Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Claude Binyon (screenplay) and
Leo McCarey (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

February 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

20th Century-Fox hilariously declares a national laugh holiday...as the cast of the year brings the # 1 fun best-seller howlingly alive!

Plot:

All about the citizens of Putnam's Landing and their reactions to an army missile base in their back yard.

Plot Keywords:

Army | Protest | Conscription | Drinking | Voice Over Narration

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Harry Bannerman
Joanne Woodward	...	Grace Oglethorpe Bannerman
Joan Collins	...	Angela Hoffa
Jack Carson	...	Capt. Hoxie
Dwayne Hickman	...	Grady Metcalf, Comfort's suitor
Tuesday Weld	...	Comfort Goodpasture
Gale Gordon	...	Brig. Gen. W.A. Thorwald
Tom Gilson	...	Corporal Opie
O.Z. Whitehead	...	Isaac Goodpasture, Comfort's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Banas	...	Delinquent (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
Robert Bohannon	...	Man at Phone (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Alan Carney	...	Bartender / Owner (uncredited)
Richard Collier	...	Zack Crummitt (uncredited)
Richard H. Cutting	...	St. Regis Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Man at Town Meeting (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Red-Hatted Lady at Town Meeting (uncredited)
Ike Gibson	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Jack Ging	...	Hoxie's Driver (uncredited)
James Gonzalez	...	Commuter (uncredited)
James Goodwin	...	Young Drunk (uncredited)
David Hedison	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Percy Helton	...	Waldo Pike, the Plumber (uncredited)
Joseph Holland	...	Town Official (uncredited)
Kip King	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Jess Kirkpatrick	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
Stanley Livingston	...	Peter Bannerman (uncredited)
Jon Lormer	...	George Melvin (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Townsman at Meeting (uncredited)
Ken Miller	...	Delinquent (uncredited)
Eric Morris	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Jimmy Murphy	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Burt Mustin	...	Milton Evans, Town Meeting Chairman (uncredited)
Nora O'Mahoney	...	Town Meeting Speaker (uncredited)
Sammy Ogg	...	Delinquent (uncredited)
Ralph Osborn III	...	Danny Bannerman (uncredited)
LeRoy Prinz Jr.	...	Delinquent (uncredited)
John Roy	...	Air Force General (uncredited)
Page Slattery	...	Club Car Commuter (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	TV Director (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Man at Town Meeting (uncredited)
Nick Venet	...	Delinquent (uncredited)
Murvyn Vye	...	Oscar Hoffa (uncredited)
Tom Wilson	...	Townsman at Meeting (uncredited)

Directed by
Leo McCarey

Writing credits
Claude Binyon		(screenplay) and
Leo McCarey		(screenplay)
Max Shulman		(from the novel by)
George Axelrod		uncredited

Produced by
Leo McCarey	....	producer

Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist
Maurine McDermott	....	body makeup (uncredited)
Gladys Rasmussen	....	hairdresser (uncredited)
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Gaston Glass	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Gertsman	....	assistant director
Mike Salamunovich	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Glenn 'Skippy' Delfino	....	props (uncredited)
Joe Krutak	....	painter (uncredited)
Fred R. Simpson	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Victor Presby	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Earl Winegarden	....	cable person (uncredited)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Cameron	....	grip (uncredited)
Lee Crawford	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Edward T. Estabrook	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Fred Hall	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Bob Henderson	....	best boy (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Leo McCreary	....	grip (uncredited)
Kenneth Peach	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	executive wardrobe designer (as Charles LeMaire)
Jesse Munden	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Marjorie Plecher	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	conductor
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Earle Hagen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bernard Mayers	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Gilbert Judge	....	craft serviceman (uncredited)
Betty Levin	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (as Twentieth Century-Fox presents a CinemaScope Picture)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (as 20th Century Fox)
• 20th Century Fox (1959) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• HanseSound (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lenses by
• Deluxe  color by (as De Luxe)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation  CinemaScope is the registered trademark of

Also Known As:

"Leo McCarey's Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | USA:Approved (certificate #19108) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

'Boojum' is a term coined by Lewis Carroll, and first appears in his poem, "The Hunting of the Snark". The 'Snark' (SM-62) was a surface-to-air missile used by the US military. Given the presence of a missile base in the film, it is likely that the term, 'Boojum', was used to make the connection with the real missile.

Goofs:

Continuity: During long shots of the mock-up of the Mayflower approaching the Fourth of July pageant by ocean, the ship is clearly far out at sea. But in close-ups, foliage from nearby land can be seen just a few feet away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My World and Welcome to It: Rally Round the Flag (#1.14)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

America, the Beautiful

Do Newman a favor: Read the book instead

Max Shulman was an absolutely brilliant comic writer/satirist ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "Anybody Got a Match?", etc.). In the mid-50s he published "Rally 'Round The Flag, Boys!" taking on everything from Madison Avenue, the New Haven Railroad, the U.S. Air Force to the space race in a hilarious farce that shows how seemingly unconnected lives, priorities and events can converge to produce a disaster of epic proportions. Even little league gets a drubbing at his hands.

This movie took the title and many of the book's characters. For some reason, the writers and producers chose to discard everything else.

Newman could have been GREAT as Harry Bannerman, harried Peter Pan-type account exec facing the prospect of fatherhood and settling down. Unfortunately, the script sabotaged him. Joanne Woodward is relegated to standing around looking hastled and confused-- probably trying to decide exactly how she's going to kill her agent for getting her into this dog. Veterans like Gale Gordon, Jack Carson and Murvyn Vye are similarly wasted.

The only cast member who doesn't disappoint, strangely enough, is Tuesday Weld as Comfort Goodpasture . . . but then, her character didn't have much to do in the book either, come to think of it.

This is what happens when Hollywood bends over backwards to avoid offending anyone . . . after having purchased the rights to a book that's guaranteed to offend just about everyone.

There is a character named Hoffa in this film. Oscar, not James. Probably the best thing that could be done with this turkey of a movie would be to take the master copy, seal it up in an empty bottle of "Newman's Own," and bury it about six feet under Hoffa. James, not Oscar.