Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919)

Behind enemy lines, Captain Bob White disguises himself as a woman in order to fool members of the German High Command, including the Kaiser himself.

Director:

F. Richard Jones (as Richard Jones)

Writer:

Mack Sennett (story)

Stars:

Bothwell Browne, Ford Sterling, Malcolm St. Clair

Cast

Cast overview:
Bothwell Browne	...	Captain Bob White
Ford Sterling	...	Kaiser Bill
Malcolm St. Clair	...	The Crown Prince Freddy (as Mal St. Clair)
Bert Roach	...	Von Hindenburg
Eva Thatcher	...	The Kaiserin
Marie Prevost	...	A Daughter of Belgium
Ben Turpin	...	A Prussian Guardsman
Charles Murray	...	An Irish-American Soldier (as Charlie Murray)
Chester Conklin	...	Officer of Death's Head Hussars
Heinie Conklin	...	Prussian Guard Drill Leader (as Charles Lynn)
Joseph Belmont	...	Von Tirpitz (as Baldy Belmont)

Storyline

Captain Bob White, an American aviator is sent on a dangerous mission to Germany to steal the enemy's plans for an expected drive. Bob impersonates a woman in order to entrap the Kaiser whose weakness for women is well known. Bob flirts with the Kaiser, Hindenburg, and the Crown Prince, and each one becomes jealous of the others. Bob lures the Kaiser to his downfall with an Oriental dance. Hindenburg tells the Kaiser's wife that her husband is visiting a woman in her chambers, and the results prove disastrous for all three men. Bob eventually gains the military secrets and the enemy is defeated in time.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | paul von hindenburg character | kaiser | aviation | world war one | 

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Taglines:

'YANKEE DOODLE IN BERLIN' Is the Funniest, Jazziest, Shimmiest, Most Daring, astounding, Laugh Producing and Breath Taking Comedy Ever Produced by that Past Master of Film Fun Makers. (Print Ad- Watertown Daily Times, ((Watertown NY)) 5 February 1920)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1919 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Kaiser's Last Squeal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mack Sennett Comedies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min 55 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lots of stock shots of Curtiss Jennies (JN-4), clearly not operating in the main US sphere of action in North East France. Several are shown precision bombing German positions apparently 100 miles behind the front line.

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Quotes

The Crown Prince Freddy: Hindy's picking on me again.

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Connections

Featured in The Moving Picture Boys in the Great War (1975)

User Reviews

Oddly timed...and not particularly funny.

This war comedy came out in March, 1919...four months after WWI had ended. Because of this, I am pretty sure the film was not nearly as successful as it might have been had it come out before the November, 1918 Armistice. By 1919, many folks were sick of the war and I am sure they just wanted to forget it and get on with their lives. Plus, the very broad humor and very obvious propaganda seemed ill-timed coming out long after the benefits of such a movie could have been felt.

Now if this isn't enough, I must say that "Yankee Doodle in Berlin" is not a particularly funny film. The humor is rather broad and at nearly an hour in length, the picture seems to drag. Normally, a Keystone comedy lasted 20 minutes or less (often much less) and so seeing many of the familiar studio stars lost its appeal after a while. About the only strength is to history buffs...especially as a few actually looked like the actual Germans (such as General Von Hindenburg and Admiral Tirpitz). Still, this only makes this a curiosity and not a particularly fun or enjoyable film. My overall score of 3 might just be a bit generous...and I love silent comedies.