The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Jack Webb

Writer:

William Bowers (writer)

Release Date:

30 October 1961 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | War

Tagline:

He's the Private With a Private Jeep...a Private Stock of Girls...and a Private Joke on the Whole U.S. Army!

Plot:

Two Air Force friends have fun during their enlistment. |

Plot Keywords:

Military | Soldier | Male Female Relationship | Executive | Airforce

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Archie Hall
Jack Webb	...	William 'Bill' Bowers
Martha Hyer	...	Peggy Kramer
France Nuyen	...	Cindy Hamilton
Louis Nye	...	Pvt. Sam Beacham
Joe Flynn	...	Pvt. Russell Drexler
Del Moore	...	Pvt. Frank Ostrow
Jimmy Lydon	...	Pvt. Billy Simpson (as James Lydon)
Richard Arlen	...	Col. Edwin Martin
Don Knotts	...	Capt. Harry Little
Robert Strauss	...	MSgt. Stanley Erlenheim
Harvey Lembeck	...	Duty Sgt. Malcolm Greenbriar
Claudia Barrett	...	Lola
Theona Bryant	...	Daphne
Elaine Devry	...	Carole (as Elaine Davis)

Runtime:

USA:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12

Company:

Manzanita Productions

Trivia:

The main character is based on Arch Hall Sr., director and star of films such as Eegah (1962) and Wild Guitar (1962), and was an Army buddy of the film's writer. Hall was indeed a pilot, as is his son, Arch Hall Jr. Hall was aware his friend Bowers was writing the script and was flattered and pleased. Once the film was completed and in release, Hall sued the producers of this movie for invasion of privacy. The suit was apparently dropped or settled out of court. Bowers, writing later about his friend and the incident, not only bore Hall no malice, he thought Hall's actions were consistently in character for the sharpie with whom he'd served in uniform.

Last Time We Saw Jack Webb On Theater Screens

By 1960, "Dragnet" had been cancelled, and so had all of Mark VII LTD's other TV series. Webb's intention was to do theatrical films from now on. Then he made this film.

"The Last Time I Saw Archie" is a series of comedy vignettes hooked on a true life situation - a stateside camp consisting of "leftovers" from a program designed to train pilots too old for combat duty during WWII. (The program was cancelled because the war was winding down.) Robert Mitchum plays Pvt. Archie Hall, a schemer who manages to convince everyone around him that he's more important than his rank indicates. Webb is Pvt. Bill Bowers (the same man who wrote the screenplay), the buddy who goes along for the ride. During the course of the film, Archie avoids all the mundane duties of military life, finds girlfriends for himself and Bowers, and secures an unrestricted pass and a private jeep.

FACTOID: The film was Webb's most expensive production; it cost about $2 million. It was also his biggest flop, grossing about $1.2 million. Webb would never again make a theatrical feature. Five years later, he'd be back to playing Sgt. Friday.