IMDb > Up in Arms (1944)

Up in Arms (1944) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   312 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Elliott Nugent

Writers:

Owen Davis (play)
Don Hartman (writer) ...
more

Contact:

View company contact information for Up in Arms on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

27 March 1944 (Brazil) more

Genre:

Comedy | Musical more

Plot:

Hypochondriac Danny Weems gets drafted into the army and makes life miserable for his fellow GIs. He's... more | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. more

NewsDesk:

'Twilight' Fans Up In Arms After 2008 VMAs
 (From MTV Music News. 2 September 2009, 9:25 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

Not Only Funny -- But Psychedelic FreakyWeird: Way Ahead of Its Time more (12 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Danny Kaye ... Danny Weems

Dinah Shore ... Nurse Lt. Virginia Merrill

Dana Andrews ... Joe Nelson
Constance Dowling ... Nurse Lt. Mary Morgan
Louis Calhern ... Col. Phil Ashley
George Mathews ... Private Blackie Snodgrass
Benny Baker ... Butterball
Elisha Cook Jr. ... Info Jones

Lyle Talbot ... Sgt. Gelsey
Walter Catlett ... Maj. Brock, Psychiatrist
George Meeker ... Meeker, Ashley's aide
Tom Keene ... Captain, Ashley's aide (as Richard Powers)
Margaret Dumont ... Mrs. Willoughby
Donald Dickson ... Singer at dock
Charles Arnt ... Mr. Higginbotham
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)


Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Book Revue (1946) more

Soundtrack:

Melody in 4-F more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Not Only Funny -- But Psychedelic FreakyWeird: Way Ahead of Its Time, 25 June 2006
8/10
Author: kent-wicker from United States

I just saw this for the first time. I'm an old Danny Kaye fan -- grew up with Court Jester & other DK films; always appreciated his particular genius.

I only saw the second half of this film -- but it just blew me away. Of course, it already features the trademark Danny Kaye combination of showmanship, clowning, doe-eyed sincerity, patter-songs and absolutely beautiful vocal control that others mention here. And that is truly impressive. Also impressive in this film is the playing with gender, which is something DK could always get away with, but here comes out as particularly hyper and intense.

But what really shocked me was how ahead of its time this film was. Made during WWII, and absolutely full of patriotism and wartime idealism, all somehow mixed together with the idealism of romance and home and family, this was clearly a 1944 deal, with fake-looking classic Hollywood sound stage warships and sea scenes. But it looks much more like something out of 1955 or, God help us, 1966.

They don't really hide from that sound-set fakeness, esp. in the truly weird dream sequences, and the whole thing ends up looking more like Bob Fosse than the WWII propaganda film it's also trying to be. These sequences feature sets and costumes in co-ordinated "hot" pastels, a bartender-cum-minister-cum-scat singer, and I kid you not a bright sky blue goat. This segues into a scene with intense women in skimpy black clothing (think Robt Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video from the 1980s meets a 1890's bordello), some of whom are mounted/pinned/crucifed on trees/crosses/black wings set on poles.

In front of this, Danny Kaye in a devilish red suit does some of the most pure and outrageous absurdities I have EVER seen him do -- phasing in and out like the young Robin Williams on cocaine, switching into and out of a pastiche of popular song styles, slang, scat and African-American impersonation as if he were a black guy pretending to be a white guy pretending to be a black guy pretending to be a black guy. (In most of this, he is echoed capably -- but not brilliantly -- by Dinah Shore.) He is manic and brilliant and so very American and post-modern.

He is also incredibly young, and looks quite a bit like some manic, visionary rock star of today. (He resembles a bit the young Sting or Billy Idol.) And esp. in those fantasy scenes, the intensity combined with the costuming and showmanship made me realize that DK can be seen in that line of intense musical innovators/showmen that includes Prince and probably Jack White of the White Stripes.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (12 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Up in Arms (1944)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
When will UP IN ARMS be on DVD? barbchef
songs of the movie sourkiwi725
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Scared Stiff The Inspector General Bonnie Scotland A Night at the Opera In the Navy
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.