Navy Blues (1937)

When Navy shipmates Russell J. "Rusty" Gibbs, Gerald "Biff" Jones, Chips and Gateleg go on shore leave, lady-killer Rusty is challenged by his friends to take dowdy librarian Doris Kimbell ... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Staub

Writers:

Gordon Kahn (original screenplay), Eric Taylor (original screenplay)

Stars:

Dick Purcell, Mary Brian, Warren Hymer

Cast

Cast overview:
Dick Purcell	...	Russell J. 'Rusty' Gibbs
Mary Brian	...	Doris Kimbell
Warren Hymer	...	Gerald 'Biff' Jones
Joe Sawyer	...	Chips (as Joseph Sawyer)
Edward Woods	...	Julian Everett
Horace McMahon	...	Gateleg (as Horace MacMahon)
Chester Clute	...	Uncle Andrew
Lucile Gleason	...	Aunt Beulah (as Lucille Gleason)
Ruth Fallows	...	Goldie
Alonzo Price	...	Dr. Crowley
Mel Ruick	...	Lawson
Carleton Young	...	Spencer

Storyline

When Navy shipmates Russell J. "Rusty" Gibbs, Gerald "Biff" Jones, Chips and Gateleg go on shore leave, lady-killer Rusty is challenged by his friends to take dowdy librarian Doris Kimbell to the Crow's Nest Cafe, a popular Navy hangout. Accepting the bet, Rusty is soon at the library trying to romance an unimpressed Doris. As a cover, Rusty checks out a book on algebra in which Doris' beau, Julian Everett, is unusually interested. The two men escort Doris home, where Rusty receives a chilly reception from Doris' aunt, Beulah Wayne, who disapproves of common sailors. Rusty lies to them, saying that he is a candidate for Annapolis, although actually he is too old, and Doris is impressed enough to go walking on the beach with him the next day. He makes another date with her, but Chips and Gateleg tell the family the truth about Rusty not really being an Annapolis candidate. When Rusty goes to pick up Doris, she gives him the cold shoulder, but he lies to her again, telling her that he ...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

User Reviews

Wow---am I really the first person to comment on this film?!

This navy comedy concerns the adventures of several men on shore leave--and in particular, Dick Purcell as he woos a bookish librarian in order to win a bet. However, his lying and scheming to get the girl has unintended consequences--he actually does fall for the girl and he gets mixed up with a group of spies! I have never seen this film on television nor have I seen it on video. The way I learned about it was finding a public domain copy on the internet that I was able to copy and show on my DVD player. I've tried this with quite a few films lately and most of them were pretty bad, so I know why they are in the public domain and free to copy. However, this film really isn't bad at all and compared to other military comedies it's actually better than most. That's because although it had a modest budget, it was written very well and had many cute twists and turns you wouldn't normally expect from a B-movie.

An interesting note is that one of the sailors is played by Joe Sawyer who made a name for himself a few years later playing Sgt. Ames in Hal Roach military comedies along with William Tracy. The character he plays in this film is very similar to the one he played for Roach.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1937 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1