Strictly G.I. (1943) User Reviews

A Precious Snapshot of 1943

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 6 March 2014]

This short is a filmed radio broadcast of Command Performance--one of a series of shows dedicated to American servicemen during WWII. The idea, of course, is to remind soldiers of what they are fighting for. Bob Hope brings out three outstanding examples of American womanhood and facilitates the fantasies of military men from afar.

Betty Hutton's rendition of "Murder, He Says" is full of energy, accented by her quirky but cute facial tics and some jive moves that are a joyous celebration.

Hope then trades jokes with Lana Turner about sizzling steaks. His trademark one-liners are perfect for this radio.

Judy Garland sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"--a real slice of Americana.

All in all, this film is a poignant reminder of how war makes men appreciate the small things. Hollywood did a good job of keeping a happy face for those in harm's way. Viewing this film--and knowing now what horrors faced the servicemen and civilians of the time--is a glimpse back at a schizophrenic world, made all the more precious as a reminder of dedication to the survival of freedoms.

Strictly G.I. is a fine time capsule of some of the best in entertainment during World War II

[tavm · 9/10 · 2 July 2015]

The version I watched on YouTube had a few extra audio clips (accompanied with stills and film from elsewhere) of what the rest of the radio broadcast was like when originally aired live: Bob Hope, the host, also introed an African-American singing group called The Charioteers and Jimmy Durante who did some banter with Hope before singing a song with his trademark asides. Those were pretty entertaining but it's easy to see why the likes of Betty Hutton-singing "Murder, He Says"-Lana Turner-mentioning a steak for dinner which gets brought out by the military guards during her time with Bob-and Judy Garland-belting her signature song, "Over the Rainbow", as well as also doing a couple of sketches with Hope with him impersonating Charles Boyer and James Cagney, a segment also not in the film version-are the ones preserved: they're charming eye candy for the men in uniform though they're also classy ladies while being so. So on that note, I highly recommend this version of Strictly G.I. P.S. This is the first of a series of Betty Hutton film appearances I'm reviewing for the next several weeks.

A nice little time capsule.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 18 December 2016]

This short film was made for the troops serving abroad in order to bolster their spirits. It consists of Bob Hope emceeing a broadcast with Betty Hutton, Lana Turner and Judy Garland.

The best thing about this short, by far, is getting to see and hear Judy Garland singing "Over the Rainbow"...a true classic that melts your heart. The portion with Hutton is simply Hutton doing what she always does...singing VERY loudly and with lots of energy. I know she was popular...but I never particularly enjoyed her musical stylings! And as for Lana, she did not (naturally) sing but traded barbs with Hoppe.

Overall, this is a nice historical time capsule--letting us see some of the top stars of the day doing their part to help the troops.

A great wartime short for the troops!

[coltrane679 · 12 December 2002]

You can find this gem on Turner Classic Movies. Released when more than 2 more years of WWII lie ahead, this is great time capsule from those dark days. Bob Hope is not one of all-time favorites, but he's in top form here, as the radio emcee for 3 of Hollywood's hottest starlets of the time: Betty Hutton, Lana Turner & Judy Garland. Betty is up first, and is unbelievably dynamic in belting out a rousing "Murder, He Said"--this is absolutely top-notch, a show stealer. Next up is Lana, with some brief comic banter with Bob. Finally, it's Judy with a very nice version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (did she ever do any other kind in those days?) It will be a matter of blind luck if you catch this little gem on TCM, but I trust that, like me, you will be glad that you did.

Betty Hutton - WOW!!!!!

[dgz78 · 10/10 · 28 December 2006]

If you catch this on TCM between movies, watch it and enjoy. Seeing Betty Hutton sing Murder, He Said is amazing. I pity anyone that would have to follow her. They say you never want to follow kids or dogs on stage, but it should be you never want to follow Betty Hutton.

Bob Hope does his usual good job as emcee and Lana Turner looks good bantering with Hope. Judy Garland finishes with Somewhere Over The Rainbow and it's interesting to contrast her with Hutton.

Over at The Annie Get Your Gun message board, there's always the debate about whether Garland would have been better than Hutton as Annie. My opinion is that the role called for a big voice like Hutton's and while I admire Garland, Hutton was perfect. This short is a way to compare their styles and make your own decision.

Only 13 minutes long, this is a real gem. Hutton's performance alone will blow you away.

Hutton in a World of Her Own

[Vin-7 · 10/10 · 16 January 2007]

A great short. Hope is fantastic -- his line after Betty Hutton's performance is absolute perfection. Garland is very moving in rendering her signature song, her voice already showing the fault lines that lent her mature vulnerability. And the Hope-Turner steak fry deserves its frequent stand-alone segment in various documentaries as a classic give-and-take of teasing between Hollywood stars.

But Hutton's rendition of "Murder, He Says," in gesture, flinch, crazy dance, crazier grimace and superb Big-Band voice -- worthy of Benny Goodman and Spike Jones at one and the same time -- is beyond comparison. It is the single most entertaining performance of a song I have ever seen.

Quite entertaining

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 7 July 2017]

"Strictly G.I." is a black-and-white short film from 1943, so this one will have its 75th anniversary next year and this is from the days of World War II. You will understand this immediately with the host's early joke about Germans in Russia that was pretty edgy actually. But so is the entire thing. There are also some slightly sexual jokes, which is really nothing you'd expect from a show from the 1940s. Anyway, the host is centenarian Bob Hope, still in the first half of his life, and he is joined by 3 ladies including Betty Hutton early one singing a bit and Judy Garland performing her famous Rainbow song. And even if I like "The Wizard of Oz", the highlight was probably still Lana Turner. She is frying a steak here, which for me as a vegetarian was not so great, but her bantering and verbal exchange with Hope was pretty hilarious. I was close to giving this a ****/***** even, but eventually due to subjective reasons I described earlier I will keep it at ***. Nonetheless, this was a good watch and much better than most full feature films I have seen from that time and also better like other popular stuff like the Three Stooges. Oh yeah, it only runs for 12.5 minutes though, at least the version i saw, not for 20 as it says on IMDb. Go check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Worth Searching For

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

Strictly G.I. (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Bob Hope hosts this filmed broadcast of "Command Performance", which also features Betty Hutton, Lana Turner and Judy Garland. I'd be lying if I said I was a big fan of Hope but he's very funny in this short and Hutton sings a great version of Murder, He Said. Garland sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

Turner Classic Movies shows this every once in a while so if you're a fan of the cast then you should certainly keep your eyes open. Hopefully Warner will get around to releasing this one day on one of their box sets.

other episodes?

[gnohmon5 · 16 February 2011]

this is the worst of 3 versions of 'murder he said' ever captured on film.

other episodes of the series would be appreciated.

the requitr4men of ten lines has maximal bogosity, bogus.

the bob hope 'unravel' comment is here.

other episodes please . . .

more episodes? it is sad that no other episodes are available.

more please ? i have said enough.

how to get 10 lines? no more needs to be said! ten lines 1...

ten 2'/ ten 3.