Opération geishas

It's a durn shame that the actual filming locations aren't listed here, as of July 2008. A title card at the beginning wants us to believe that this was filmed at the US Naval base in Japan in 1951 right after WW II, but for starters, we know this was filmed in 1960/1961. All the inside shots could be filmed on a set. The picture starts at a geisha performance, with the show and the girls being explained to the navy and to the viewer. Sailors led by Murray Prince (O'Connor) are assigned to help CPO Cyphers (Glenn Ford) for a military press project. Sharp viewers will recognize Joe Flynn as John McIntosh, rep for the U.S. press. He will be the Captain in McHale's Navy in 1962. Watch for Ted Knight (from Mary Tyler Moore) as Glick, the Admiral's assistant. Also, Miyoshi Umeki, one of the geisha girls, will be the housekeeper in Courtship of Eddie's Father in 1969. At a press corp meeting, the marines confront the navy, and the lies and mixups begin. While a little dated now, the exotic Japanese kimonos and house decorations, authentic or not, must have made for an interesting film at the time. Similar to "Walk Don't Run" which Cary Grant would make in 1966. Some clever bits about a spaghetti western done Japanese style. Keep an eye out for Harriet MacGibbon, the Admiral's wife - she was Mrs. Drysdale in Beverly Hillbillies. At 110 minutes, this goes on pretty long, but its an entertaining film.

The female oriental stars of Sayonara, Miko Taka and Miyoshi Umeki, team once again for a story dealing with the American occupation of Japan in Cry For Happy. At least the film is not as tragic for Miyoshi as Sayonara was. It's also not as good, but it's also a good deal lighter.

The American leads are Glenn Ford who was also in a film about the post war occupation in The Teahouse Of The August Moon and Donald O'Connor. Ford is a Navy CPO in charge of photographic unit and O'Connor is one of his new men, the others being James Shigeta and Chet Douglas. Through an incredible combination of circumstances the four of them wind up living in a geisha house that Taka runs. Ford during a moment of inter-service rival bragging, boasts publicly of sponsoring an orphanage and has to make good on that for Admiral Howard St. John and more important the Admiral's wife, Harriet MacGibbon. Believe it or not it all works out.

Cry For Happy is a little slow at times, but enough laughs are there for it to be enjoyable. Best scene in the film involves Miyoshi Umeki discouraging nosy reporter Joe Flynn from adopting one of the 'orphans' with her broken English. Red tape is red tape in any language and culture.

Next best scene is at the very end with Ford having to provide temporary headquarters for an influx of real orphans his new establishment is getting, but is not ready to receive yet. And we can't forget the film that was shot with Navy equipment lent on the sly by Ford to aspiring Japanese film producer Robert Kino. I guess you could call it a Sushi western. It gets audience approval, but not quite the way Kino was hoping for.

The team of George Marshall and Glenn Ford is not often discussed as a director/actor combination. But some very funny comedies were turned out be this pair. Cry For Happy will be enjoyed by Glenn Ford's still legion of fans.

My 90 year old mother asked me if I had this in my oldies collection. Spent hours online trying to find the DVD for a Christmas present. Nada. Now I want it for me too. It's not even on Prime or Vidu. What's going on?

This is a very uneven comedy with a sloppy story that revolves around a silly, spur-of-the-moment decision. During a press conference, when some sailors feel they are being denigrated by the other military branches, one of them says they have started an orphanage. This announcement stirs up interest in the four gobs who are the film's central characters. The American press and the naval brass both want to know more about the orphanage that doesn't exist, leading to the central thrust of the story.

The sailors include Glenn Ford, Donald O'Connor, and James Shigeta. That is quite a diverse group, artistically, and it leads to some ill-performed scenes. The Japanese women (geishas) who are the objects of the sailors' attentions include Miyoshi Umeki. The film actually does a good job with their roles, accurately portraying the geisha life.

What passes for humor in this broad comedy is not for sophisticates. If you like "McHale's Navy", you might enjoy this film. Note that the cast even includes Joe Flynn. Another actor who will become a television notable is Ted Knight, who has few lines.

The funniest part of the film for me is the premiere of Endo's (Robert Kino) film, which is a Japanified western, complete with cowboys who remove their boots before going indoors.

I don't think this was made to be a history commentary. Sometimes a film is made to help people heal from the horrors of past traumas. Glen Ford had an amazing gift that few people realized. He had the ability to make you fall in love, to really make you cry, to be furious, to laugh your heart out and to make us look at ourselves. Another of these films but in my estimation a 10, is Tea House Of The August Moon. One no one should miss. This little film here may be fluf, but compared to today's trash, this gets my vote every time. For families, guys who want a good clean! laugh, and just any bunch of people, it is safe, you could have a good time.

clean !augh and for laugh,