''At War with the Army'' is a 1950 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Hal Walker Hal Walker (March 20, 1896 – July 3, 1972) was an American film director. He was known for doing some of the earliest Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis films such as ''At War with the Army'' and '' Sailor Beware'' and some with the team of Bing Cro ...

, released by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

, starring the comedy team of

Martin and Lewis Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1945 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years to the day. Before they teamed up, Martin w ...

and introducing

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in ''The Helen Mo ...

. Filmed from July through August 1949, the film premiered in San Francisco on New Year's Eve 1950. It was re-released in 1958 by OMAT Pictures. Although filmed before ''

My Friend Irma Goes West ''My Friend Irma Goes West'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Hal Walker and based on the radio show ''My Friend Irma.'' It stars the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film is a sequel to ''My Friend Irma'' (1949) and was r ...

'' (1950), it was held back until the sequel to

' smash film debut ''

My Friend Irma ''My Friend Irma'' is a media franchise that was spawned by a top-rated, long-running radio situation comedy created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard. The radio show was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated the films, ...

'' (1949) was released.

Plot

The film is set at a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

base in Kentucky at the end of 1944, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The protagonists are First Sergeant Vic Puccinelli and

Private First Class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

Alvin Korwin, who were partners in a nightclub song-and-dance act before joining the Army. Puccinelli wants to be transferred from his dull job to active duty overseas, but is refused transfer and is to be promoted to

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

. Korwin wants a pass to see his wife and new baby. In addition, they have to rehearse for the base talent show and avoid the wrath of Alvin's

platoon sergeant In many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit. Singapore In the Singapore Armed Forces, a platoon sergeant serves as the bridge be ...

, Sergeant McVey. Along the way they both sing a few songs, and they do an impression of

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and Barry Fitzgerald by recreating a scene from ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ta ...

'' (1944) for the talent show. Further complications include a

Post Exchange An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examp ...

worker who is pregnant, a company commander who gets all his information from his wife, a scheming supply sergeant, and a defective Coca-Cola machine.

Cast

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

as 1st Sgt. Vic Puccinelli *

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

as PFC. Alvin Korwin *

Mike Kellin Mike Kellin (born Myron Kellin, April 26, 1922 – August 26, 1983) was an American actor. Early life Kellin was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian-Jewish immigrants. His younger sister, Shirley Ann ...

as Sgt. McVey *

Angela Greene Angela Katherine Greene (born Angela Catherine Williams; 24 February 1921 – 9 February 1978) was an Irish-American actress. Biography Born in Dublin as Angela Catherine Williams, she was the only daughter of Margaret ( Greene) and Joseph W ...

as Mrs. Deborah Caldwell *

Tommy Farrell Tommy Farrell (born Thomas Farrell Richards; October 7, 1921 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian who appeared in over 100 films and TV series between 1944 and 1983. He was best known for his sidekick roles in the Hollywood Gold ...

as Cpl. Clark *

as Helen Palmer *

Jean Ruth Jean Ruth (September 10, 1917 – September 18, 2004) was an American actress and radio personality. As an actress, she is best known for appearing in the Martin and Lewis film ''At War with the Army'' (1950). Her radio broadcasts during WW ...

as Millie * William Mendrek as Capt. Ernest Caldwell * Douglas Evans as Col. Davis * Kenneth Forbes as 2nd Lt Davenport *

Danny Dayton Danny Dayton (born Daniel David Segall, November 20, 1923 – February 6, 1999) was an American actor and television director. Beginning in the 1950s, he played many roles in film and on TV. He had a recurring role as Hank Pivnik on ''All i ...

as Supply Sgt. Miller * Paul Livermore as Pvt. Jack Edwards * Frank Hyers as Cpl. Shaughnessy * Ty Perry as Lt. Terrey * Jimmie Dundee as Eddie *

Dick Stabile Richard Dominic Stabile (May 29, 1909 – September 18, 1980) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Career He was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States. The son of a band leader and violinist, Stabile learned piano a ...

as Pvt. Pokey *

Dewey Robinson Dewey Robinson (August 17, 1898 – December 11, 1950) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 250 films made between 1931 and 1952. Career Dewey Robinson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1898, and made his B ...

as Bartender * Joe Gray as Soldier

Production

When

signed their film contract with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, they were allowed to make one film "outside" the studio per year through their own company, York Productions. This film was made under that provision, with the stars taking a small salary in exchange for 90 percent of the film's profits. However, upon its release, Martin and Lewis ended up in a long, drawn-out legal battle. After several years, they relinquished all financial interest in this film in exchange for not having to make any more of these "outside" ones. The copyright on this film was not renewed in 1977, resulting in its

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

status. The film is based on a play by

James B. Allardice James B. Allardice (March 20, 1919 – February 15, 1966) was an American television comedy writer of the 1950s and 1960s. Biography James Burns Allardice Jr. was born to James Burns Allardice, a native of Scotland, and Lucinda (Lula) Masters G ...

that ran for 151 performances from 1948 to 1949 with

and Kenneth Forbes repeating their roles. The producers opened up the play by adding a sequence of an

absent without leave Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which a ...

Lewis in drag fending off the amorous advances of his drunken platoon sergeant, a sequence on an

obstacle course An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with th ...

and the addition of several songs written by

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans t ...

and

Ray Evans Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and song-writing duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Evans wrote the lyrics and Living ...

. One of the later Martin and Lewis films, '' Sailor Beware'' (1952) had a

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

of ''At Sea with the Navy''.

Copyright status

This film's copyright was registered to York Pictures Corp. and Screen Associates, Inc. on January 23, 1951 (LP 679), and was renewed on December 7, 1979 (RE43009). However, the film has since lapsed into the public domain as the copyright holders failed to renew their copyright in the 28th year of publication pursuant to the

Copyright Act of 1909 The Copyright Act of 1909 () was a landmark statute in United States statutory copyright law. It went into effect on July 1, 1909. The 1909 Act was repealed and superseded by the Copyright Act of 1976, which went into effect on January 1, 1978; ...

Home media

As this film is in the

, there have been at least a dozen DVD releases from a variety of companies comprising many different quality prints. In July 2014, Film Chest released a restored version in HD.

References

Notes

External links

* * * * * (source material) * {{DEFAULTSORT:At War With The Army 1950 films 1950 musical comedy films Military humor in film American musical comedy films American World War II films American films based on plays Films directed by Hal Walker Paramount Pictures films Films about the United States Army American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films