Navy Blues is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay, Arthur T. Horman and Sam Perrin. The film stars Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, Martha Raye, Jack Haley, Herbert Anderson, Jack Carson, Jackie Gleason (in his screen debut) and William T. Orr. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 13, 1941.[2][3]
| Navy Blues | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lloyd Bacon |
| Screenplay by | Jerry Wald Richard Macaulay Arthur T. Horman Sam Perrin |
| Story by | Arthur T. Horman |
| Produced by | Jack Saper Jerry Wald |
| Starring | Ann Sheridan Jack Oakie Jack Haley Herbert Anderson Martha Raye Jackie Gleason William T. Orr |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio James Wong Howe Sol Polito |
| Edited by | Rudi Fehr |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $929,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,826,000[1] |
Plot
editMargie Jordan and her friend Lilibelle Bolton arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii, much to the surprise of Lillibelle's former husband, Powerhouse Bolton, a sailor who is behind on the alimony he owes her.
In need of money, Powerhouse and his shipmate Cake O'Hara come up with a scheme. Learning that the crew is about to include Homer Matthews, a marksman, they make bets with practically everybody aboard on how a shooting competition will turn out. They are then stunned when it turns out Homer's going home, his service hitch being up before the contest.
Although he misses the family farm, Homer falls in love with Margie and wants to marry her but Powerhouse and Cake fib to him that Margie's only interested in his shooting skill. Homer re-enlists, wins the contest and wins Margie, too, while Lilibelle grabs the prize money before Powerhouse can.
Cast
edit- Ann Sheridan as Marge Jordan
- Jack Oakie as Cake O'Hara
- Jack Haley as Powerhouse Bolton
- Herbert Anderson as Homer Matthews
- Martha Raye as Lilibelle Bolton
- Jack Carson as 'Buttons' Johnson
- Jackie Gleason as Tubby
- William T. Orr as Mac
- Richard Lane as 'Rocky' Anderson
- John Ridgely as Jersey
- Kay Aldridge as Navy Blues Sextette Member
- Georgia Carroll as Navy Blues Sextette Member
- Marguerite Chapman as Navy Blues Sextette Member
- Peggy Diggins as Navy Blues Sextette Member
- Leslie Brooks as Navy Blues Sextette Member
- Claire James as Navy Blues Sextette Member
Production
editJohnny Mercer wrote the song "Strip Polka" for use in the film, but film censor Joseph Breen objected to the moral tone of the lyrics, so the song was not used.[4][5][6]
Box office
editAccording to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,243,000 in the U.S. and $583,000 elsewhere.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 22 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
- ^ "Navy Blues (1941) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (1941-09-20). "Movie Review - - ' Navy Blues,' Warners Musical, Is Warped Into the Strand - 'General Suvorov' at the Stanley". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
- ^ Eskew, Glenn T. (2013-11-15). Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3330-4.
- ^ Zimmers, Tighe E. (2021-05-07). That's Entertainment: A Biography of Broadway Composer Arthur Schwartz. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7881-8.
- ^ Mercer, Johnny; Kimball, Robert; Day, Barry; Kreuger, Miles; Davis, Eric (2009-10-20). The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-26519-7.
External links
edit- Navy Blues at IMDb
- Navy Blues at AllMovie
- Navy Blues at the TCM Movie Database
- Navy Blues at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films