Baby Blue Marine (1976)

A would-be Marine fails basic training, and is sent home wearing the "baby blue" fatigues of a washout. En route, he is mugged by a battle-fatigued Marine Raider, who leaves him to hitch-hike home in an undeserved hero's uniform.

Director:

John D. Hancock (as John Hancock)

Writer:

Stanford Whitmore

Stars:

Jan-Michael Vincent, Glynnis O'Connor, Katherine Helmond

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Marion
Glynnis O'Connor	...	Rose
Katherine Helmond	...	Mrs. Hudkins
Dana Elcar	...	Sheriff Wenzel
Bert Remsen	...	Mr. Hudkins
Bruno Kirby	...	Pop Mosley (as B. Kirby Jr.)
Richard Gere	...	Raider
Art Lund	...	Mr. Elmore
Michael Conrad	...	Drill Instructor
Allan Miller	...	Capt. Bittman
Michael LeClair	...	Barney Hudkins
Will Seltzer	...	Pvt. Phelps
Kenneth Tobey	...	Buick Driver (as Ken Tobey)
Lelia Goldoni	...	Mrs. Townsley
Marshall Efron	...	Cook

Storyline

A young man joins the Marines during WWII but fails to meet qualifications so is washed out and sent home in a light blue uniform which apparently indicates his status. He meets a real war vet in a bar who wants to go AWOL because he is afraid to be sent back. The Vet mugs the young man in the alley and takes his clothes ,leaving him the war vet uniform to wear. The young man hitchhikes towards home but on the way he stops in a small Colorado mountain town and people think he is a war hero so he gets free food and so forth. A waitress at the cafe invites him home stay with her family an he falls in love. Curiously there is a supposed WWII American-Japanese internment camp very nearby in the woods and some scenes are included that make you think it is important to the plot. In reality there never was any such camps in the woods near a town. The only Colorado camp was near Granada in the bleak wilderness areas of the dry flats of Colorado. Later three American-Japanese teen boys escape ...

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Plot Keywords:

marine | basic training | three word title | color in title | internment camp | 

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Taglines:

In 1943 courage was something you found. Love was something you won.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film (uncredited) of John Drew Barrymore. NOTE: After finishing this film he left the industry and became a recluse for the next 25 years.

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Goofs

During the flag ceremony at the Japaneses Internment Camp, the wrong bugle call is sounded. They are lowering the flag at the end of the day, and that is called a "Retreat" ceremony. The bugle call you are hearing is, "Retreat", which is the first of two bugle calls that are sounded. When "Retreat" is sounded, it lets everyone know to stop and face towards the flag. The salute isn't presented until the second bugle call, "To The Colors", begins, as the flag is being lowered. In this movie, we never actually hear the bugle call, "To The Colors".

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Connections

Features Dark Victory (1939)

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Soundtracks

I'LL BE SEEING YOU
By Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain
Sung by Fred Karlin

User Reviews

Too Many Threads, Great Acting In the Minor Roles (Spoliers)

The opening was okay, the Marine Sergeant Michael Conrad, was convincing, the squad of rookie Marines were not, a wasted 20 opening minutes, I must have blinked because I never saw the star booted out of the Marines and what for was never mentioned. The next major scene was strange beyond belief, this is the bar scene with the guy wearing a full Marines outfit (Richard Gere) and our hero Jan Michael Vincent, wearing an odd looking blue suit carrying no hand luggage but intending to cross the US to 'see the country'. Then outside the same bar Gere the Marine steals Vincent crazy Joe blue suit, with Gere exchanging it for a full Marine Uniform, all crisp and new with hero's medals and combat badges. Explain that to your mother age 68. In this small role Richard Gere looked creepy, I thought he was a male prostitute but have read "he was deserting the Marines". Vincent puts the Marines suit on and looks a million dollars in it, walking away from the bar he passes the alleged hard man in the street who wanted to fight a Marine. Him. And off course Vincent knocks this guy out with a punch only Rocky Marciano could throw. That was one scene that should have been cut. We then have the hitchhiking scenes, the Sheriff Dana Elcar who gave our hero a lift came across as a professional star actor, he was (he should have had an Oscar tattooed on his forehead after this film) so should the 5 leading villagers in this alleged Bidwell Township, including and especially the Norwegian looking guy who had lost his son in WW2, and the bereaved mother at the fairground. In the Bidwell café the film at last then took off with the arrival of Rosie the waitress, Glynnis O'Conner. We then watched the pretend Rosie the waitress family saving this load of %^%$£$ film, apart from her role nothing gelled and nothing was convincing. The star of this film was Glynne O'Conner, and the townsfolk who all went on to having great careers. There wasa guy sneaking about Bruno Kirby, whose role should have been cut. I loved viewing the 3 huge snow capped mountains in the outdoors backdrop (a great set for a Climb every mountain scene with Rosie playing a young Von Trapp singer heading for Nashville, this scenery had shades of Alan Ladds film, Shane here. This film would have worked better with the straight forward simple story of a failed Marine, an honest to God guy who tried hard to join the Marines and failed, a man who was now down on his luck, drifting across America seeking work (Grapes of Wrath echos wantedhere) and a man adopted by the townsfolk. Even the film title was crazy, it should have been "The Cowardly Hero". Barely watchable on a cold wet day in Downtown England.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Baby Blue Marine

Filming Locations:

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1