Two acts' worth of blustery pre-war Military Service Comedy, for serviceable long-time M-G-M star Wallace Beery, makes an unlikely turn to the deadly serious in a post-Pearl Harbor third act with unexpectedly impressive action chops. The resulting film is schizophrenic, ridiculous & fascinating. Berry, long relegated to B-pics, gets a lux production here: Techni-Color, a class supporting cast, major battle scenes (tanks, planes, explosions, the works). Even a bridge to blow up. Yet the first two-thirds are all wheezy comic tropes as Sgt. Berry, a 30-yr vet who’s never seen battle, trains his last Marine Newbies & Filipino volunteers before retirement and the tricky adjustment to ‘civie’ life with wife Fay Bainter, daughter & suitor (Marilyn Maxwell; William Lundigan) and his peace-loving neighbors. But when the ‘Japs’ come ashore, and the Fifth Columnists come out of hiding, suddenly Berry’s military know-how & discipline come into play. Battle-tested, at last. The effect is weird, and also a little thrilling under journeyman director S. Sylvan Simon, who shows real aptitude for battle logistics & clarifying shot lists. (Or is it the Second-Unit?) And notice how they find a nice spot for Key Luke as a marine boxer (along with a lot of Filipino kids) to help differentiate between ‘good Asians’ and enemy ‘Japs.’
DOUBLE-BILL: John Ford covers this ground from a serious angle in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE/’45. (And manages to play the Marine Anthem - ‘From the Halls of Montezuma’ - only occasionally. Here, it’s the ONLY tune.)
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