The Navy Comes Through

Wartime film. And the ships at pearl harbor had just been bombed by japan. When equipment failure leads to the deaths of several sailors, chief mallory blames lieutenant sands for not repairing it correctly. And it's even more complicated, since sands is dating mallory's sister. (jane wyatt, probably best known for "lost horizon". ) now sands must prove his worth, not just to chief mallory, but to all the sailors on the ship. Some big names... pat o'brien, george murphy. A 25 year old desi arnaz. He even sings! In between the fights and arguments going onboard, they fight some battles! It's pretty good. The usual bravado, found in a war time film about the military. Nominated for best special effects. Directed by ed sutherland. Had started in the silents. And he really was married to marjorie daw, just like the kid's song. But her birth name was actually margaret house! O'brien and murphy also made "wonderful crime" together a couple years later.

Before the Village People popularized the United States Navy with their song "In The Navy" this aquatic based branch of the armed forces was featured in many a Hollywood film during World War Two. "The Navy Comes Through" is one of those films and it features Pat O'Brien and George Murphy who are at odds with each other as they head out to sea as part of a gunnery crew to sink Nazi vessels. The overall theme to the film is a common one to WW II era war movies. A group of men with disparate backgrounds (in this case an Austrian-American, Ricky Ricardo, the ubiquitous guy from Brooklyn, and the boy who will become a man once he has seen some action) are thrown together to stick it to the Nazis. The idea is that America, the land of the melting- pot, can prevail over totalitarianism as long as everyone is willing to pull together. During the movie O'Brien's acting style is consistently blunt. The interior of the German subs are enormous. The action is well paced, and in the end the Navy really does comes through.

This pretty good propaganda programmer has officer George Murphy fouling up, being busted out and reenlisting as a common sailor, where he runs into Pat O'Brien and Jane Wyatt, Murphy's ex-fiancée and O'Brien's sister.

It's interesting to watch the two stock Irishmen play off of each other, each in their usual registers: Murphy easy-going and O'Brien in his bulldog mode. The story also takes some interesting and unexpected turns that raise it above the usual level of flag waving propaganda. Somehow a Viennese violist and Desi Arnaz wind up in the crew for some comic relief *and* plot purposes.

RKO's technical department, the equal of any in the business, came up with a new machine to simulate the effects of horizon on the sea. Looks pretty good.

A Bit Below Average as these Propaganda Pictures Go. Pat O'Brien is a Stiff Actor and He Plays a Stiff here with an Ultra-Sombre Display of Deadpan. George Murphy Fairs Better and Manages to Bring Along Some Gravitas as a Former Naval Officer Court Martialed Before the War.

After Pearl Harbor He Re-Enlists as an Enlisted Man and has More Trials Convincing O'Brien He is a Worthy Salt and Deserving of His Respect and His Sister. Betty White is the Love Interest and the Sister, and Manages to Show Up at Sea so Things can be Set Straight.

It's Rather a Mess of Flag Waving and Stereotypes with Cartoon Characters, like the Brooklyn Boy who "Loves Dem Bums", and Ricky Ricardo, Before Lucy, as a Cuban Come Aboard for the Melting Pot Plot.

The Movie's Redeemed in the Final Act with some Rah-Rah Action and is Exciting, but Highly Inaccurate. Accuracy doesn't Mean a Hill of Beans in this Type of Formulaic Patriotism. These Movies were Made to Boost Morale and Get the Boys to Enlist and the Homefront on Board. If this One Succeeded More Power to it. Not Much of a Movie Though.

It's 1940. Navy Lieutenant Tom Sands (George Murphy) resigns his commission after a gun turret accident. He also breaks up with girlfriend Myra Mallory (Jane Wyatt). Her brother Chief Gunner's Mate Mike Mallory (Pat O'Brien) never liked him anyways. After Pearl Harbor, Myra becomes a nurse and Tom rejoins the Navy as an enlisted man. By chance, he joins an international crew on an old freighter under the command of Mike Mallory.

First, the inciting incident needs to be shown before he's put on trial. It needs to show his goodness being unfairly attacked. The movie needs a better setup. After that, it's a lot of coincidences and melodramatic turns. At least, it's a heroic melodrama which was probably what the audience was looking for during those dark times. Otherwise, the movie isn't that good. It does fit its times.