Selten so gelacht

Jack Lemmon, two years after winning an Oscar for "Mister Roberts," stars in the tale of Army hijinks just after the end of WWII somewhere in France. It's amazing to watch just how much influence he has and he's not even a superior officer. He's trying to organize a ball for the men before they get back to the states. For many, it may seem like why should we care. But, for those who are patient, it does get better as it goes along. Mickey Rooney shows up in the second half, who always is a "ball" waiting to happen. It may not be Lemmon's best material, but costarring Ernie Kovacs, Dick York, and Arthur O'Connell, it deserves to be seen more often.

I loved this movie! A wonderful cast and very funny. Mickey Rooney was a riot, and Ernie Kovacs was a treasure, too bad there aren't more places to see him. The words 'comic genius' are tossed around excessively these days, but he was the genuine article. Jack Lemmon, as the young and proper private, was funny in the Lemmonish way we've come to love, and several others, just beginning their careers in the movies, are interesting to watch. I've been trying to find this movie to rent, but apparently it's not been released. I wonder why not. It could be considered a classic comedy of the post-World-War-II era. If there is information about this issue, it could be posted on this board, so those seeking to view the film would know that it is unavailable at this time.

Operation Mad Ball is a peculiar combination of MASH and McHale's Navy, taking some of the best elements of both tried and true military service comedies. Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs are a pair of beautifully matched antagonists.

It's France after VE Day and our army is just an army of occupation now and awaiting orders either for home or may be the Pacific Theater. Jack Lemmon would like to throw a big blowout for everyone before they all separate. But the killjoy of the proceedings is Ernie Kovacs who is a petty martinet and constantly getting in the way of all Lemmon's schemes the way Captain Binghamton used to do with Lieutenant Commander McHale. And sad to say he doesn't have an island at his disposal where he could ship McHale off to the way Joe Flynn exiled Ernie Borgnine and the rest of his PT Crew.

There's a little bit of Frank Burns on Kovacs's character as well as he tries to do things the military way while the commanding officer Arthur O'Connell is a doctor who just wants to run a hospital. See what happens at the beginning when Kovacs tries to court martial Lemmon and how O'Connell just gets out of it.

But the main problem is getting the party together without Kovacs finding out about it. Lemmon is nothing if not resourceful and his main problems is getting women for the party. What's a party without them, but the only women available are the nurses and the army's seen fit to commission them bringing in that pesky no fraternization rule. That in fact is what almost got Lemmon that court martial as Kovacs thought he was getting to familiar with Kathryn Grant. After all that was territory he had staked out and no enlisted man was going to move in on him.

Look for a nice performance by Mickey Rooney in the small role of a human encyclopedia running a port facility, a key guy in Lemmon's plans. And you haven't lived until you've heard an extremely bad version of In The Mood done on harmonica and ocarina. Good thing Glenn Miller had died before listening to this.

Operation Mad Ball sad to say is too little seen these days. It's a great introduction to those who want to study the comedic art of Jack Lemmon. Try not to miss it when broadcast.

This was a screw ball comedy set within an American Army base with a hospital where the female nurses outrank the enlisted men, which plays havoc on the dating opportunities. Our hero, Private Hogan (Jack Lemmon), has an idea. He approaches a local French business woman and they strike a deal...if he and his men repair her establishment to its pre-war state, they can throw a ball for the service men and nurses there.

This becomes a crazy event where everyone is pulling together to make it happen under the radar of Captain Paul Lock (Ernie Kovacs) and then counter to Colonel Rousch's (Arthur O'Connell) plan to have his own nightclub up and running for a visit from his brother.

Lots of the usual running around by Jack Lemon and an odd romance with nurse Lt. Betty Bixby (Kathryn Grant). It was fun to see Dick York as young Corporal Bohun and the best appearance was the high energy quirky jive talking Mickey Rooney as Master Sergeant Yancy Skibo, who really pulls through for the gang in the end.

And then there is the ball, which besides Mickey Rooney is the best part of this film.

I have seen better films by all of these comedic actors, especially Jack Lemmon, which keeps this off my recommendation list unless you are collecting post WWII comedies. For me it is in the didn't hate it, but didn't love it category.

Reading these reviews were spot on while being simultaneously disconcerting. Other movies were mentioned that had influence on this one, but didn't Operation Mad Ball remind anybody besides me of Hogan's Heroes? And I'm not referencing the fact that Jack Lemmon's character was named Hogan, although this might have been the basis for the TV title.

Although the circumstances aren't quite the same (albeit they are both set in WWII), some of the dialog is exactly as I remember from the TV show. Even the sight gags and the situations are similar. Only things lacking are the Germans and the teapot.

It's a fun movie and well worth watching. I've never seen it before and just can't help comparing it to Hogan's Heroes. Mickey Rooney is a hoot!