The Navy Comes Through (1942)

Simply Perfect

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Another vision of World War II through the eyes of two old friends, stuck with each not under the best of circumstances, yet forced to work together in spite of old animosities. In one of his darker roles, George Murphy plays a rather self centered lieutenant who once dates pretty nurse Jane Wyatt, the sister of tough Pat O'Brien who had to testify against Murphy for neglect and later has to deal with him aboard a merchant Marine ship. Murphy once again messes up, but when they somehow capture a Nazi ship, Murphy must find his own patriotism and O'Brien must learn how to gracefully forgive. Not so interesting for the story but for the supporting cast, this is another example of potpourri of different types of sailors, including an Austrian musician forced to miss the concert of a lifetime in order to serve his adopted country. Young Jackie Cooper and Desi Arnaz are instantly recognizable, with Arnaz of course singing. It's an o.k. film that documents early war propaganda (set just right after Pearl Harbor) and pretty much free of clichés. But the Hollywood propaganda machine could do much better, and compared to other films of this nature seems unexciting and sort of dull in spots. Scenes with the German U-Boat often seem like outtakes from another movie with the plot line seemingly different than the rest of the film. Curiosity over that cast makes this worth a look. Something tells me that this was rushed together to take advantage of timely topics.

A Bit Below Average as these Propaganda Pictures Go. Pat O'Brien is a Stiff Actor and He Plays a Stiff here with an Ultra-Sombre Display of Deadpan. George Murphy Fairs Better and Manages to Bring Along Some Gravitas as a Former Naval Officer Court Martialed Before the War. After Pearl Harbor He Re-Enlists as an Enlisted Man and has More Trials Convincing O'Brien He is a Worthy Salt and Deserving of His Respect and His Sister. Betty White is the Love Interest and the Sister, and Manages to Show Up at Sea so Things can be Set Straight.It's Rather a Mess of Flag Waving and Stereotypes with Cartoon Characters, like the Brooklyn Boy who "Loves Dem Bums", and Ricky Ricardo, Before Lucy, as a Cuban Come Aboard for the Melting Pot Plot.The Movie's Redeemed in the Final Act with some Rah-Rah Action and is Exciting, but Highly Inaccurate. Accuracy doesn't Mean a Hill of Beans in this Type of Formulaic Patriotism. These Movies were Made to Boost Morale and Get the Boys to Enlist and the Homefront on Board. If this One Succeeded More Power to it. Not Much of a Movie Though.

Pat O'Brien and George Murphy play a couple of Navy guys with some bad history between them. When Murphy was an officer, O'Brien testified against him and got him busted out of the service. After Pearl Harbor Murphy enlists as an ordinary seaman and as it is in these films, he's assigned to O'Brien's gunnery crew. The two also have Jane Wyatt who is O'Brien's sister and who Murphy was going out with also as part of their history.Which is assigned to a merchant marine ship to defend it from enemy attack. If you remember in Action In The North Atlantic such a Navy gun crew was assigned to Humphrey Bogart's and Raymond Massey's vessel in that film. So far it's the normal run of World War II flag wavers, but after they're at sea, the plot goes totally off the charts. Jane Wyatt is a Navy nurse now and she's on the ship tending to the wounded. And a German speaking member of their crew gets a vital piece of information and has captain Ray Collins and O'Brien diverting the merchant vessel from its course on a mission all its own.Other members of the cast and part of O'Brien's gun crew are eager kid Jackie Cooper, career Navy man Max Baer, Desi Arnaz who came up from Cuba to fight, Carl Esmond who was the German speaking man and a former musician, and Frank Jenks the obligatory guy from Brooklyn whose main concern is getting a radio transmission of the Dodgers game.I can't go into the incredible ridiculousness of the plot except to say it involves our guys attempting to sabotage Admiral Doenitz's fleet of U=Boats all by themselves. You have to see it to believe it.The Navy Comes Through with some interesting and colorful performances which is the main reason to see the film as well as some nice special effects from RKO which got an Academy Award nomination has not held up well over the years. Did the American movie-going public really buy this stuff even then?

This is a WWII propaganda film made to bolster the American war effort. It certainly does deserve credit for an unusual cast! In addition to familiar faces like Pat O'Brien and George Murphy, the ship they serve on has the likes of Desi Arnaz, Jackie Cooper and Max Baer (the father of 'Jethro' from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and ex-heavy-weight boxing champ).The film surprised me a bit, as it talked about an aspect of the work of the US Navy that I'd never heard about--though it made sense. The merchant marine ships apparently also had US Navy gun crews stationed aboard them and this movie is about one of these crews. The boss is the Chief (O'Brien)--who plays his usual tough self. Murphy is an odd character--a guy who had been a Naval officer accused of cowardice who has now enlisted as a seaman--and the crew won't let him forget his past. In addition, and I know this is SUPER-contrived, but later in the film O'Brien's sister (Jane Wyatt) is taken aboard the merchant marine vessel! And, she just so happens to be Murphy's ex-girlfriend! Later in the film, a very unbelievable thing occurs. The merchant marine ship is able to easily capture a Nazi resupply ship loaded with torpedoes. And then, using this captured ship, they pass out booby-trapped torpedoes to German ships--and hilarity ensues! Not believable but really, really cool! Along the way, Murphy proves he IS a brave man and regains his good name and 1358 different movie clichés take place as well. But, because the production is so well-made and entertaining, you can't help but like the film from start to finish.By the way, there was one problem with this film that was pretty common in films. When the ship is attacked by airplanes, they are shot down--and really crude stock footage is used. In one case, the film is very blurry and in the other a two-engine fighter-bomber becomes a single-engine plane! Pretty sloppy--and an irritant to aviation buffs like me.