At War with the Army (1950)

Alvin Corwin is low man on the totem pole, and goes from one mishap to another at an army training camp in World War II.

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

James B. Allardice (based on a play by), Fred F. Finklehoffe (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Mike Kellin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Martin	...	1st Sgt. Vic Puccinelli
Jerry Lewis	...	Pfc. Alvin Korwin
Mike Kellin	...	Sgt. McVey
Jimmie Dundee	...	Eddie
Dick Stabile	...	Pvt. Pokey
Tommy Farrell	...	Cpl. Clark
Frank Hyers	...	Cpl. Shaughnessy
Danny Dayton	...	Supply Sgt. Miller (as Dan Dayton)
William Mendrek	...	Capt. Ernest Caldwell
Kenneth Forbes	...	Lt. Davenport
Paul Livermore	...	Pvt. Jack Edwards
Ty Perry	...	Lt. Terray
Jean Ruth	...	Millie
Angela Greene	...	Mrs. Deborah Caldwell
Polly Bergen	...	Helen Palmer

Storyline

Alvin Corwin is low man on the totem pole, and goes from one mishap to another at an army training camp in World War II.

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Plot Keywords:

military | u.s. army | soldier | u.s. soldier | 20th century | 

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Taglines:

America's Funniest Guys Are GI's!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

El tonto del batallón

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fred F. Finklehoffe Productions, Screen Associates Inc., York Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Mike Kellin.

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Goofs

You don't render a hand salute indoors. And you don't render a hand salute to an uncovered officer. He should have come to attention until he was put at ease.

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Quotes

Cpl. Clark: Ours is not to reason why. Ours but to do or die.
Millie: That's cute!

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Connections

Featured in E! True Hollywood Story: Dean Martin (1999)

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Soundtracks

You and Your Beautiful Eyes
Lyrics by Mack David
Music by Jerry Livingston
Sung by Dean Martin and Polly Bergen

User Reviews

A slow start...

This is Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' first STARRING film--some reviews have said that this was their first film, though this was "My Friend Irma" from the previous year and "My Friend Irma Goes West" came out a few months before "At War With the Army". Because it was such an early film, the style and chemistry of the movie certainly isn't what you might expect for the team. The first big difference you'll notice is Jerry's musical number in his first scene! The next is that there really isn't much chemistry between them--as if it's a "Martin VERSUS Lewis" film! All too often, Dean yells at Jerry--and there's nothing all that funny about this. Any sort of camaraderie between them is missing. And, oddly, Jerry plays a guy who is married! The film is an army comedy--a type of film that was very popular around 1940-1941 but had a bit of a resurgence in the 1950s--with films like this one, "No Time for Sergeants" and "Jumping Jacks". Compared to such classic films as these plus "Caught in the Draft", "Buck Privates" and "Tanks a Million", "At War With the Army" comes up very short--mostly because it just doesn't have the laughs or chemistry the other films had.

Before joining the Army, Jerry and Dean had been friends. Now, Dean's a sergeant and Jerry is a lowly private. And, quite often, Dean bosses Jerry about--sort of like some sort of slave. But most of the film consists of Jerry doing his thing and Dean doing his--and not at all like a team. As a result, the overall plot isn't particularly good but the viewer instead is waiting for good moments--little gems that appear here and there. One of the best is seeing Jerry in drag--he made a very, very interesting (and hairy) blonde! The reaction of everyone in the bar was priceless! And, some of the songs aren't bad. But again, these are only moments within an otherwise humdrum film.

Overall, this is a film that is a must-see for Martin & Lewis fans...otherwise, eminently skip-worthy!