''Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' is a 1942 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
Charles Barton and starring
Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...
, Jack Durant and
Florence Rice
Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress.
Early years
Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine ...
. The film's sets were designed by the studio's regular
art director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
Lionel Banks
With over 200 films to his credit, Lionel Banks (June 22, 1901 in Salt Lake City, Utah – March 20, 1950 in Los Angeles, California) was a hard-working art director from 1935 to 1949. In that time he worked on such films as Leo McCarey
Th ...
. The production was an attempt to replicate the success of rival studio
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
's hit film ''
Buck Privates
''Buck Privates'' is a 1941 musical military comedy film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies ...
'', starring
Abbott and Costello
Abbott may refer to:
People
*Abbott (surname)
*Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist
* Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act
Places Argentina
* Abbott, Buenos Aires United States
* Abbott, Arkansas ...
.
[Erickson p.100]
Synopsis
Two small town
barbers
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
attempt to enlist in the Army following America's entry into
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 ...
. However they are both rejected military unfit. Inspired by a sense of patriotism they form their own "home defense" unit, recruiting other men who have been rejected by the draft board.
Cast
*
Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...
as Hank
* Jack Durant as Jed
*
Florence Rice
Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress.
Early years
Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine ...
as Pam Martin
*
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...
as Tommy Lydel
* Hallene Hill as Granny
*
Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto; June 27, 1909 – November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry.
Career
The bulk of his work was in the western and science fict ...
as Midget
*
Mabel Todd as Vivian
*
Forrest Tucker
Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker worked as a vaudeville straight man at the age of fifteen. A mentor provided fund ...
as Blond Bomber
*
James Seay
James Seay (September 9, 1914 – October 10, 1992) was an American character actor who often played minor supporting roles as government officials.
Early years
Seay demonstrated an interest in acting at an early age, as he and his mothe ...
as Biggie Waldron
*
John Tyrrell as Lefty
*
John Harmon as Mousey
* Eddie Foster as Blackie
*
Al Hill as Tim
*
John Dilson
John Dilson (February 18, 1891 – June 1, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1934 and 1944.
Selected filmography
* ''A Man's Game'' (1934)
* '' The Westerner'' (1934)
* '' The Girl Who Came Back'' ...
as Judge Smith
*
Borrah Minevitch
Borrah Minevitch (sometimes spelled Minnevitch; 5 November 1902, Borovin, Minsk, Russian Empire – 26 June 1955, Paris, France), born Boruch Minewitz, was a notable harmonica player, actor, and leader of his group The Harmonica Rascals. The ...
and His Harmonica Rascals as Themselves
*
Eddie Kane
Eddie Kane (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1969) was an American actor who appeared in over 250 productions from 1928 to 1959.
Biography
Kane was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His early career was in vaudeville as a member of the two-man te ...
as Doctor
*
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
as Guard
*
Heinie Conklin
Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era.
Early years
Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, Califor ...
as Soldier
*
Herbert Rawlinson
Herbert Banemann Rawlinson (15 November 1885 – 12 July 1953) was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound f ...
as Ex-Soldier Commander
*
William Gould as Colonel
References
Bibliography
* Erickson, Hal . ''Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918''. McFarland, 2012.
External links
*
1942 films
1942 comedy films
1940s English-language films
American comedy films
American black-and-white films
Columbia Pictures films
Films directed by Charles Barton
1940s American films
{{1940s-US-film-stub