Keep Your Powder Dry (1945)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Mary C. McCall Jr. (screenplay) and
George Bruce (screenplay)

Release Date:

April 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Gals IN UNIFORM...IN ACTION...IN LOVE! They're strictly G.I.

Plot:

A disparate group of women try to adjust to their new lives after enlisting in the Womens Army Corps. |

Plot Keywords:

Women's Army Corps | Slap | Friendship | Transformation | Lawyer

Cast

Lana Turner	...	Valerie 'Val' Parks
Laraine Day	...	Leigh 'Napoleon' Rand
Susan Peters	...	Ann 'Annie' Darrison
Agnes Moorehead	...	Lt. Col. Spottiswoode
Bill Johnson	...	Capt. Bill Barclay
Natalie Schafer	...	Harriet Corwin
Lee Patrick	...	Gladys Hopkins
Jess Barker	...	Junior Vanderheusen
June Lockhart	...	Sarah Swanson
Marta Linden	...	Capt. Sanders
Tim Murdock	...	Capt. Joseph Mannering
Henry O'Neill	...	Maj. Gen. Lee Rand
Mary Lord	...	WAC Mary
Sondra Rodgers	...	WAC Hodgekiss
Marjorie Davies	...	WAC Polhemus

Also Known As:

There Were Three of Us (USA) (working title)
Women in Uniform (USA) (working title)
Womens Army (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #10596) | Sweden:Btl | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Turner wrote in her 1982 biography that during pre-production she received a studio memo of reprimand about missing many of her wardrobe appointments - even though it was Irene who was not showing up. When the actress went to studio head Louis B. Mayer to defend herself, she was told that the memo was a face-saving device for Irene, who was an alcoholic but so valuable to MGM that the studio was willing to bear with her problems and delays.

Quotes:

Lt. Col. Spottiswoode: I'm sorry for you Rand, you've worked so hard to learn so many things so badly.

Morale Booster for Women of WWII

It seems that the film boards made a concerted effort to boost the image of women as tough and capable leading up to and continuing through World War II. "Keep Your Powder Dry" is an effort to display three women who overcome their disparate backgrounds, their petty differences, and their civilian prejudices to achieve a greater good by contributing to the war effort. A character in the film puts it this way, "...subordinate your personal feelings for the good of the corps."

This is a consistent theme in movies throughout this era. In John Ford's "Pearl Harbor" a German mocks the notion that the weak and decadent American women could take the place of men in industry to free them for service as soldiers. In "Cry Havoc" we witness the courage, trials, and sacrifices of women on Corregidor. Here in "Keep Your Powder Dry" we learn of the candidates' perseverance through the trials of boot camp, motor pool training, and OCS school (though the examples that they show are weak).

It is a little difficult to suspend reality far enough to buy the notion that Lana Turner could become dedicated to life in the WACs, having arrived by way of Park Avenue, but an effort is made by the screenwriter to show her recognition of the shallow and narcissistic lifestyle that she found there. It occurs rather late in the film, however.

Still, for WWII movie buffs, and fans for the movies of the forties, this one is a must see.