''Here Comes the Navy'' (also known as ''Hey, Sailor'') is a 1934 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 typic ...

film written by

Earl Baldwin Earl Baldwin (January 11, 1901 in Newark, New Jersey – October 9, 1970 in Hollywood, California, age 69) was an American screenwriter. During his career he wrote more than 50 produced screenplays, including ''Wild Boys of the Road'', '' Broth ...

and Ben Markson and directed by

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director he made films in virtually all genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, an ...

. The film stars

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

, Pat O'Brien, Gloria Stuart and

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

. Stuart was Oscar-nominated 63 years later for another nautical epic, ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' (1997).

Plot

Riveter "Chesty" O'Conner (James Cagney) and his best friend, "Droopy" (Frank McHugh), join the US Navy to annoy O'Connor's nemesis,

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 deuxiè ...

"Biff" Martin (Pat O'Brien). O'Conner gets himself court-martialled for being

AWOL 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 ...

while visiting Martin's sister Dorothy (Gloria Stuart). Disgruntled at his treatment, O'Connor angrily derides the Navy and finds himself ostracized by his fellow sailors. During gunnery practice, O'Conner helps put out a fire in a gun room and receives the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

medal, but is still determined to get out of the Navy. Later. O'Conner transfers to the US Naval Air Service and is assigned to the

rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pressure air ...

. When the ''Macon'' tries to dock, Martin is accidentally caught on a guide rope and is hoisted into the air. Despite orders, O'Conner climbs down the rope and saves Martin's life by parachuting both of them to the ground. Later, at the wedding of O'Conner to Dorothy, Martin finds out that O'Conner has been promoted to

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervis ...

and now outranks him.

Cast

Production

With the full cooperation of the US Navy, principal photography which ended early May 1934, took place at a number of naval facilities, including the Bremerton Navy yard, Washington, Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, as well as other locations in San Pedro and Sunnyvale, California. Naval personnel made up many of the extras on the film. Of historical interest is that a portion of the filming of ''Here Comes the Navy'' took place aboard the battleship , which was sunk by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

. Further, portions of the film also include shots of the

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

, a year before the accident that destroyed the airship with the loss of two crew.

Reception

In his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', film critic Frank Nugent described ''Here Comes the Navy'' as another of the films in "traditional Cagneyesque manner." "Some of the heartiest laughs of the current cinema season were recorded last night in the Strand Theatre, where "Here Comes the Navy" had its metropolitan première. A fast-moving comedy enriched by an authentic naval setting, this Warner production has the added advantage, in these parlous times, of being beyond censorial reproach." Nugent, Frank, "F.S.N."br>"Movie review: 'Here Comes the Navy' (1934); Mr. Cagney Afloat."
''

'', July 21, 1934. ''Here Comes the Navy'' was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

Box office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $1,183,000 domestically and $575,000 internationally.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Smith, Richard K. ''The Airships Akron & Macon: Flying Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy''. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1965. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Here Comes The Navy 1934 films 1930s romantic comedy-drama films American aviation films American buddy comedy films American romantic comedy-drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Lloyd Bacon Films about the United States Navy Warner Bros. films 1930s buddy films 1930s American films