The Girl He Left Behind (1956)

Privileged college student Andy Shaeffer is a mama's boy who flunks out of school and is drafted by the army where he becomes a real man, to the astonishment of everyone.

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Guy Trosper (screenplay), Marion Hargrove (novel)

Stars:

Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Jessie Royce Landis

Cast

Cast overview:
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)
Les Johnson	...	Lt. Taylor
Raymond Bailey	...	General
Florenz Ames	...	Mr. Hillaby
Fredd Wayne	...	Sgt. Sheridan

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

five word title | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | soldier | u.s. army | training | 

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Taglines:

A couple of teenagers and their kiss-and-run battle!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1957 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The Girl He Left Behind

Filming Locations:

The Pentagon - 48 N. Rotary Road, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Wood had originally intended to attend the 1956 Academy Awards with Raymond Burr as her date. Warner Brothers, however, felt that Wood's perceived involvement with a much older man appeared unseemly. The studio instead forced her to attend the ceremony with her co-star for this film, Tab Hunter.

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Goofs

Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) is the motto of the U.S. Army's Eleventh Infantry Regiment, as well as the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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Quotes

Mrs. Madeline Shaeffer: I'm here to see my son.
Military Policeman: Yes, ma'am. What outfit is he in?
Mrs. Madeline Shaeffer: Outfit? I suppose just the regular thing a soldier wears.
Military Policeman: I mean what company is he in ma'am?
Mrs. Madeline Shaeffer: Well, only the best, I'm sure. He was never a boy to run around.

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Connections

Referenced in The Story of Esther Costello (1957)

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Soundtracks

The Caisson Song
(uncredited)
Music by Edmund L. Gruber
Played at the end ceremony

User Reviews

A movie with an undeserved bad rep

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.