True to the Navy

I saw a pristine print of this at Bay City, and was so blown away by Clara Bow that I just had to find a copy for myself. There was only one thing standing in my way, no one had one. What we saw in Bay City was the rare silent version released to houses not yet wired for sound at that time. What I located for home viewing was a very scratchy, dark copy of the talkie, complete with a song Clara belts out to Louise Beavers (though why a soda clerk should have a maid to sing to in the first place might be discussed in Social Sciences). At first you might think he was miscast as a tough, champion marksman "gob," but Fredric March is quite understandably marvelous in both versions; he's just as good silent as he is talking, and he and Bow prove a very important transitional match. I'm sure exposure in a Bow picture shot him to the front rank, and a teaming with one of the best of the new imports from New York (also teamed in the earlier THE WILD PARTY) must have been a strong influence on the proceedings. Overall a very appropriate tale of a gal who dates dozens at once, the dozens set out to humiliate her. Who knew the set-up guy (March) would actually fall for the randy miss (Bow)? The supporting sailors are around a good deal of the time, but seem to be utilized to better advantage in the silent version, the talking version being rather influenced by the comedic support of Harry Green, who's trade-mark fractured English is obviously more effective. While I lament that the perfect visual of the silent version had a great deal to do with the entertainment value of TRUE TO THE NAVY, this does not make the existing talkie a wash-out by comparison, just not as good. Clara's famous husband, the remarkably good-looking (no, this man was stunning, if you can buy that) Rex Bell has a brief scene as one of Clara's many suitors; Jed Prouty turns up as a dance-hall proprietor, and there is a very brief glimpse of young Frances Dee. Clara's partner behind the counter, one Adele Windsor, does a nice if brief job snapping back at the many suitors and sailors, but in reality her career and life were cut short not long after this picture was made.

Ruby (Clara Bow) works a scam in her role as a waitress by dating every sailor that she can and encouraging them to buy her gifts from her boss's shop. Mr Bimberg (Harry Green) is her boss and Maizie (Adele Windsor) is her co-worker who disapproves of the behaviour. However, she gets rumbled as one day all of her sailor lovers turn up at the same time. A fight ensues and the sailors vow to get even. Enter Bulls Eye McCoy (Frederic March), the navy's "Mr Popular". He falls for Ruby but his sailor friends want him to teach her a lesson, which he does by publicly humiliating her at a wedding service. There is some other story involving a criminal gang but I didn't really follow it and everything works out OK in the end.

Clara Bow is good, Frederic March is transparently trying to act like a tough sailor, Harry Green is sometimes non-comprehendable because of his shouty, silly accent and the sailors are mostly annoying. However, Adele Windsor has some funny moments, especially in her sparring with Clara Bow at the beginning of the film. The film starts well and is quite funny until the action moves away from the shop. The film then loses momentum and interest and just drags along after this which is a shame.

True to the Navy is a low-budget film made with the "IT" girl, Clara Bow, and the up and coming future Academy Award winner, Frederic March. There are plots and subplots, but the only reason for watching the film from a soap lover's perspective is the relationship between Bow and March. He doesnt want to be tied down to one woman (good luck with that idea), and she, of course, would like to be tied down by March (figuratively speaking. Of course). The usual romantic complications occur, along with some nefarious gang activity that could have been completely left out of the film, and the predictable ending takes place. Add a star if you are a soap lover.

Drug store ice cream scooper and soda server Clara Bow (as Ruby Nolan) scams Pacific Coast sailors for gift clerk boss Harry Green (as Solomon Bimberg). When the men find out they're being strung along, they make tracks; and, Bow swears off sailors. But, the arrival of seaman Fredric March (as Mac "Bull's-Eye" McCoy) threatens to blow the wind out of her sails.

That Bow's earlier sound films were disappointing shows up in everyone trying very hard to adjust the diction levels. Mr. March provided better support in Bow's first sound appearance in "The Wild Party". Paramount promoted this film with Bow's appearance in the just released "Paramount on Parade". At the time, a certain way to prove one's talking picture prowess was to sing a song; so, Bow inappropriately bursts into a song, while home with apparent maid Louise Beavers! A soda clerk with a maid? Depression-era audiences should be so lucky.

In real life, Bow picked the handsomest of the sailors appearing in "True to the Navy", Rex Bell (as Eddie), to be her "wedded husband". Mr. Allen is the first sailor to appear, and he does very well in his supporting role; this film offers a unique opportunity to see the attractive Mr. and Mrs. Bell on screen together.

**** True to the Navy (5/25/30) Frank Tuttle ~ Clara Bow, Fredric March, Rex Bell

Clara Bow stars as Ruby Nolan, a drug-store counter-girl in San Diego who maintains multiple sailor boyfriends from multiple ships. Her profitable juggling act is ruined, though, when the entire Pacific fleet is called into port and the various sailors learn of each other. They decide to get revenge against her by setting her up with hard-edged sailor "Bull's Eye" McCoy (Fredric March), who will lead her along and then drop her when she's good and hooked on him. But what happens if he starts to fall for her, too?

Bow is sharp and sassy as the manipulative Ruby, and she gets to sing a song, too. March does well in a role against type, a tough, street-smart roughneck. I'm not sure how much of the main premise of this would remain post-Code, as Bow's multiple boyfriends may have seemed too indecent. In the end, this is a slight, though entertaining, diversion.