Operation Mad Ball (1957)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Arthur Carter (play)
Arthur Carter (writer) ...

Release Date:

17 August 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Tagline:

It's Operation Laughter For You! and anything goes!

Plot:

Private Hogan must raise his ability to scheme and plot to a new level to put on a madcap dance to celebrate...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Beautiful Woman | Prisoner Of War | Soldier | Party

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	Pvt. Hogan
Ernie Kovacs	...	Capt. Paul Lock
Kathryn Grant	...	Lt. Betty Bixby
Arthur O'Connell	...	Col. Rousch
Mickey Rooney	...	MSgt. Yancy Skibo
Dick York	...	Cpl. Bohun
James Darren	...	Pvt. Widowskas
Roger Smith	...	Cpl. Berryman
William Leslie	...	Pvt. Grimes
Sheridan Comerate	...	Sgt. Wilson
L.Q. Jones	...	Ozark
Jeanne Manet	...	Madame LaFour

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius (1982) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mad Ball

Needs Rediscovery

What breaks down military discipline faster than pull from the opposite sex. But that's what's happening to the enlisted men of a hospital detachment US Army with all those fetching nurse officers next to them. It's France right after the war and the boys are getting restless. The trouble is that Capt. Locke (Kovacs) is a pompous stickler for discipline, while mastermind Pvt. Hogan (Lemmon) schemes to let nature take its course. It's a hilarious battle between enlisted men and officers. Can fast-talking Hogan put on his mad-ball mixer before killjoy Locke can foil his romantic plans. Both comedians are in fine form, making this a service comedy whose modest budget and b&w photography probably got lost in the mix of the time. Too bad, because the movie's fast paced, full of clever situations, with an attractive and lively cast.

Kovacs and Lemmon are a great pairing, showing again how much delicious humbug was lost in that tragic Kovacs auto accident. Support comes through, as well— a demure Kathryn Grant as the wide-eyed lieutenant, a cranky Dick York as the frustrated corporal, and a rhyming Mickey Rooney as the "twiddle-de-de, it must be me" logistics sergeant—all orchestrated by up-and-coming director Richard Quine. Anyway, this is a good chance to catch up with the whole madcap bunch in a movie that remains a genuine sleeper. Now if I could just figure out what the heck an ocarina is.