Shipmates Forever (1935)

Dick is watching the fleet come in when he sees June. Dick has no intention of joining the Navy, which is a family tradition, and June, having lost her father and brother in the Navy, does ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Delmer Daves (screenplay), Delmer Daves (story)

Stars:

Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Lewis Stone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dick Powell	...	Richard John 'Dick' Melville III
Ruby Keeler	...	June Blackburn
Lewis Stone	...	Adm. Richard Melville
Ross Alexander	...	Lafayette 'Sparks' Brown
Eddie Acuff	...	Lincoln 'Cowboy'
Dick Foran	...	Gifford
John Arledge	...	Johnny 'Coxswain' Lawrence
Robert Light	...	Ted Sterling

Storyline

Dick is watching the fleet come in when he sees June. Dick has no intention of joining the Navy, which is a family tradition, and June, having lost her father and brother in the Navy, does not want a Navy man. But Dick relents when his father says that he would not make it anyway and he enters the Naval Academy. The first year as a plebe is tough, but Dick is at the head of his class. He rooms alone, as he sees no need for friends as he plans to resign when he graduates. June has also changed her mind about Dick being at the Academy. The second year is the same, except for his old roommate Lawrence who washes out. Finally, the last year and he has a three month training cruise. This cruise will make or break Dick as a Navy man.

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Plot Keywords:

navy | self sacrifice | nightclub | new york city | accidental death | 

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Taglines:

Hats Off To The Navy's 'Flirtation Walk' !

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Genres:

Musical

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amis pour toujours

Filming Locations:

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the movie, there is a great shot of a Martin P3M-2 seaplane landing in the ocean. Markings on the side of the plane show a "6". There were only 6 P3M-2's built.

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Connections

Referenced in I'd Love to Take Orders from You (1936)

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Soundtracks

"I'd Love to Take Orders from You"
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Sung by Dick Powell
Later danced to by Ruby Keeler and a children's dance class
Played often throughout the picture

User Reviews

An officer and a gentleman, and a bore

Dick Powell is the cynical, privileged radio crooner who enlists at the Naval Academy for unpersuasive reasons (to impress his Naval officer father, Lewis Stone -- LEWIS STONE?), alienates his roommates, and eventually becomes a hero, winning the love of Ruby Keeler, who's so virtuous that she teaches tap dancing to underprivileged kids. Like any number of military movies where the cadet has to learn humility to get his comeuppance, this one treads a familiar path, and indulges along the way in some remarkably contemporary political ideology: If you don't give the armed services your full support regardless of the sacrifice involved or the reasons behind the battle, you're a coward. Frank Borzage, who was best known for dewy but sincere romance, doesn't seem very interested in the material, though there's some nice Annapolis location photography and a couple of pleasant Harry Warren tunes. But it's not really a musical, just a rah-rah patriotic drama with songs, and Powell, who hated the typecasting he was subjected to at Warners, looks miserable throughout.