The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968)

Sgt. O'Farrell an Army soldier on an island in the South Pacific during World War II is trying to bring the two basics of life to his fellow servicemen, women and beer. The supply ship ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Robert M. Fresco (story), John L. Greene (story),

Stars:

Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Jeffrey Hunter

Cast

Cast overview:
Bob Hope	...	Sgt. Dan O'Farrell
Phyllis Diller	...	Nurse Nellie Krause
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Lt. (J.G.) Lyman P. Jones
Mylène Demongeot	...	Gabby
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Maria (as Miss Gina Lollobrigida)
John Myhers	...	Lt. Comdr. Roger Snavely
Mako	...	Calvin Coolidge Ishimura
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Rear Admiral Arthur L. Stokes
Dick Sargent	...	Capt. Elwood Prohaska
Christopher Dark	...	Pvt. George Strongbow
Michael Burns	...	Pvt. Johnny Bannon
William Wellman Jr.	...	Corporal Kennedy
Robert Donner	...	Marine Pvt. Ogg
Jack Grinnage	...	Private Roberts
William Christopher	...	Pvt. Jake Schultz

Storyline

Sgt. O'Farrell an Army soldier on an island in the South Pacific during World War II is trying to bring the two basics of life to his fellow servicemen, women and beer. The supply ship carrying the beer is torpedoed and the contingent of nurses consists of six males and ugly nurse Nellie Krause. If he could at least try to salvage the shipment of beer.

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Plot Keywords:

irish american | sergeant | character name in title

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Taglines:

Don't fire 'til YOU SEE THE REDS OF THEIR EYES!

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cerveza para todos

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Beck-Naho Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

As is typical of Hope's period comedies, there are many anachronistic gags in the film; e.g. references to television re-runs, a reference to Burt Lancaster in 'From Here to Eternity', the hairstyles of the women and the bathing suit worn by Gina Lollobrigida.

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Quotes

Pvt. Johnny Bannon: Sarge, movie starts in about five minutes. It's a double feature, Sarge. Two Bing Crosby pictures.
Sgt. Dan O'Farrell: Bite your tongue.

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Connections

Spoofs From Here to Eternity (1953)

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Soundtracks

"So Long, My Darling"
(uncredited)
[played over the end credits]

User Reviews

An unambitious, pleasant little comedy

I have never expected a great deal from Bob Hope's comedies and know perfectly well that his films were meant to amuse their audiences in a lighthearted, unpretentious way. Hope was always the same as an actor but even his sameness was somewhat brilliant and I tend to like him. I remember having had lots of fun seeing THE PALEFACE, Paris HOLIDAY, BACHELOR IN PARADISE and other of his films. THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT. O'FARRELL is just an average effort. Frank Tashlin was an excellent director but this is not one of his major comedies. The plot could have resulted in a more substantial screenplay, in better devised and more entertaining comic scenes. The film has an obvious 60's look and no effort was made to give it a more authentic 40's atmosphere. Hope and Diller are their usual selves, and occasionally make one laugh. Gina Lollobrigida is as beautiful as ever but has very little to do. As usual, she is merely seen as a decorative presence. She could be so much more, as we know from films such as COME September, HOTEL PARADISO and BUONA SERA, MRS. CAMPBELL. Mylène Demongeot does a sort of cameo. It would have been to the film's advantage to give her more screen time.