After WHAT PRICE GLORY/’26 took off at the box-office, dramedies about two service buds, rivals in love & war, went from popular to ubiquitous. Even little Columbia Studios got in on the action with this big budget ship-to-shore story of navy diver Jack Holt & shipmate/BFF Ralph Graves. Rough hewn Holt has a beef, though, he always loses his gal-of-the-moment to his handsome, younger pal. So, when a new assignment splits the boys up, Holt falls for, then quickly marries, dance hall hostess Dorothy Revier. But even without Graves around, Revier soon grows bored with domestic life, and takes advantage of Holt’s absence at sea to hit her old club, hooking up with (of all people) Graves. He’s in town to see his old pal and is unaware of any connection. But when Holt returns, all is revealed at a glance. Pals no more, Holt won’t even don his old diving suit to rescue Graves (and crew) when their sub goes down. Yikes! A big break for director Frank Capra after a year of light programmers @ Columbia, studio head Harry Cohn moved him up to replace failing vet megger Irwin Willat. The film ‘made’ Capra; deservedly so. Smartly paced, wonderfully shot by Joseph Walker, with lots of free production value from cooperating Navy ships & sailors; plus clever use of fish tanks and toy subs as needed. Supposedly, Holt is covered in one shot by a deep-sea diving figure Capra fished out of a drugstore novelty machine for a nickle. Great characterizations all thru, the death watch as they run out of oxygen still effective. Originally shown with Columbia’s first synched music & effects soundtrack, even fired director Willat had to admit, ‘it’s a hell of a picture.’
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Unusually misogynist even as service buddy/buddy pics go, with Revier’s character perfectly willing to let Graves & crew perish at the bottom of the sea rather than admit her guilt and Graves’ innocence in the affair. Dames!
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Capra got his real Hollywood start working for comedy mogul Hal Roach as a ‘gag man,’ specializing in ‘toppers,’ the final extra spin to a physical joke. A good example of the form seen here when Graves lights up inside the sub; is chastised by the Captain who grabs the cigarette, turns his back and takes a mighty drag before tossing it on a tray. And the topper: a punk sailor picks it up off the tray to finish.
DOUBLE-BILL: The Holt/Graves rivalry continued in the air with FLIGHT/’29 and DIRIGIBLE/’31.
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