What Next, Corporal Hargrove?

inexplicably a corporal he and men get lost--enter french town as heroes --later reassigned to be liaisons with locals Jean Porter is adorable

This is a follow-up to Robert Walker's war film "See Here, Private Hargrove" but it isn't nearly as good. In fact, I think it's not even close!

The film begins with Hargrove inexplicably becoming a corporal. His first command is a cock up, however, and they get separated from the rest of the unit. Fortunately, however, they end up liberating an important French town and the locals just adore Hargrove and his men. This portion of the film is enjoyable and sweet. Funny? No.

The rest of the film consists of many instances where Hargrove gets into trouble or nearly gets himself killed or breaks a sweet girl's heart for no good reason. Most of these situations revolve around the screw-up Mulvehill (Keenan Wynn) and you wonder why Hargrove or anyone would be his pal. None of these situations are funny and it gets old and boring very quickly. No...it becomes tedious.

Shortly after World War II's pivotal Normandy invasion, newly promoted (from private to corporal) Robert Walker (as Marion Hargrove) and his fellow soldiers get their truck stuck in the mud. After freeing the military vehicle by yelling "Heave!" Mr. Walker and the men stumble upon a French village outside of Paris. The locals mistake them for liberators. Also, Walker catches the eye of the mayor's daughter, pretty French mademoiselle Jean Porter (as Jeanne Quidoc). She sends all the signals for romance, but Walker wants to remain faithful to his girlfriend (Carol) from last year's film "See Here, Private Hargrove" (1944). The US Army encourages Walker to succumb to Ms. Porter's sexy advances, lest the US offend France...

Meanwhile, Walker's pal Keenan Wynn (as Thomas "Tom" Mulvehill) pursues a "get rich quick" scheme...

This was the second, and final, entry in MGM's series of "Hargrove" films starring Robert Walker. Direction and editing suggest Walker had limited interest in the story. This is evident from the opening. Later, while at a Paris restaurant, observe when Mr. Wynn has a cup of coffee spilled on his lap; the spill immediately dries up, without a trace. The "Academy Awards" organization thought this picture worthy of an "Oscar" nomination, for "Best Original Screenplay" and there are a couple of good quips. The writer honored, Harry Kurnitz, managed to get another story out of the characters and situation, but was not well served by this production. The stronger scenes occur with Walker and Wynn accidentally going AWOL in Paris.

**** What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945-11-21) Richard Thorpe ~ Robert Walker, Keenan Wynn, Jean Porter, Chill Wills

"If wolves are men who chase girls, and you aren't a wolf, then girls must chase you" quips Jean Porter, playing a very flirtatious French girl trying to get somewhere with a very reluctant Robert Walker, playing a US corporal-private taking part in the post-D Day liberation of France. The strikingly cute and winsome Ms Porter is more than enough to turn on any red-blooded man, but Walker explains that he doesn't want to compromise his relationship with his girl back home. Nonetheless, he eventually melts to a degree, esp. when it is in the interest of the US Army to have a good relationship with her father, the mayor of the local town....The first half of the film is definitely more fun than the more serious rather pointless second half. Unfortunately, Walker's on again, off again, relationship with Ms. Porter's character has an ugly conclusion, at odds with the general comic tone of the rest of the story.

Robert Walker may remind you in looks of the later James Dean. He also tended to play troubled men, and was in fact very troubled in his private life after first wife Jennifer Jones left him for another man. Like Dean, he died quite young. Despite her charm and looks and introduction to Hollywood films at a very young age, Ms. Porter never achieved first rate stardom, although she has thus far outlived her costar by 60 years.

This is part two of the WW2 adventures of Private Hargrove. As you saw in the first movie (See Here, Private Hargrove) our hero is a somewhat hapless, but caring, person. Here he has survived boot camp and has made it to Europe as a corporal. He has his good days (he is a corporal) and his not so good days (he is a private). This is a light comedy that gives you a chance to relax and enjoy yourself. The two movies go well together but you should see the other one first to set the tone for this one. 7/10

There is a scene towards the end of this film where the boys are travelling through Paris that rather sums the whole thing up. They are no more in Paris France than Paris Texas, and the filmed background is as obvious as most of the rest of this standard wartime comedy. It's a sequel to the initial escapades of "Hargrove" (Robert Walker) from last year who has now been given, on what seems like a rotating basis, a couple of stripes and together with his pal "Mulverhill" (Keenan Wynn) gets into a multitude of scrapes as the US Army traverses the French countryside. They have a get rich quick scheme for just about everything, but their ordinarily harmonised rapport starts to struggle when one starts to make a few bucks at the expense of his pal! Chill Wills adds a little gravitas to this pretty chaotic military operation as their tolerant, but frequently frustrated, sergeant and there's a tiny bit of glamour sparingly provided by the shockingly wooden Jean Porter but for the most part this is one of those procedural feel-good features that relies on the scenario and a hint of slapstick to get it through. Walker and Wynn do gel quite well but they are just going through the motions of something we have seen plenty of times before. Doubtless it cheered the war-weary audience at the drive-in in 1945, but it's not a film you will ever remember watching.