We've Never Been Licked

Typical WWII tear jerker. If you are part of the generation that came of age around that era you'll still get some goosebumps when you see it even though it is really quite corny. I just wished I knew when it was ever going to be on TV again so I could tape it.

A bit of trivia, my mother was enrolled at Texas Women's College when this movies was filmed. Many Texas Women's College girls appeared in the dance scene in Sbisa, but because the female lead was wearing a light colored dress and all the girls in lighter colors were left out and they had to remove their shoes to not interfere with the sound recording.

And it wasn't Victor Mature claiming it was his worst film on Johnny Carson Tonight Show. Noah Beery would go on to star in the Rockford Files. I forget what the deal with the Japanese was. I personally like the remake with Robert DeNiro better even tough I can't stand him as a person.

There was a time when everyone in the United States was truly "united" following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was no doubt about what had to be done, and the military might of the U.S. was there to do the job. In the wake of 9-11, there was another groundswell of patriotic feeling, but over time we have forgotten how priceless are our freedoms and how they have been protected over the years. This film reminds the history student (or anyone who has listened to their ancestors) of how real a threat can be. Cadet Craig, for reasons of nobility and integrity, sacrificed himself and his reputation for his country, his family and his alma mater. Who would do such a thing today? Maybe the first responders on 9-11; the threat in 1942 was real, the threat in the 21st century is real. This film reminds us of heroes, and duty, and country. It is well worth your time. Not the best acting, or the best story or the best filmography, but you are free to choose.

As an Aggie I can appreciate the glimpse of "Ole Army" that the film gives us. I saw footage of my dorm just years after it was built as well as other buildings I frequent. The first part is a pretty standard story. Cadet comes to A&M, Doesn't like it. Then, learns the meaning of Aggie spirit and excels. Quite suddenly however the plot goes from "Leave It To Beaver" to "Manchurian Canidate". I had trouble following the second half of the movie. In fact, the ending is so bizarre that you'll have to see it for your self to fully comprehend the weirdness. I always wondered why the school didn't make a big deal out of the film (like Notre Dame makes about Rudy)after seeing the film I understand why its relegated to a dusty corner of the bookstore. I have heard from an old professor at A&M, that when A&M administrators saw the completed movie, they were horrified and pulled more than a few strings to see that it wasn't widely released. Do your self a favor, skip the film and go to an Aggie football game instead.

Richard Quine is an army brat who grew up in the Far East. Now he's journeyed halfway around the world to attend Texas A&M, his father's alma mater. He hopes to be an Aggie, and bring modern farming techniques to the Philippines. But he's not used to the strange and onerous discipline of the school, despite his friendship with his room mate, Noah Beery Jr., his respect for professor Harry Davenport, and his love for Davenport's daughter, Anne Gwynne. His understanding of the Japanese language and people make him the butt of the growing evidence of Japanese savagery in China. Certainly, upperclassman Robert Mitchum won't let him be.

Walter Wanger produced this 100+ minute propaganda film for Universal. Sometimes it seems a bit long-winded about the college. I checked and was surprised that Wanger did not go to Texas A&M. He started out in vaudeville as a child, then went into the movies as an actor. He switched over to directing in the late 1940s, and specialized in light comedies, often, at first, with scripts by Blake Edwards. He died in 1989 at the age of 68.