely "in the trenches" footage, and is just what you'd expect.  The sound effects that were added to these films back then can get a little tedious, with the same explosions, machine guns, and screaming aircraft... but what're you going to do?  I didn't intend to sit and watch the entire thing, rather just skip through, but I couldn't help myself.  I found them that interesting.

But...  These films stop at Okinawa.  Wha?  Read on.

Disc 4: Crucial Turning Points

At this point, the set begins to confuse me.  Disc 4 is "Crucial Turning Points" of the war.  Unfortunately, only a few of these have anything to do with the war in the Pacific at all.  There's (IIRC) a spot on Pearl, and I believe one on Iwo Jima, and finally at the end of these is a piece on the A-bomb and the Japanese surrender.  It's too bad that most of the pieces are about the war in Europe!  I didn't watch any of those, so I can't comment on them.  I'm sure that they're good pieces, just I was in for the Pacific, and, well.

I will say this:  The piece on the A-bomb and the surrender *is* quite good.  Not just a "we dropped 2 bombs and they surrendered!" bit, it goes into details surrounding the development of the bomb, the Potsdam declaration, and more.  Very educational.

Disc 5: Headline Stories of the 20th Century: World War II

I was really psyched when I saw the description of this!  I had envisioned an entire disc full of newsreels from the period from the beginning of the war through the end.  Unfortunately, here again there's a great deal of material dealing with Europe.  Doubly unfortunate is that while technically it is newsreel footage, its cut and edited with plenty of contemporary voiceovers into historical-based segments.  I admit to running out of time to really dig into these, I'll do so later.

Disc 6: Going for Broke

Here we're promised the story of the 442nd, the unit of Japanese-American soldiers who went to... Europe(!) to fight.  I'll also admit to not getting to this disc.  But.  Here again, this is dealing with the European theater, and has little to do with the Pacific campaign, other than the fact that these guys happened to be of Japanese ancestry.  Not to belittle what they did and what they went through, but as a part of a "War in the Pacific" set, I'm not sure its entirely relevant.

Conclusion?  Truthfully, I think this set it worth it alone just for the first three discs.  If you're an armchair historian / military history/film buff, definitely.  The government footage of discs 2/3 alone is worth the price of admission.  I didn't have a chance to dig into the extras on most of the discs either, except for Disc 1.  There you'll find some stories from each of the ships attacked at Pearl, which while short, are interesting.

WWII in the Pacific drops tomorrow 4/20/10, and you can likely find it anywhere you'd find sets such as these, including Amazon (aff. link below.)

Here's a taste of the type of material you'll find on discs 2/3.  I think this particular piece is on there, at least in part, if not completely.

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Reader's Digest WWII in the Pacific Box Set List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $11.48 You save: $38.51 (77%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the shores of Okinawa, this collection serves as a comprehensive time capsule which offers a perspective from the soldiers who fought it. Includes newsreels, propaganda films and rare combat footage from the Battle of Midway, the landing at Iwo Jima and more. 6 DVDs. 2010/color-b&w/12 hrs/NR/fullscreen.

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Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Questar
Original Release Date:
Actors:

Reviews

Related posts:

1. The Pacific Pt. 1 (2010)
2. The Pacific (2010)
3. HBO’s “The Pacific” Trailer
4. Hell In The Pacific (1968)
5. WWII in HD (2009)

What it is, though is a perfect example of a World War II "propaganda" movie, again, for lack of a better term.

A Bomber crew is taken captive by the Japanese after they crash land in China after the infamous Doolittle raid.  What follows in this film is their "trial" by the Japanese, witnessed by a group of international journalists.

But the entire thing is just plain ridiculous to watch.  I can't think of a good way to say it.  Everyone is caricatured in blazing stereotypes so thick you'd need an axe to get through it.  From the Japanese, to the Chinese governor and his son, to the German reporters covering the trial (who seem to be there just to cement the fact that we're dealing with Axis powers, not simply Japanese ones....)  they're all laughably over the top.

And unfortunately the same goes for our "heroes" the bomber crew.  Headed by Capt. Ross (Dana Andrews) they are so unbelievably gung-ho patriotic to the very end, that it hurts more than helps.  It also doesn't hurt the patriotic cause of the film to have our men tortured at every opportunity.  And of course, who should arrive but a Swiss delegate from the Red Cross to help bring some civility to these heathens.... sigh.

On the one hand, you've got to realize that films like this exist.  They're not inherently bad, and historically speaking they went a long way towards keeping the folks at home in that "fighting spirit" that we needed to see the thing through.  Inaccurate, overplayed, you name it, its there in spades.

On the other hand, we look back now on stuff like this with such a negative view, it almost makes me feel guilty to rail on it.  I've seen better examples, that aren't nearly as crazy.  But The Purple Heart is just so textbook in this respect I just can't help it.  Points for effort, and for "the thought that counts," but brother, tone it down a bit!

Unfortunately I can't seem to locate a clip or anything at the moment.... you'll just have to take my word for it.

Related posts:

1. Wing and a Prayer (1944)
2. Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944)
3. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
4. The Way Ahead (1944)
5. The Fighting Sullivans (1944)

It's full of that pre-Pearl Harbor optimism and enthusiasm, with just enough bite and bitterness to even it all out.  Not to mention a rare technicolor look at the world of naval aviation, and particularly, aviation medicine.  The "specialization" involved here, in my opinion, makes it even more of a classic.

Lt. Doug Lee (Errol Flynn) is a doctor in the navy, who has the unfortunate task of pronouncing the pal of pilots Blake (Fred MacMurry) and Griffin (Regis Toomey) dead after a crash of his dive bomber.  This incident pushes him into the Flight Surgeon school, where he quickly becomes the prodigy of Instructor Rogers (Ralph Bellamy).  His goal is to pursue the problems of "altitude sickness" and of blackouts under high G-forces.

Of course to become a Flight Surgeon, you must first become a pilot, and who should Lee draw as a flight instructor but Blake.  The conflict between these two, and in fact between all pilots and the flight surgeon corps, is heavy throughout.  The responsibility of the doctors to keep tabs on all the pilots vs their willingness and need to fly is made quite evident.

But where the real meat of the movie is, is the scientific endeavours.  We witness the birth of the modern flight suit, which pushes blood from the lower part of the body towards the brain during high G maneuvers to combat blackouts.  We also see some early attempts at defeating altitude sickness, with pressurization suits, and in fact fully pressurized cabins, which just didn't exist back then.  Maybe its not for everyone, but seeing the experiments and whatnot of the time was something else.

You also have to give a bit of a chuckle at the sheer amount of chain smoking going on here.  I've got nothing against it per se, especially in a picture of the time, but here it almost becomes humorous the amount of times the main characters are lighting up.  Especially when they jump out of an airplane on the tarmac that just got refueled!! Almost spit out my beer on that one.  I could imagine a rather horrific drinking game based on the amount of Lucky Strikes consumed in this picture....by doctors no less....  what? oh, yeah, the movie.

The bits with the enlisted man and his ex-wife are somewhat strange, but provide a well-placed and needed bit of comedy relief at points in the film.

Ultimately Blake and Lee come to terms with each other, and realize that they're both fighting for the same thing.  Blake's sacrifice in the name of science is an honorable tribute to the real men who lived on the edge of discovery and invention during this time.

Dive Bomber turned out to be a lot more entertaining and interesting than I had expected, and I absolutely recommend you see it if you're an aviation buff or at all into the science behind it all....

Related posts:

1. Great Guns (1941)
2. The Bomber (2011)
3. Sergeant York (1941)
4. Wings of the Navy (1939)
5. 1941 (1979)

In They Were Expendable, we get a good look at the beginnings of the Motor Torpedo Boat, basically a (very) small ship with four torpedo tubes mounted on the deck.  With the ability to get in and out of a situation very quickly, according to this film, they needed to prove their abilities before Navy brass would sign off on the idea.

They get to do just that, after running such dull and safe missions as messenger duty and shuttling officers to and from, when they are hit at the Phillipines by Japanese forces, things change.  Lt. Brickley (Robert Montgomery) finally gets his chance to show what they're made of.

Interesting is the depiction of the MTB "fleet",  as they move from location to location throughout the Pacific, taking on serious casualties and losses along the way.  The usual oh-so positive outlook on the war and the men just isn't there.  Rather there's always an air of despair and loss among them.

Even in the love story with nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed).  Usually I'm not a big fan of injecting the "love story" angle into war films, but I have to make an exception here.  Its done with a certain frankness and solemness that you usually don't see.  Especially in the final moments at Corregidor where Rusty tries desperately to reach her on the field phone.  I dunno, it just works here.  The "dinner party" is an especially interesting scene, as all in attendance realize quite obviously how silly and forced the whole thing is.

John Wayne is, well, himself.  Make no mistake, he's at the top of his game here.  Donna Reed is excellent (especially in those soft-focus closeups!) along with Montgomery as the leader of the unit.  His portrayal of the atypical officer is top notch.  The rest of the guys here have to be given credit for pulling one off as well.  From the older guys to the young replacements.  Each play their role as if they'd been there.  And odds are they had in one way or another.

But the real stars are the ships themselves.  As the Army commandeers the last one for supply duty and hauls her away by land, you kind of feel a big loss, as much so if it were one of the squad.

The last sequence is particularly moving, as the crew makes their way over land to finally evacuate Brickley and Rusty back to Washington to further expand the PT boat fleet.  The parting sequence between Brickley and Rusty and the rest of the crew is especially so.

They Were Expendable is a great tribute to PT boat crews everywhere, and in particular to the real life men on which it is based.  They Were Expendable not only referes to the men, but also the ships.  Be sure to check it out when you have the chance.

Related posts:

1. A Walk in the Sun (1945)
2. Objective, Burma (1945)
3. Keep Your Powder Dry (1945)

Based on the writings of war correspondent Richard Tregaskis, it follows a Marine squad as they set sail for Guadalcanal, and what happens to them there.

As a preview of what would be facing the Marines as they went from island to island trying to rout the Japanese from their occupation, I suppose it's worth a look.  There's a lot of "dirty Jap" talk going on, which I suppose we have to allow them to some extent.  I can't help but think (having not read the book) that the war department had a certain amount of pull regarding what made it to the screen, knowing how things were then.

Basically, they don't know what to expect.  From the seemingly empty beachhead at their landing, to the Japanese holed up in the caves, its all there.  The problem is that it all comes off as rather mechanical.  Like they're sitting there reading the book turning pages, "uh huh, OK now they have to do this..." or something.  I wish I could explain it better.  At times it gets a little monotonous, and a little silly.  Like when one of the squad takes a bullet to the belly and is back up on his feet a few days later.  I don't know about you, but that'd probably put me down a bit longer.

Anthony Quinn makes an appearance as an upcoming private, but really doesn't deliver anything spectacular.  Neither does the rest of the cast, which also leads to a bit of eye-rolling and chuckling at some of the situations.

I don't know, as a movie I wasn't too enamored with
Guadalcanal Diary.  I'll give them points for effort, for pushing something like this out so quickly into the Pacific war.  But I can't help thinking this was pushed out so early purely as a typical war-time "propaganda" film, to try and get more boys signing up for the Marines.

Related posts:

1. Air Force (1943)
2. Bombardier (1943)
3. Gung Ho! (1943)
4. Sahara (1943)
5. Air Raid Wardens (1943)

The Fighting 69th purports to be a tribute to a Father Duffy, who was a chaplain attached to the newly formed 42nd Infantry, aka "The Rainbow Division", and formerly part of the New York 69th Infantry, as the Army started getting away from the practice of having these regional divisions and moved to more mixed and diverse units.

But that's neither here nor there, as the film actually turns out to be a chronicle of the misdeeds of Plunkett, a selfish, arrogant, and quite frankly dickhead Irishman who just reeks attitude.  A role Cagney was made for?  Quite possibly, but man, I just can't take it.

His attitude and selfish unthinking nature follows him to France, where time and time again, he manages to do something either incredibly stupid or chickenshit which gets more men killed.  But enter Father Duffy, who has aims of turning Plunkett into a responsible soldier after all.

While awaiting execution after his last royal screwup which got yet more men killed, he's able to escape, but after another close call on the battlefield, he somehow gets religion and proceeds to help take out a German machine gun nest and clear the wires before himself getting killed.

I really don't know why I didn't like this film so much.  Maybe its because of Cagney, maybe its just the way the role and the story was written... but it just gets to be, well, for lack of a better word, annoying.  George Brent, Pat O'Brien and Alan Hale are decent.  And for some reason we are introduced to Poet turned Sergeant Joyce Kilmer (Jeffrey Lynn)... who Plunkett manages to get killed as well, only adding to the weight of his F---ups.

And then at the end there's this big tribute to Father Duffy.  A noble sentiment, but I really can't see how it all comes together.  I mean, Plunkett's screwups far outweigh his final "heroic" act in my book, and I... well, I just thought it was lame.  Is it supposed to be funny? It's not.  Is it supposed to instill some sort of patriotic feelings? It doesn't.

On the bright side, the DVD for The Fighting 69th has a great set of "before the film" extras, which I actually enjoyed more.  Such as the trailer for the Edward G. Robinson and Bogart film "Brother Orchid", a newsreel "London Can Take It" (which was a little too optimistic for my tastes), a great cheeseball government short encouraging young folks to get into the aviation field, and of course a cartoon, this time "Pilgrim Porky."  Too bad things went downhill once the opening credits rolled.

The Fighting 69th just left a sour taste in my mouth, and me scratching my noggin.

Related posts:

1. The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
2. The Great Dictator (1940)
3. The Long Voyage Home (1940)