Navy Blues (1941 film)
| 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 | Jerry Wald Jack Saper (associate producers) |
| Starring | Ann Sheridan Jack Oakie Martha Raye Jack Haley Navy Blues Sextet Herbert Anderson Jack Carson Jackie C. Gleason |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio, A.S.C. dance sequences: Sol Polito, A.S.C. James Wong Howe, A.S.C. |
| Edited by | Rudi Fehr |
| Music by | Arthur Schwartz Johnny Mercer (music and lyrics) Leo F. Forbstein (musical director) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $929,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,826,000[1] |
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 and Jackie Gleason (billed as "Jackie C. Gleason" in his screen debut). The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 13, 1941.[2][3]
Plot
"Honolulu ...where "Aloha" means goodbye, and "Shore Leave" means trouble..."
Margie Jordan and her friend Lilibelle Bolton arrive in Honolulu, 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
- Ann Sheridan as Margie Jordan
- Jack Oakie as Cake O'Hara
- Martha Raye as Lilibelle Bolton
- Jack Haley as Powerhouse Bolton
- Herbert Anderson as Homer Matthews
- Jack Carson as "Buttons" Johnson
- Jackie C. Gleason as Tubby
- William T. Orr as Mac
- Richard Lane as "Rocky" Anderson
- John Ridgely as Jersey
- Katharine Aldridge
- Georgia Carroll
- Marguerite Chapman
- Peggy Diggins
- Loraine Gettman
- Claire James as Navy Blues Sextet
Production
Johnny 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
According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,243,000 in the U.S. and $583,000 elsewhere.[1]
References
- ^ 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". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. 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
- Navy Blues at IMDb
- Navy Blues at the TCM Movie Database
- Navy Blues at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films