Watching this film, which was a legendary Broadway play and a success in London before it, it's hard to see what 1950's audiences saw in it. Of course those audiences would have lived through World War II, so maybe their opinion should count for more. But the comic exploits of the crew of this supply ship, (called the 'Reluctant' - why would the Navy call on of its ships that?), seem totally unrealistic and unfunny to me, in 2023.
Ensign Pulver puts marbles in the ceiling of the Captain's quarters to keep him awake at night. He sets off an overstuffed firecracker in the laundry, filling the ship with soapsuds. While on leave, the crew gets into a massive brawl that puts numerous members of the Army in the hospital and invades the territorial governor's mansion, thinking it's a brothel. They get the ship banned from the harbor. Could these guys possibly get away with this stuff today - or back then?
Comparisons have been made to 'The Caine Mutiny', also a novel and a play before it came out the previous year. It also depicts a rebellion against a commanding officer, (played by James Cagney's old antagonist in Warner's 1930's gangster films, Humprey Bogart). But that film doesn't show the lack of respect for the Navy that this film does and Bogart's Captain Queeg is shown as an honorable man suffering from battle fatigue who has lost his moorings. Cagney's Morton is a little dictator of the sort that probably had a lot of commands during the way. The men would have had to adjust to him and likely would have.
The tragic ending never gets this story back on course and the joys of watching four movie icon, (Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and icon to be Jack Lemmon), aren't enough to save this sinking ship.
Ensign Pulver puts marbles in the ceiling of the Captain's quarters to keep him awake at night. He sets off an overstuffed firecracker in the laundry, filling the ship with soapsuds. While on leave, the crew gets into a massive brawl that puts numerous members of the Army in the hospital and invades the territorial governor's mansion, thinking it's a brothel. They get the ship banned from the harbor. Could these guys possibly get away with this stuff today - or back then?
Comparisons have been made to 'The Caine Mutiny', also a novel and a play before it came out the previous year. It also depicts a rebellion against a commanding officer, (played by James Cagney's old antagonist in Warner's 1930's gangster films, Humprey Bogart). But that film doesn't show the lack of respect for the Navy that this film does and Bogart's Captain Queeg is shown as an honorable man suffering from battle fatigue who has lost his moorings. Cagney's Morton is a little dictator of the sort that probably had a lot of commands during the way. The men would have had to adjust to him and likely would have.
The tragic ending never gets this story back on course and the joys of watching four movie icon, (Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and icon to be Jack Lemmon), aren't enough to save this sinking ship.