To the Shores of Tripoli

The plot of "To the Shores of Tripoli" is very, very similar to the very popular "Buck Privates" starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. But, unlike this film from the year before, "To the Shores of Tripoli" is not meant to be a comedy. Like the earlier film, this one starts with an obnoxious and self-assured brat of a man (John Payne) walking into the Marine base--assuming because of his connections that he will be accorded special privileges. But, like the other film, his father goes behind his back and insists that his son needs character building and NO exceptions or special favors should be granted to him. And, like "Buck Privates", the brat manages to make a nuisance of himself until, ultimately, he finds redemption. In the interim, he relentlessly chases a pretty nurse (Maureen O'Hara), tangles repeatedly with his Sergeant and makes a few friends--then alienates them with his boorish attitude.

Overall, the film looks great. It's filmed in full color--the sort of intense 1940s color that doesn't quite look real, but is better in some ways than real life! The acting is excellent (with Payne, O'Hara and Randolph Scott) and there is a nice group of actors who play the recruits such as Harry Morgan (in his first film), "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom and William Tracy (famous for his Sergeant Doubleday films with Hal Roach). As for the story, it's very predictable and formulaic throughout, but it's well-made formula! Mindless but very enjoyable wartime propaganda that must have done a lot to bolster the public behind the war effort.

To the Shores of Tripoli is the kind of movie that I generally don't care for. The title may conjure images of Marines fighting and dying on some foreign shore, but you won't find that here. Instead you'll find a flag-waving recruitment film that makes Marine basic training look like a trip to summer camp. The movie makes it seem that the entire eight week training is made up of little more than marching and doing drills in a parking lot. And when these guys aren't in the parking lot, they're pulling pranks and wooing nurses they've been told to leave alone. Abbott and Costello's Buck Privates has more in the way of military realism than To the Shores of Tripoli.

Yet despite all its shortcomings, forced patriotism, and light as air plot, I enjoyed To the Shores of Tripoli. I was somehow able to put my brain on hold and go along for the ride. It's harmless, good-natured fun. Most of my enjoyment probably comes from the three main leads. John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, and Randolph Scott do a solid job with what they're given to work with. Much of the comedy works, particularly the hospital scene where Payne fakes an injury to be near O'Hara. And, To the Shores of Tripoli has an innocence to it that you don't find in movies anymore that I find appealing.

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

PEARL HARBOR seems to have borrowed elements of its plotline from TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI--only this time the cocky hero with plenty of attitude is JOHN PAYNE and the Navy nurse he falls in love with is MAUREEN O'HARA. The scene where she gets even with him in the dispensary is reminiscent of the much more graphic event in PEARL HARBOR's early courtship scene.

Anyway, as patriotic flag-waving recruitment films go, this one is typical of what the public clamored for during World War II. I'm sure the stirring drill scenes and dress parade moments, combined with stirring soundtrack music, were geared to get marine enlistments into high gear. And maybe they succeeded.

Having put in some military years at the San Diego Naval base, much of the background looks achingly familiar to me. All of the location scenes at the military base have the requisite real flavor while the story itself is the timeless cliche about the spoiled rich boy who is given the rough treatment by a sergeant who wants to turn him into a tough marine. Naturally the over confident military brat becomes a hero in time to rescue his sergeant during a mine sweeping operation--and in time to ensure a happy ending for his romance with nurse O'Hara.

JOHN PAYNE is at his best as the cocky young marine, his left eyebrow getting its usual workout as he seeks to outmanouver everyone in his path. He also gets to show off his splendid physique in the scene where hot-tempered O'Hara plays a dirty trick on him. RANDOLPH SCOTT is excellent as the drill sergeant and others in the cast are up to par--including NANCY KELLY in a rather thankless assignment as "the other woman".

MAUREEN O'HARA is stunning in technicolor but, as usual, has virtually little to do aside from looking gorgeous in a number of close-ups. Her role is typical of the many innocuous cardboard heroines she had to play in the '40s.

Summing up: Nice marine recruitment film, if a bit obvious in its patriotism.