Here Comes the Navy

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Audience Member Jimmy Cagney is a high metal man who gets into a brawl with Naval Petty Officer Pat O'Brien. In pursuit of his grudge, Cagney joins the Navy, where he is a self-centered guy, but makes friends with Frank McHugh. He also charms Gloria Stuart, who tries to civilize him. She turns out to be O'Brien's sister. In other words, same old same old when it comes to plot, just the sort of movie that William Haines started in for Metro in the 1920s; Cagney is a low-class guy, although just as cocky as Haines ever was. He's in high-energy mode here, and Naval cooperation gives this one some documentary interest. Cagney, O'Brien and McHugh are assigned to the USS Arizona, and there's ample footage of that ship, now under the waves at Pearl Harbor. Later, Cagney is assigned to the USS Macon, one of the two largest dirigibles commissioned by the Navy. The year after this movie was made, the airship crashed into the Pacific, with the loss of two men. Although this is pretty much a standard movie, its production values are first-rate, and alloys Bacon gets good performances out of his actors. Arthur Edeson's cinematography and his views of the Macon and her hangar are lovely. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review steve d A lame story-less mess. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Lazily thrown together and clearly made purely to earn a quick buck during the Great Depression there is a real lack of heart behind this film as although James Cagney lights up the screen he can do little with a weak screenplay. This was the first film he made after the introduction of the Motion Picture Production Code and with the new restrictions there is none of the devilish exuberance of The Public Enemy (1931). It was a painful experience to watch such a powerful performer be neutered by new administration and it is hard to see how this trash could have come out at the same time as a wonderful film like It Happened One Night (1934). There was no humor or romance to the film and so it ended up being a series of ‘cute' scenes in search of a plot. Take one scene in which Cagney chases around a young Gloria Stuart, playing his love interest, and the two attempt to build up witty banter. Their dynamic seemed similar to that which would exist between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man (1952) but Cagney and Stuart did not have their chemistry and there was not a moment or a single line of dialogue that felt authentic. Their relationship should have been the emotional heart of the film and it should have provided a bit of a laugh as the two fight while hiding their attraction but it failed on both accounts. Perhaps we needed more time with them as they seem to jump wildly between scenes from hating one another to being totally in love. It felt like scenes in between had been cut or just never written as the filmmakers expected us to fill in the blanks and care about the characters without them doing any of the work to make us care. I enjoy movie romances, as preposterous as they can get, but this one just never worked for me and that left me not caring about what happened in the rest of the film. The cinematography was unremarkable as the film looked like most of this era and was oddly gloomy for a film so light in tone. In terms of technical construction director Lloyd Bacon really could have done more to make the film stand out but as it is the film is forgotten by the wider public while Cagney's better vehicles remain beloved. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Taking into consideration the period that this film was shot in, this movie is surprisingly effective. Cagney plays rough-around-the-edges, blue-collar joe turned naval officer 'Chesty O Conner' bent on exacting revenge on snooty, stoic commanding officer Pat O'Brien after a ballroom brawl. The banter between Cagney and O'Brien is surprisingly fresh and creative. Unfortunately--and my one criticism of the film--Chesty never quite becomes the officer and gentleman we hope we will mature into. Still, Cagney--who could sing, dance and act (and do all three quite well I might add)--gives a great performance nonetheless. It's worth a watch. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member James Cagney is wasted in this role as a reluctant navyman who gives us his far more interesting life to become a pawn in the U.S. military. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member first pairing of o'brien & cagney who went 2b life long friends. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Here Comes the Navy

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