Complete credited cast: | |||
Tab Hunter | ... | Andy L. Shaeffer | |
Natalie Wood | ... | Susan Daniels | |
Jessie Royce Landis | ... | Mrs. Madeline Shaeffer | |
Jim Backus | ... | Sgt. Hanna | |
Henry Jones | ... | Hanson | |
Murray Hamilton | ... | Sgt. Clyde | |
Alan King | ... | Maguire | |
James Garner | ... | Preston | |
David Janssen | ... | Capt. Genaro | |
Vinton Hayworth | ... | Arthur Shaeffer | |
Budd Knapp | ... | Congressman Hardison (as Wilfred Knapp) | |
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Les Johnson | ... | Lt. Taylor |
Raymond Bailey | ... | General | |
Florenz Ames | ... | Mr. Hillaby | |
Fredd Wayne | ... | Sgt. Sheridan |
College students Andy Shaeffer and Susan Daniels are pinned. While Susan works hard to put herself through college, Andy sponges off his parents, his mother, Madeline Shaeffer, who in particular will give him whatever he wants. In other words, Andy is a mama's boy, which he doesn't really realize. Andy and Susan have used the word love to describe their relationship, but Susan isn't sure if that's what they are really feeling for each other or if it is solely a loveless passion. And if it is love, she isn't sure their relationship can survive without Andy taking some ownership of his life. The near end of their relationship, initiated by Susan, leads to Andy starting to flunk out of college, which in turn makes Andy a prime candidate to be drafted. During basic training at Camp Ord, California, Andy makes it clear to his superiors and his fellow privates that he doesn't want to be there and will do only what is requested of him without any extra effort. His superiors and fellow ... Written by Huggo
Referred to by both its leading players as The Girl With The Left Behind this is by no means a great movie but one certainly better than its sullied reputation would lead you to believe.
A large part of that bad rep comes via its two stars, Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood. A large portion of their distaste for this and several of their other co-starring pictures is surely attributable to the fact that they were contract players at the time and handed one indifferent script after another until Natalie graduated to A level stardom and Tab left the studio.
The film itself is an innocuous trifle about a selfish spoiled young man who has a problem with authority and the pains he and the officers over him suffer when he's drafted. Hardly a new plot or revolutionarily enacted this is stuffed with excellent character actors all contributing fun performances. A few standouts are Jessie Royce Landis as Tab's addled mother, Murray Hamilton as his exasperated direct superior and Henry Jones as an amiable cohort. Natalie's disregard for the film is understandable though since she's handed one of the nothing girl parts she had to endure while toiling her way to the top.
An unremarkable studio product this is still an enjoyable picture.