Tell It to the Marines

Lon Chaney is simply fantastic as a Marine Sergeant who puts a screw-off new recruit (William Haines) through boot camp, and then guides him through some action overseas in China afterwards. The two men are also involved in a little love triangle with a young nurse (Eleanor Boardman). It's a great cast, with the exception of Carmel Myers as an island girl, and the film has a reasonable amount of authenticity running through it. It was shot in part at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego with consultation from a General, and there are also nice scenes on the USS California, whose big guns surprised me a little for 1926. I was entertained by the mix of humor, romance, and drama which is all somewhat quirky and fitting to the period, though unfortunately the scenes in China reek of cultural condescension. It's probably unfair to the film, but in part it was less interesting to me just because I've seen the boot camp part of the story done so many times over the years, though apparently this was the prototype. The template is complete to the point of ushering in the new class of recruits in the same way at the end. Watch it for Lon Chaney though. Man, I'd probably watch him in just about anything.

... that odd couple being Lon Chaney and William Haines.

Haines plays "Skeet" Burns, a young guy whose plan was just to hitch a free train ride to San Diego with a voucher from the Marines since they think he is going to join up there, when he really plans to just go to Tijuana for the races. He has no intention of becoming a marine. But he does come back from Tijuana, looks a bit envious of the comradery he sees on the Marine base, and does indeed join up.

From that point he's at odds with marine lifer sergeant O'Hara (Lon Chaney), in one of his few MGM roles where he is not monster or blackguard of the week. Burns has a problem with rules, as do all William Haines characters, and worse, he falls for Navy nurse Norma Dale (Eleanor Boardman) who happens to be the woman of O'Hara's dreams. Worse, O'Hara is the kind of guy Norma thinks she should love, but Burns gets under her skin in spite of his abrasive foolhardy ways.

This film is charming and entertaining with a rousing battle for a finale, but it does have its faults and plot holes. It does realistically portray the rivalry between the navy and the marines, right down to nurse Dale being insulted when Burns innocently asks her if she is a Marine nurse. She harshly barks back that she is a navy nurse! The film avoids getting claustrophobic by having the marines deploy overseas for an extended period, where Burns both gets in hot water and proves himself.

Chaney's commanding presence and ability to convey deep emotions shine through his portrayal of the hardened but compassionate Sergeant O'Hara. His performance is a testament to his status as one of the greatest actors of the silent film era. Lon Chaney was named an honorary marine for his performance, and his funeral was officiated by a marine chaplain. I'd definitely recommend this one. It doesn't make the mistake of so many MGM films and abruptly make an out of character right turn at the end just so there can be a happy ending.

This is one of Lon Chaney's finest performances. It also shows that MGM Production chief, Irving Thalberg, was not afraid to cast Chaney in a "no-makeup-role." Chaney gives a tough, yet endearing performance as the tough-but-loveable Marine sergeant.

It was MGM's second highest grossing picture (next to Garbo's "Flesh & the Devil"), earning over $6.1 million. But the Marines gave Chaney his highest praise for his role: he became the FIRST actor to be made an honorary member of the US Marine Corps.

Lon Chaney is one of my top 3 actors ever, so naturally I watched this movie because of him. It's amazing how he managed to make gruff characters so likeable-- even under layers of makeup as the Hunchback of Notre Dame or the Phantom of the Opera. Here he's not buried under a few layers of makeup, but his character is no less memorable. William Haynes is quite good in his role as the goofy recruit that Chaney swears to make into a Marine. The movie can be quite funny, quite touching and often exciting, as well. Highly recommended.

Chaney gives a recruiting poster performance of a rough,tough,Marine with a tender heart[thats well hidden],with Haines giving an equally good performance as the recruit.A mixture of humor and excitement are well blended to make this a very entertaining movie.