Wednesday, September 14, 2011

You're in the Navy Now (1951)




Director: Henry Hathaway

Starring: Gary Cooper, Jane Greer, Millard Mitchell, Eddie Albert, John McIntire, Ray Collins, Harry von Zell, Jack Webb, Richard Erdman, Harvey Lembeck, Henry Slate, Ed Begley, CHRLES "BADASS" BRONSON, Lee Marvin, Jack Warden

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Hilarious Comedy About A Snafu Ship!

Plot: When Lt. John Harknesshe, a 90 day wonder with an engineering degree, is assigned as the new skipper of submarine chaser equipped with an experimental steam engine, he hopes that the U.S.S. Teakettle's veterans will afford him enough help to accomplish the ship's goals. Unfortunately he finds the crew and its officers share his novice status or only have experience in diesel engines.



My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again? Sir, No, Sir! Once is fine.

#1 on Project: Badass Charles Bronson

BRONSON'S AGE: 30
LEVEL OF BADASSICITY (10 being the highest): 6

Well, well, well. I've seen it. This picture is notable because it marks the unleashing of the greatest actor of all time, Badass Charles Bronson! He's young, strong and full of beans. He plays a seaman on a test ship that gets chosen to represent their honor in a boxing match with another ship. He's a great street fighter but he needs to learn to box. There's an accident in the engine room and he ends up breaking some ribs the day of the fight causing him to sit it out. Naturally, Bronson could have still kicked the guy's ass but the Navy doctor forces him to stay in bed, not realizing the only thing that can keep Bronson in bed would be a female doctor.


Anyway, that's the biggest reason to watch this picture. It's loaded with other young faces like Eddie Albert, Jack Webb, Jack Warden and Lee Marvin! Lee Marvin? What the hell? It's his film debut, too! And it's Jack Warden's second? Cool!


For a film debut, Bronson's got a couple of scenes with more dialogue than you would expect. Here's the first one:



The movie's not bad at all. It's a comedy but don't expect it to be loaded with laughs. There are a few moments but it's worth watching just for the cast and that it's Bronson & Marvin's film debut. They would work together, theatrically, the next year in DIPLOMATIC COURIER (1952) and later in THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and DEATH HUNT (1981).



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