''The Girl He Left Behind'' is a 1956 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film starring Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood. The supporting cast includes Jim Backus,

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious ac ...

, James Garner, and

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...

. The film was written by

Guy Trosper Guy Walter Trosper (March 27, 1911 – December 19, 1963) was an American screenwriter. He was best known for his work in the films ''The Stratton Story'' (1949), ''Devil's Doorway'' (1950), ''The Pride of St. Louis'' (1952), '' Jailhouse Rock'' ...

and directed by David Butler, and was filmed at Fort Ord, California. For both Garner and King, it was their third movie.

Plot

Andy Schaeffer is a spoiled mama's boy who usually gets his way. He breezes through college, while girlfriend Susan Daniels works hard at a job to pay for her education. She isn't sure where their relationship is going. Andy's grades begin to worsen, and he's being drafted by the army. Andy reports for basic training at Fort Ord, making it clear to everybody there that he'd rather be anyplace else.

Cast

* Tab Hunter as Private / Corporal Andy Schaeffer * Natalie Wood as Susan * Jessie Royce Landis as Mrs. Schaeffer * Jim Backus as Sergeant Hanna *

Murray Hamilton Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor who appeared in such films as ''Anatomy of a Murder'', ''The Hustler'', ''The Graduate'', ''Jaws'' and ''The Amityville Hor ...

as Sergeant Clyde * Henry Jones as Hanson *

as Majors * James Garner as Preston *

as Captain Genaro

Production

Marion Hargrove Edward Thomas Marion Lawton Hargrove Jr. (October 13, 1919 – August 23, 2003) was an American writer. Early years Hargrove was born in Mount Olive, North Carolina. He worked on the newspaper at his Charlotte, North Carolina, high school and ...

had a huge success with his book ''

See Here Private Hargrove ''See Here, Private Hargrove'' (1942) is a book by Marion Hargrove, about his experiences in U.S. Army basic training. Origin The author, a North Carolina native, was a correspondent for ''The Charlotte News'' prior to World War II. After he wa ...

'' which sold 3,500,000 copies.

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

approached him to see if he would write a story about a draftee in the army in peacetime. Hargrove agreed but wanted the story to be accurate, as he had left the army in 1945. He arranged through Warners to undertake enlistment and some basic training at Fort Ord. Hargrove told Warners he had enough material for the book. The studio paid him to write the novel and retained only the screen rights. The novel was published in 1956. Hargrove wanted to call it ''All Quiet in the Third Platoon'', but Warners preferred ''The Girl He Left Behind''. Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood had appeared in ''

The Burning Hills ''The Burning Hills'' is a 1956 American CinemaScope Western directed by Stuart Heisler and starring Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood, based on a 1956 novel by Louis L'Amour. Plot When Trace Jordan's brother is murdered and several of their horse ...

'' together, and Warner Bros. was keen to build them into an on-screen team. Filming started June 1956. Much of the film was shot at Fort Ord and used real soldiers.

References

Notes

External links

* * * * 1950s romantic comedy-drama films 1956 films Warner Bros. films American romantic comedy-drama films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by David Butler Films shot in California Military humor in film 1950s English-language films 1950s American films American black-and-white films {{romantic-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links