''Son of the Navy'', also known as ''The Young Recruit'' in the United States, is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by
William Nigh
William Nigh (October 12, 1881 – November 27, 1955) was an American film Film director, director, screenwriter, writer, and actor. His film work sometimes lists him as either "Will Nigh" or "William Nye".
Biography
Nigh was born Emil Kreu ...
and starring
Jean Parker
Jean Parker (born Lois May Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. A native of Montana, indigent during the Great Depression, she was adopted by a family in Pasadena, California at age ten. She in ...
,
James Dunn, and
Martin Spellman
Martin Spellman IV (October 8, 1925 – May 6, 2020) was an American child actor active in films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Career
Martin Spellman IV was born in 1925 in Des Moines, Iowa. After his family moved to California, at the age of 9 ...
.
Plot
Racing to his
battleship the USS ''Florida'', Chief Gunners Mate Mike Malone attempts to hitchhike to the
Naval Base San Diego and runs into Tommy and his
Cairn terrier
The Cairn Terrier is a terrier breed originating in the Scottish Highlands and recognized as one of Scotland's earliest working dogs. The breed was given the name Cairn because the breed's function was to hunt and chase quarry between the ca ...
Terry who are runaways from an
orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...
.
The scheming Tommy gets the two a lift to the base. At the base and frightened of being discovered he's a runaway, Tommy meets Steve Moore, the daughter of a
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.
Canada
"Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi ...
and gives her the impression that Mike is his father, especially after Steve saw Tommy see Mike off. Steve spreads the word that Mike is a runaway father abandoning his child getting him in trouble with his ship's captain and fellow chief petty officers.
Boy and his dog hitchhike unsuccessfully after running away from an orphanage to find a mom and a dad. A sailor, a chief gunner’s mate, who is trying to get to San Pedro, CA to meet his ship before it leaves port, catches up with the boy. Unable to hitchhike while in uniform, the boy gets an idea to jump in the sailors arms to seek pity on a passing driver. A single woman on her way to the port to meet her father, a navy commander, stops and picks them up, boy calls the man pops in order to continue the ruse.
The sailor makes it to the ship in time, the woman visits her commander father. The boy, listening to the radio in the woman’s car while waiting for her to come back, hears his name and description as a run away orphan in Los Angeles, California. Boy panics, woman comes back to the car and doesn’t see boy. Woman decides boy must have gone home, woman heads to San Francisco to meet her dad at the next port.
While driving, woman hears knocking and thinks it is her car engine, she stops at a service station and asks the attendant to fill it up and check the motor and fix it while she gets a cup of coffee at the diner. The attendant looks at the motor and hears the knocking coming from the rumble seat in the rear of the car and finds the boy and his dog. Attendant brings boy to the woman, she buys the boy lunch who in turn shares it with his dog. Woman assumes the sailor abandoned his son and hi-jinx ensue.
In the end the truth comes out, the sailor contacts the orphanage but finds he is not eligible to adopt because he is single and on active duty, the woman is also told she is not eligible to adopt the boy because she is single.
The woman hangs up the phone, man and woman look at each other mischievously.
The woman, who throughout the entire movie swore she would never marry a sailor and was engaged to a business man earlier in the movie, marries the sailor, they adopt the boy and his dog. Mom, boy, and dog, see dad off at the port as he sails to Florida with his shipmates.
Cast
*
Jean Parker
Jean Parker (born Lois May Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. A native of Montana, indigent during the Great Depression, she was adopted by a family in Pasadena, California at age ten. She in ...
(actress) as Stevie Moore
*
James Dunn as Chief Gunners Mate Mike Malone
*
Martin Spellman
Martin Spellman IV (October 8, 1925 – May 6, 2020) was an American child actor active in films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Career
Martin Spellman IV was born in 1925 in Des Moines, Iowa. After his family moved to California, at the age of 9 ...
as Tommy
*
Terry
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine).
People
Male
* Terry Albrit ...
as Terry
*
Selmer Jackson as Capt. Parker
*William Royle as Chief Moore
*
Sarah Padden as Mrs. Baker, Landlady
*
Craig Reynolds as Brad Wheeler
*
Dave O'Brien as Chief Machinist's Mate
*
Gene Morgan
Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941.
He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, United States, and died in Santa Monica, California.
Selected filmography
* ''Rogu ...
as Burns
*
Charles King as Duke Johnson
Soundtrack
*"
Anchors Aweigh
"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...
", by
Charles A. Zimmermann
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Son Of The Navy
1940 films
1940 comedy-drama films
American black-and-white films
American comedy-drama films
1940s English-language films
Films about orphans
Monogram Pictures films
Films directed by William Nigh
1940s American films