Tell It to the Marines

TELL IT TO THE MARINES (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1926) directed by George Hill, stars Lon Chaney, best known as 'The Man of a Thousand Faces' in one of his rare on screen performances where one of his thousand faces happens to be his own. With such classic film roles as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" or "The Phantom of the Opera" over at Universal, Chaney remains the master of many disguises. For this military theme, Chaney assumes star billing while William Haines takes control of the story from start to finish.

The plot unfolds through title card introduction: "Almost every train bound for the Marine base at San Diego, California, carries a prospective Marine ... some fellow fresh from the country or fresher from some city." The fresh fellow in question is George Burns, better known as "Skeet" (William Haines), first seen sleeping in his berth on a train bound for San Diego. On a pretext of joining the Marines so to get free travel connection to Tijuana, Skeet encounters Sergeant O'Hara (Lon Chaney) at the train station, but manages to break away from being recruited by being chased to the next train out. Returning from Tijuana to San Diego without any money, Skeet, in need of food and shelter, heads over to the base where he enlists, thus, marking the start of his four year stretch with the Leathernecks. Failing to take the Marines seriously, Skeet, the nervy misfit, eventually makes a play for Norma Dale (Eleanor Boardman), a nurse who's "one of the few people who had seen Sergeant O'Hara smile." In spite of his devotion to Norma, it is up to O'Hara to discipline this new recruit every which way he can.

Being the first motion picture made with full cooperation of the United States Marine Corps, TELL IT TO THE MARINES ranks one of the finer motion pictures of this nature. A fine mix of comedy, romance and military action, the film set the pattern for William Haines' character. Becoming an overnight star as the wisecracking recruit, his latter roles would become similar portrayals to what was performed here, especially that as a cadet in WEST POINT (MGM, 1927) opposite Joan Crawford, or as a sailor in NAVY BLUES (MGM, 1929). Haines would conclude his movie career in an independent production of THE MARINES ARE COMING (Mascot, 1935). Regardless of brash recruit vs. tough sergeant (Conrad Nagel), the latter film was neither a remake nor a sequel to TELL IT TO THE MARINES, though it could had been one or the other. Not all Haines movies have military setting, but many of his characters portrayed could very well be Skeet Burns recycled. As for Lon Chaney, he always managed to make his characters likable and believable. TELL IT TO THE MARINES is further indication to what Chaney can do, being an actor of many roles. His facial expressions says everything about the character he plays, especially that one scene where he wipes away his tear, looks around, then resumes his rough and tough exterior. He and Haines work well together for their last time on screen. They initially appeared in the now lost movie, THE TOWER OF LIES (1925) starring the up-and-coming Norma Shearer.

Other members of the cast include Carmel Myers as Zaya, a native girl with flirtatious intentions during the Singapore sequence; Warner Oland (best known as 'Charlie Chan' in the popular film series of the 1930s) as the Chinese bandit leader; Frank Currier as General Wilcox; and Eddie Gribbon as Corporal Madden.

Long unseen for several decades, TELL IT TO THE MARINES finally sufficed on cable TV's Turner Classic Movies where it premiered October 24, 2000. Its newly composed and excellent orchestral score by Robert Israel makes this 105 minute silent movie presentation worth watching. Highly recommended. Tell it to the Marines. (***)

This is one of Lon Chaney's finest performances. It also shows that MGM Production chief, Irving Thalberg, was not afraid to cast Chaney in a "no-makeup-role." Chaney gives a tough, yet endearing performance as the tough-but-loveable Marine sergeant.

It was MGM's second highest grossing picture (next to Garbo's "Flesh & the Devil"), earning over $6.1 million. But the Marines gave Chaney his highest praise for his role: he became the FIRST actor to be made an honorary member of the US Marine Corps.

I found this film enjoyable for many reasons. One, I'm finding that silent films were much, much more than Charlie Chaplin and the Keystone Kops, that dramas and low-key comedy were much better than I had thought. Growing up in Culver City, I am always fascinated with location shooting as well, seeing my home town and surrounding cities decades before I was born in the background gives me a kick. In this film, however, there's the added bonus of MCRD San Diego in all it's glory, 48 years before I myself attended boot camp and became a U.S. Marine there. I knew the camp was old, but to see it then when it had to be fairly new was great. I do hope they release this film on DVD, and ten stars to the people at TCM for continuing to share these wonderful rarities without chopping them to pieces. Semper Fi

A tough-as-shoe-leather sergeant patiently molds a rambunctious, rowdy youth into a sturdy Marine.

Available again after decades of obscurity, TELL IT TO THE MARINES is a wonderful, rousing paean to America's famous fighting force. Produced with the full cooperation of the Corps, it surges with heartfelt emotion & genuine excitement. It is the kind of film which should be shown to skeptics who doubt the power of silent cinema to satisfy a modern audience.

Lon Chaney is beyond praise as the hard-boiled Sergeant O'Hara, who loves the Corps and all that is stands for, but still has a tender heart and a good soul hidden beneath his rough exterior. This was Chaney's favorite role and he plays it without any of the extravagant make-up for which he was so famous. A superb character actor, Chaney became the parts he played. Completely believable, he fascinates the viewer into forgetting that this is an actor they are watching. His early death robbed him from rightfully enjoying the accolades & acclaim which other actors, like Chaplin, reaped in old age.

TELL IT TO THE MARINES provided the celebrity-making role for young William Haines and in it he practically revels in the silly billy antics that would dominate the rest of his movie career. In 1930, only 4 years after the release of this film, Chaney would be dead at the age of 47 and Haines would be the industry's top box office male. Things move fast in Hollywood.

Eleanor Boardman is perfect as the crisp Navy nurse who harbors tender feelings for both men. Carmel Myers is the exotic, albeit flea ridden, native girl who tempts Haines. Warner Oland has a small, flashy role as a despicable Chinese bandit. Movie mavens will recognize Willie Fung unbilled as a servant translating for Oland.

And what was the Marines' reaction to this film? They loved it, and especially Chaney's performance in it and he became the first actor to be awarded an honorary membership in the Corps.

The film's shipboard sequences were filmed on the mighty USS California, later to be sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Where was Lon Chaney when they needed him?

TELL IT TO THE MARINES has been restored to pristine condition & given a rousing new score by Robert Israel.

In the only film that Lon Chaney ever made without makeup of any sort, he and William Haines laid the ground work for many a service comedy in the sound era. Had this been done at Warner Brothers a few years later, the parts that Chaney and Haines have would have been played by Pat O'Brien and James Cagney.

Tell It To The Marines finds William Haines as a fresh young recruit enlisting in the Marines on almost a whim in San Diego. Once they've got his signature on the dotted line, Haines comes under the tender charge of sergeant Lon Chaney. The two go through training, sea duty, and rescuing some missionaries while posted in Shanghai.

They've also interest in the same girl, Navy nurse Eleanor Boardman and if you've seen any of the Cagney-O'Brien films you know who she's going to wind up with. Haines also dallies a bit with South Sea native girl Carmel Myers and his attentions start a small war on that said island.

A few years away from being cast as Chinese detective Charlie Chan, Warner Oland plays a lean and mean Chinese bandit chief, threatening the lives of all and virtue of the females at a Chinese mission. Americans were very sensitive on that subject, giving money at collection time at church services for Chinese missions. Back then it seemed like every church in America was sponsoring a missionary in China.

Though it's not a genre that the silent screen was especially known for, Tell It To The Marines is a rollicking good service comedy and a nice change of pace for the Man of a Thousand Faces to be seen as his own true self.