To the Shores of Tripoli

This plot of this film- selfish rich boy joins the armed forces and by turns is converted into a red-blooded selfless team player- is often called cliche'. However, you have to bear in mind that it wasn't at the time it was made; It was one of the genre of plots that became cliche' latter (In fact, it is basically a color remake of "I Wanted Wings"...a much better film IMHO... substituting the Marines for the Air Corps.)

But what it does have is a great cast, great production values and the distinction of the first pairing the lovely Maureen O'Hara, stunning in beautiful early Technicolor, and John Payne. Arguably this is one of the great, if minor, pairings of the 40's ("Sentimental Journey", "Miracle on 34th Street", etc.) that culminated in a return to the Marine/Tripoli theme: In 1950 the pair would almost single-handedly capture the city in "Tripoli".

Is it great cinema? Nah...but it's a fun picture to watch for buffs.

Stepping into the hero/heel part that Tyrone Power specialized in while at 20th Century Fox is John Payne as the spoiled kid of a former Marine officer, Minor Watson. Payne's hoping to get out of the Marines for a nice desk job in Washington, DC, but Watson's hoping that his former sergeant Randolph Scott, now a drill instructor will give Payne the necessary attitude adjustment.

Payne's getting an attitude adjustment in another direction too. He's fallen for pretty nurse Maureen O'Hara even though he's got Washington society girl Nancy Kelly pulling strings for him.

The part is such a perfect one for Tyrone Power that I'm sure it was offered to him and rejected and given to Payne who was hired by Darryl Zanuck because of his resemblance to Power and the fact he could sing opposite Alice Faye and Betty Grable. Power did similar roles in A Yank in the Raf and Crash Dive and in fact did serve in the Marines in the South Pacific after 1943.

The film was shot on location at the San Diego Marine training station and I visited San Diego a few years back and some of it looks pretty much the same. Harry Morgan made his feature film debut and if you look close you'll see that another one of the Marine recruits is the Skipper himself, Alan Hale, Jr.

To the Shores of Tripoli is badly dated and doesn't play real well against today's attitudes. Still it's a great example of a World War II propaganda piece.

Warlike patriotic movie in the guise of drama, in which a smarmy playboy, : John Payne, goes into a Boot Camp, but he comes across a tough and strict Sergeant : Randolph Scott, who results to be his father's old friend. The handsome playboy is transformed into a Marine in boot camp thanks the rigid Sergeant. Along the way he falls in love for the Nurses Chief : delicious Maureen O'Hara in this story of life in a Marine training camp, previous Pearl Harbor bombing by Japanese. Here a Sergeant takes bath after bath of recruits through training and we are meant to feel his frustration seeing his sometimes harsh approach to the men, while fully appreciating that he is the man for the job.

It is set on location in San Diego Marines base , California, and it is dedicated to the brave Marines Corps who were trapped and besieged by Japanese army in the island of Wake, Pacific Ocean Compared to the likes of "Full Metal Jacket" with Lee R. Ermey as a two-fisted sergeant , it is all rather mild, and there is never any questioning of the righteousness of America's fighting men as a force for good. Providing a lot of patriotism and liberal sympathies extending to make the military service a total pride, and especially at its final full of military parades and jingoist songs. Film title is not to be confused with Tripoli 1951 a period pirate adventure which also performed John Payne and Maureen O'Hara . In fact the title comes from the Marine Corps in their first war feat attacked pirates in Tripoli, Libya. Star Randolph Scott is specialised in taking authoritarian types and give them more light and shade that the script sometimes allows. This was one of his last non-westerns characters as a rival for the true starring, John Payne. Here the good-looking John Payne is fine as a real seducer . Payne was a well-known actor of the Forties and Fifties, playing important films as Miracle on 3th street , Silver Lode, Slightly Scarlet , though, nowadays he is really forgotten. As John Payne acted in all kinds of genres as Western, Film Noir, musical and dramas, such as : Dodsworth, Hats off , Tin Pan alley, Weekend in Habana, The great American broadcast , Springtime in the Rockies, Iceland, The razor's edge, Kansas City confidential, Hello Frisco hello, The Dolly sisters, College swing, Footlight serenade, and Tennessee's partners. Trio protagonists : Randolph Scott, John Payne, Maureen O'Hara are well accompanied by a pretty good support cast, such as :Nancy Kelly who delivers additional gorgeous decoration, Henry -Harry-Morgan in his first screen role as a likeable Private, William Tracy, Minor Watson, Alan Hale Jr, Russell Hicks, and a very secondary role for Hillary Brooke, among others.

Shot in colorful and vivid Technicolor by Hollywood's three best cameramen as William Skall, Harry Jackson, Edward Cronjager. As well as sensitive and moving musical score by classy composer Alfred Newman, adding several patriotic songs. The ordinary screenplay with usual elements from recruitment and Privates training from the prestigious Lamar Trotti. Lavishly produced by Milton Sperling and powerful producer Darryl F Zanuck, the motion picture was professionally directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, though with no originality and it turns out to be a little corny and dated. Rating : 5/10. Average but passablr

Darryl Zanuck personally signed his name to this seminal, jaw-droppingly glamourous war movie full as leading lady Maureen O'Hara put it, of "unfurling flags, marching men, and martial music" and "credited with more new enlistments in the United States Marine Corps than any other promotional campaign that year". Shot at San Diego Marine Base, it also represents a key moment in film history as Miss O'Hara's first Technicolor production, for which she'd been becomingly transformed into a brunette.

While it was in production (SPOILER COMING:) Pearl Harbor was bombed (a moment when according to the movies every single American simultaneously had their radios on when the news first hit the airwaves); cue the outrageous super-patriotic climax when John Payne finally puts his love-life on hold the better to head for the Pacific.

Hirohito and Tojo probably never saw it; but Dr Goebbels probably needed oxygen after seeing this one!

While the story line is only so-so, the list of stars is quite impressive. The really special part of this movie is the exposure that the Marines in San Diego had to so many of the stars of the day. My father's unit (he was a DI) was used to film the movie. When you see Randolph Scott drilling his men, the close-ups are of Mr. Scott - the far off shots are of my father. My father also appears as an extra in other shots - the most noticeable being the scene where the men are all sitting in the bleachers. The really memorable aspect (and hopefully not TOO sentimental) of all this centers around the fact that this is the only record I have of my father in a "moving picture" (He died in 1952 when I was 3 years old, and the only pictures I have of him are still shots).

Additionally, I fondly remember a large autographed picture by Randolph Scott inscribed to my father and the men in the unit - sitting in front of the men are Mr. Scott and my father, both wearing their round DI hats. This picture was also very special to all of us children. Therefore, this movie, while never going down as one of the great ones, will always have a very special place in my heart. It also gives me a better appreciation of movie "extras" and makes me wonder, "who are they and whatever happened to them"!