Sailor Beware (1952)

Although allergic to kissing girls, Seaman Melvin Jones, through a fluke TV appearance, gets the undeserved reputation of a great kisser dubbed "Mr. Temptation" and is pursued by amorous young females.

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

James B. Allardice (screenplay) (as James Allardice), Martin Rackin (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Corinne Calvet

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dean Martin	...	Al Crowthers
Jerry Lewis	...	Melvin Jones
Corinne Calvet	...	Corinne Calvet
Marion Marshall	...	Hilda Jones
Robert Strauss	...	CPO Lardoski
Leif Erickson	...	Cmdr. Lane
Don Wilson	...	Mr. Chubby
Vince Edwards	...	Blayden (as Vincent Edwards)
Skip Homeier	...	Mac
Dan Barton	...	'Bama
Mike Mahoney	...	Tiger
Mary Treen	...	Ginger

Storyline

Because of a misunderstanding Melvin Jones is inducted into the Navy despite his numerous allergies. When appearing on a TV show sponsored by a lipstick manufacturer, fluke circumstances cause him to be perceived as an irresistibly great kisser by viewers, and he is undeservedly hyped in the media as "Mr. Temptation." His shipmates bet their pay that he can get Corinne Calvet, a sexy French chanteuse, to kiss him. Despite his allergy toward kissing girls, he tries not to let them down even though it threatens his relationship with girlfriend Hilda.

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Plot Keywords:

dancing | slapstick comedy | tap dancing | navy | undeserved reputation | 

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Taglines:

Man the laugh-preservers ... lower the roar-boats ! Everybody's going overboard ... for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

At Sea with the Navy

Filming Locations:

Naval Training Center, San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wallis-Hazen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Dean has an uncredited part as the boxing opponent's second.

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Goofs

Near the beginning of the film, the recruiting officer gets squirted and the stain jumps around 3 or 4 times.

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Quotes

Hilda Jones: Everybody should donate to the blood bank. What type are you?
Melvin Jones: Oh, the quiet type. I go to bed at nine o'clock, see a movie now and then, read some books, play checkers...
Hilda Jones: No! I mean what kind of blood have you?
Melvin Jones: Red.

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Connections

Remake of The Fleet's In (1942)

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Soundtracks

SAY SI SI
(uncredited)
Music by Ernesto Lecuona
English Lyrics by Al Stillman

User Reviews

Nostalgia Rulez

This B&W film reached the spartan movie house of my Frisian village about 18 months after its release. In those days much of our full-length comedy fare hailed from Denmark (Nils Poppe anyone?) so this movie struck like a thunderbolt -- it had me weeping with helpless mirth, ROTFL as we'd now put it. OK, so some of the sight gags were in fact recycled vaudeville 'schtick', but how was this 'barefoot boy with cheeks of brass' to know that at the time? In any case, my favorite scenes had Jerry's unique brand of frantic clowning, like that Hawaii boxing match.

Seeing "Sailor Beware" again fifty years later I still guffawed loudly at the goings-on. Granted, without the nostalgia component it would probably be just another fair-to-middling comedy. But then, another movie that once had me in stitches even more helplessly, the Spike Jones outing "Fireman Save My Child", now seems dated and stilted apart from some too-short orchestra bits and Doodles Weaver scenes. Must be some special ingredient that makes Martin & Lewis product stay fresher longer. To me this one at least rates eight out of ten.