In a great tradition of films about the Army Military Academy like The Long Gray Line, Flirtation Walk and The West Point Story steps The Duke At West Point. It's about three roommates at West Point, Louis Hayward, Richard Carlson, and Tom Brown and their first two years at the Academy.
Brown has gone to a military school and is gung ho army. Carlson is the son of a war hero killed in the first World War and has a presidential appointment. Hayward is the son of the military attaché at the American Embassy in London and has gone to Cambridge where he starred in Rugby, arguably tougher than American football.
If this had been done at 20th Century Fox Hayward's part would have been a lock for Tyrone Power. Hayward's a cocky arrogant sort who rubs his upper classmates the wrong way. But he has a great deal more character than they realize. He's caught off grounds after hours and doesn't reveal his reason for doing so. I won't reveal it here because it's centerpiece of the whole plot.
In fact Louis Hayward did many roles as a free lance actor that would have been done by Power over at Fox and Errol Flynn at Warner Brothers. Certainly those two are better known to film fans today, but Hayward is someone waiting to be discovered.
Producer Edward Small not having a major studio backing never got to West Point it seems. But with a lot of establishing shots the film has the look and feel of the Military Academy.
This film holds up as well as those others in portraying the tradition of West Point.
