Mister Winkle va alla guerra

You really didn't see Edward G Robinson in too many touchy-feely films in the 30s and 40s. But in this Hollywood fantasy, he plays a middle-aged man of 44 who is drafted in the Army. Eddie G is a henpecked, timid, gentle soul, who likes to work with his hands, but is stuck working in a bank, instead.

He quits the bank one day after getting his draft notice. This is where the film veers off a bit.

You really don't get to go to AIT - (Advanced Infantry Training) or any other school, until you finish basic training. The Hollywood producers of this film decided to dispense with that reality and had Edward go directly to AIT. Not happening. And the idea you would be shipped out before being able to go home on a short leave of a week or two is ridiculous; the Army always gave some time before they shipped you out. The producers dispensed with that reality as well.

The war scenes were ok, but the hero scenario was a bit over the top. An interesting role and story, and watchable.

Edward G Robinson is wonderful as Wilbert Winkle. A meek and short man that has several problems. A personality that is timid. An office job in a bank that curtails any creativity. A wife that is not very supportive. No children. A man so timid that he actually asks his boss if he can quit. A man that just exists and never makes a difference in this world. Could that change?

Winkle decides to make a difference. He quits despite his boss. He wants to be "mr. fixer-upper." He has a boy by the name of Barry that he wants to help. A boy that is from a home-for-boys. Barry becomes the partner in the new business. Yes, life will be a challenge. Little did Winkle know just what was ahead in his new life.

World War II needs men. Strong, tall, able men even short, old and timid men. Poor Winkle, his business and Barry will have to wait. His wife will have to wait, but then his wife didn't have much time for him anyway. Men die, men are wounded, would this happen to Winkle?

A fine acting vehicle for Robinson to display that he can act. A film that you will enjoy!

I'll watch any movie Edward G. Robinson did and i think he's a better actor than James Cagney. This one casts him as a guy who is always being told what to do and in the first scene of the movie he walks up to the manager of the bank and tells him he wants to quit, to everyone's surprise. His wife hates this idea and Robinson wants to run a business just fixing things. He then gets a letter telling him that he is drafted. He doesn't think he will be because he's 44 years old and out of shape. To his surprise and everyone else's, he is drafted. During basic training, they pull him out to have a desk job. Robinson doesn't like it and wants to be put back and be able to work as mechanic. He is sent overseas and is very close to the fighting. I've never really heard much about this movie and i didn't even see Robert Mitchum in this movie.

No one could play both snarling gangster and mild-mannered, henpecked husband as adeptly as Edward .G Robinson, and in this likeable war movie he's the latter. He's a bank clerk who gets the chance to realise his dream of working with his hands when he's inducted into the army during WWII, and becomes a war hero in the process. The material is slight, but Robinson carries it off with style.

As this was a 1944 film this was not made to boost the moral of those getting set to go off to war, and their friends and relations moral, but those who would soon be returning from war. It made it clear that all who served were heros, which they were, and not just those coming home with a chestful of medals, they were super heroes.

An ordinary man in a menial job and looked down upon could make a real contribution to the war not by being gung ho but by doing his job to the best of his ability and taking pride in doing so.

A great film with Edward G fabulous in it and very well worth watching.