''Rookies in Burma'' is a 1943 American

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

Leslie Goodwins Leslie Goodwins (17 September 1899 – 8 January 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967, notably 27 features and shorts with Leon Errol, including the Mexican Spitfire series. ...

from an original screenplay by

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

. Produced and distributed by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

, it was released on December 7, 1943, being a sequel to the earlier 1943 film, ''

Adventures of a Rookie ''Adventures of a Rookie'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins. It was the debut of RKO's comedy duo Carney and Brown. A sequel, ''Rookies in Burma'', followed. Plot Three young men from completely different levels of society get th ...

''.

Bert Gilroy Bert Gilroy (May 7, 1899 – January 16, 1973) was an American film producer of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Arizona in 1899, he began his Hollywood career behind the scenes on the 1926 silent film ''Pals in Paradise''. In 1934, he began produc ...

, who had been a producer at RKO since 1938, would leave the studio after completing this film. He would produce only one other film in his career, ''Hollywood Bound'', in 1946 for

Astor Pictures Astor Pictures was a motion picture distribution company in the United States from 1930 to 1963. It was founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 – 29 April 1956). Astor specialized in film re-releases. It later released independently m ...

. This would also mark the last film in which the actor Erford Gage would perform. After it wrapped, Gage reported for duty in the US Army. He would die in March 1945 in the Philippines, as a result of wounds suffered in action. As in the earlier film, this picture stars the comedy duo of

Wally Brown Wallace Edgar Brown (October 8, 1904 – November 13, 1961) was an American actor and comedian. In the 1940s, he performed as the comic partner of Alan Carney. Early years Wallace Edgar Brown was born in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Her ...

and

Alan Carney Alan Carney (December 22, 1909 – May 2, 1973) was an American actor and comedian. Biography Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1909. His parents, Edward and Nellie (Kearney) Boughal, were Irish immigrant ...

Plot

While stationed in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, buck privates Jerry Miles and Mike Strager are assigned to kitchen duty when they end up captured and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp with other soldiers, including Sgt. Burke, a man they know well. The three escape and encounter two stranded American women, Connie and Janie, along the way. A clever ruse causes a company of Japanese soldiers pursuing them to plunge off a cliff. An elephant helps enable the five to get back to safety, although not before a Japanese tank begins firing at them. Everyone ends up safe and sound, although Jerry and Mike end up right back where they began, peeling potatoes.

Cast

as Jerry *

as Mike * Erford Gage as Sgt. Burke *

Joan Barclay Joan Barclay (born Mary Elizabeth Greear; August 31, 1914 – November 22, 2002) was an American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s, starring mostly in B-movies and cliffhangers, with her career starting during the silent film era. Biography ...

as Connie *

Claire Carleton Claire Carleton (September 28, 1913 – December 11, 1979) was an American actress whose career spanned four decades from the 1930s through the 1960s. She appeared in over 100 films, the majority of them features, and on numerous television ...

as Janie *

Ted Hecht TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

as Tomura

References

External links

* 1943 films 1943 comedy films American black-and-white films American comedy films Military humor in film RKO Pictures films World War II films made in wartime Burma Campaign films Films produced by Bert Gilroy Films directed by Leslie Goodwins {{1940s-comedy-film-stub