Il sergente di legno

After stealing the shows with their supporting roles in "My Friend Irma" and its sequel "My Friend Irma Goes West" Paramount decided to build an entire film around their popular contract player comedy duo, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. This 1950 release was a huge hit that would inspire numerous other successful teamings before they split up in 1956. Placing the two of them on an army base and getting them involved in all sorts of crazy situations on and off the front lines adds up to some sheer hilarity and one of their best teamings.

A decade earlier, Abbott and Costello became movie stars with a pair of World War II military films, "Buck Privates" and "In the Navy." Here Martin and Lewis march in their bootsteps during the Korean War. The plotted and scripted comedy framework for this film may not be anything special, but the Martin and Lewis set pieces remain great. With hindsight, you can see the grounds for the pair's breakup this early in their career. Martin is charming when he's allowed to sing or do a solo bit, but his character is an unsympathetic bully to Lewis' hapless fumbler -- Bud Abbott at his most brutal to poor Costello.

The glimpses of bits of their stage and radio act, however, are funny -- their byplay before a band; their imitation of Bing Crosby (Martin, of course) and Barry Fitzgerald (Lewis)in "Going My Way"; Lewis in blonde drag (with a hairy chest showing over the v-neck of his dress) singing a husky-voiced torch song to Mike Kellin, and Martin's underplayed double-take and mumbled, "No, couldn't be," as he passes by them.

One special highlight is Polly Bergen in an early brief part as Martin's girlfriend. (The movie's credits read "introducing Polly Bergen," but IMDb lists two previous roles for her, one just a voice part.) This is Bergen before she had an absolutely perfect face with an absolutely perfect nose, but still, as Martin sings "You and Your Beautiful Eyes" to her, she is given a lengthy, star-making closeup in which she smiles and becomes luminous, and her future career is assured.

For their new comedy team of Martin and Lewis Paramount acquired the rights to a short run play on Broadway entitled At War With The Army and adapted it for Dean and Jerry. Although they don't have all that much together time on screen, Dean and Jerry do have their moments individually and together.

At War With the Army was their first starring feature and while the vehicle seems stage bound in its first half, the second half more than makes up for it. Especially with Jerry Lewis on the obstacle course being 'helped' by Sergeant Mike Kellin.

Kellin, who was in the original Broadway cast, really competes with Lewis for the laughs in this film. His characterization as a brain dead drill sergeant is really good.

Dino gets to sing Tona Wanda Hoy in this film and while it sold a few platters he never got a real big hit out of a Martin and Lewis film until That's Amore in The Caddy.

At War With the Army bears some resemblance to the Abbott and Costello films Little Giant and The Time of Their Lives where Bud and Lou play separate roles and aren't really a team. Dean and Jerry do that here, but there's enough team work so their fans wouldn't be disappointed.

The film was directed by Hal Walker who did a few of their early films and who had good training as he did a Road picture or two with Paramount. They also did a takeoff of Going My Way with Jerry nailing Barry Fitzgerald down. Then again everyone said Dino sang like Bing anyway.

A bunch of comedic misadventures surround an army training camp office.

One of the best of M & L. One reason is a clever script adapted from a stage play. That means better than usual comedic lines, and also that Lewis's mugging isn't the only funny element. Unlike his later films, Lewis complements the laughs here instead of monopolizing them. Also, Martin gets to warble a few tunes in his smooth baritone. I especially like the record-booth duet with Polly Bergen that's really quite charming. And I wonder what happened to the quite talented Jean Ruth as the befuddled Millie who can't seem to decide where she works or whom she's dating. Ruth shows a lot of comedic spark in the role, but appears to have left the industry soon after. Too bad.

Not everything is roses. Being an ex-stage play means the story is pretty much confined to a single set with characters rushing in and out. Keeping up with the diverse lot may require a scorecard. Of course, there's nothing new about the comedic potential of misfits in the military, and this one was followed by several more M&L entries in a similar vein. Anyway, the act here in their first film is still, fresh, energetic and funny.

Writers: James B. Allardice (based on a play by), Fred F. Finklehoffe (written for the screen by)

Yep, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis are in the army. No telling how they got there. All that is known is that 1st Sgt. Vic Puccinelli (Dean Martin) is desperate to go overseas for some action; Pfc. Alvin Korwin (Jerry Lewis), not as comedic as usual is just trying to stay out of trouble.

Capt. Ernest Caldwell the titular head of the unit, answers to his wife. A beautiful girl walks into the office which the wife knows she's PG but nothing more. So, it's up to Capt. Ernest Caldwell to track down the father and make an honest woman of her.

She can see the environment and can anticipate the comedy of errors.