About Face

I love this movie. It has everything a musical/comedy needs. After all these years I can still hear the songs and see the cast singing and playing the instruments. Joel Gray looks like a young boy in this movie. It might even have been his first role in a movie. As a child I watched this movie over and over again on the Million Dollar Movie in New York. They would play the movie all day long over and over again for a full week. I never got tired of it!

This film is not bad, but a washed out version of "BROTHER RAT" (1938) that starred Ronald Reagan, Eddie Alber and Wayne Morris, three "rats" who are enrolled at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), a real place. There are never any freshmen at VMI, they are deemed "rats", and the bond between them usually is a lifelong one. This film is a black and white classic that is fondly screend at VMI, in Lexington, to this day.

Tony Williams (Gordon MacRae), Biff Roberts (Eddie Bracken), and Dave Crouse (Dick Wesson) are classmates in Southern Military Institute in the deep south. One of them is unlike the others.

This is a 50's comedy musical. It is extremely 50's in the full glory of the old south. The actors are way too old to be students. Bracken is closer to 40 than 30 and it is obvious. His character is supposed to be a bit too young to have a kid. Bracken can't play that. The main characters are all white. I don't recognize the songs and the music is not really my taste. This has not aged well, but there are issues even back in the day.

"About Face" is not really a bad movie - it's just not as good as it could be. It is a remake of a movie made in the 30's called "Brother Rat", which was based on a Broadway play. "Brother Rat" is a better movie than 'About Face" as it had a better cast and a more subtle approach to the comedy angle; "About Face" is somewhat heavy-handed in this regard.

In my opinion, what really sinks "About Face" is the forgettable musical score. For some reason it was decided to remake it as a musical, but the songs are very ordinary. The songs are trifling and unmemorable, except for Joel Grey's number. And a reviewer above is right about the closing tap dancing number. It was a show-stopper, but the show was over.

I saw "About Face" when it first came out. I was 11 and I loved it, and saw it several times. Funny how time and age can provide a different perspective. It is harmless fare and entertaining to a point, but sometimes a substantial time lapse can lead to disappointment.

Gordon MacRae , Eddie Bracken, and Dick Wesson are Tony, Biff, and Dave at a military school. There's a big game coming up, and the guys are looking forward to meeting the ladies. And the girls are scheming on the train on the way in. One of the girls is the daughter of the new C. O. so therunning gag is that the daughter Betty Long is calling herself Betty Short, so they don't realize she's related to the CO. And of course, her man is caught in the middle, when she and the CO have a fight. Joel Gray is in here as Bender. And Mrs. Carter is played by Mabel Albertson... from What's up Doc and That Girl. And Boff is married, which is against the rules. So many problems. And so many songs....every couple minutes, they break out in song. It's okay. Gets silly and goofy. Bracken was king of the doubletakes. Directed by Roy DelRuth; started in the silents, moved into talkies, and had his last film released in 1960!