Les cadets de la mer

Richard Arnold 'Dick' Gates Jr. (Tom Brown) comes from a wealthy family and follows his father's footsteps to attend the United States Naval Academy. Roger 'Rog' Ash (Robert Young) and "Truck" Cross (James Stewart) become his new best friends, roommates, and football teammates. Truck is hiding something personal.

I do not like Tom Brown's smirky performance. I kept wishing that James Stewart would be the lead although he does a big emotional turn. Otherwise, I would say that they screwed up with the casting. It turns out that Jimmy has an interesting role. Maybe he should be the lead right from the start. I don't care about Dick or the football or the Army Navy game. I just want more Jimmy.

I just saw this film recently and can't remember ever having seen it before. A lot of talent in front of and behind the camera on this production. It's the story of three young men who come to the Naval Academy for different reasons and have little in common with each other except that they share the common denominator of being on the football team but they strike up an immediate friendship and become roommates. It has a story so it's not a silly comedy and despite not a lot of depth and a fairly predictable storyline it moves along at a good pace with no boring lulls thanks to the excellent direction of Sam Wood who had been making films since the silent era and had success with the Marx Brothers films and the drama Madam X just before this production and he would go on to direct such films as Goodbye Mr. Chips, Kitty Foyle, Kings row, Pride of the Yankees, for Whom the Bell Tolls and Our Town. Cinematographer John F. Seitz had photographed the string of Shirley Temple movies before this film and he would enjoy respected success for such films as The Lost Weekend, Double Endemnity, This Gun for Hire and Sunset Boulevard. A lot of exterior scenes at the Naval Academy and it's midshipmen. Good football scenes with a seamless blend of actual game footage and the actors as players. Robert Young is the more establish actor here and in 1937 at the age of 30 he seems a little old for the role. It's early in the career of the less established James Stewart and despite being 29 he looks so youthful he fits the role. Tom Brown at 22 is about the right age for the role but looks almost too young. Veteran actor Lionel Barrymore plays the role of a man about a dozen years older than Barrymore actually was. Billy Burke, two years shy of her famous role as Ginda in the Wizard of Oz is here and girl-next-door wholesome role actress Florence Rice is here as the love interest of Young and Stewart and the sister of Brown. It's appropriate for her to be in a football picture being the daughter of the famous sportswriter Grantland Rice. I had no intention of watching the entire movie but before I knew it I had. I would give this a 7.5 out of 10 but Stewart shines and you can tell he was going to become a big star someday.

This is a fun period piece for graduates, parents of current midshipmen or of Naval Academy graduates, or staff and faculty of the Naval Academy to get a look at the US Naval Academy of the 1930's. It's fun light piece which provides some interesting historical perspective on the USNA - to include the left hand salute to Tecumseh, the rooms in Bancroft Hall, the yard prior to much of the WW2 and post WW2 construction etc. The story is light but fun and is a reflection of the pre-WW2 America in which it was made. Also fun to see a very young Jimmy Stewart and Robert Young, and the "Good Witch" from the Wizard of Oz.

... in that the script consists of tons of tired cliches - the guy who has to learn there is no I in team, the sister of one friend being the heartthrob of the other friends and sprouting a rivalry, the good guy with a deep secret that may derail his noble pursuit, the ancient relic who is almost a mascot because he has been around so long - nah, that was because Lionel Barrymore was a great actor who was becoming disabled as this film was being made, plus Louis B. Mayer was never going to fire a fellow old white guy with whom he identified. Plus - The Navy! - the armed forces and costume dramas became a common theme right after the production code was ushered in because patriotism always passed the censors. But, the performances and the chemistry between the main players makes this worth watching. Take that away and it would be a 6/10 at best.

This is the film that got James Stewart noticed. I've never seen him turn in a bad performance, but prior to this his assignments included warbling in a MGM musical, playing a crazy vengeful lover, and a bit part as the country bumpkin consolation prize boyfriend. This time he gets more of a spotlight and gets a part with more heart that really shows off his talents and his personal appeal.

The only thing that doesn't ring true in this film is Florence Rice, third billed, as a debutante who becomes the object of romance of two friends. Rice was pretty enough, but she was dull as dishwater. Perhaps MGM was trying to give her a build up and it didn't work out.

I'd recommend this one. There isn't any wasted space in it and the performances do make all of the difference.

Three young men (James Stewart, Robert Young, Tom Brown) who enter the Naval Academy became fast friends. Each one is a different clichéd character. Brown's the naive kid, Young's the cynical tough guy, Stewart's the nice one with a mystery. Brown and Stewart play to type well but Young steals the show as the hard case with a hidden heart of gold. We follow the ups and downs of each of these men at the academy, leading up to the big Army-Navy football game that they all play in.

There's nothing really new here, even for 1937, but it's undeniably enjoyable due to the generally upbeat tempo and likable leads. Nice supporting cast includes Lionel Barrymore, Billie Burke, Florence Rice, and Samuel S. Hinds. Dennis Morgan has a cute scene dancing with Burke. Sentimental, patriotic, and fun movie. Really hard to dislike this one.