Navy Blues (1941 film)

Navy Blues is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay, Arthur T. Horman and Sam Perrin. The film stars Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, Martha Raye, Jack Haley, Herbert Anderson, Jack Carson, Jackie Gleason (in his screen debut) and William T. Orr. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 13, 1941.[2][3]

Navy Blues
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLloyd Bacon
Screenplay byJerry Wald
Richard Macaulay
Arthur T. Horman
Sam Perrin
Story byArthur T. Horman
Produced byJack Saper
Jerry Wald
StarringAnn Sheridan
Jack Oakie
Jack Haley
Herbert Anderson
Martha Raye
Jackie Gleason
William T. Orr
CinematographyTony Gaudio
James Wong Howe
Sol Polito
Edited byRudi Fehr
Music byHeinz Roemheld
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • September 13, 1941 (1941-09-13)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$929,000[1]
Box office$1,826,000[1]

Plot

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Margie Jordan and her friend Lilibelle Bolton arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii, much to the surprise of Lillibelle's former husband, Powerhouse Bolton, a sailor who is behind on the alimony he owes her.

In need of money, Powerhouse and his shipmate Cake O'Hara come up with a scheme. Learning that the crew is about to include Homer Matthews, a marksman, they make bets with practically everybody aboard on how a shooting competition will turn out. They are then stunned when it turns out Homer's going home, his service hitch being up before the contest.

Although he misses the family farm, Homer falls in love with Margie and wants to marry her but Powerhouse and Cake fib to him that Margie's only interested in his shooting skill. Homer re-enlists, wins the contest and wins Margie, too, while Lilibelle grabs the prize money before Powerhouse can.

Cast

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Production

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Johnny Mercer wrote the song "Strip Polka" for use in the film, but film censor Joseph Breen objected to the moral tone of the lyrics, so the song was not used.[4][5][6]

Box office

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According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,243,000 in the U.S. and $583,000 elsewhere.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 22 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. ^ "Navy Blues (1941) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  3. ^ Crowther, Bosley (1941-09-20). "Movie Review - - ' Navy Blues,' Warners Musical, Is Warped Into the Strand - 'General Suvorov' at the Stanley". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  4. ^ Eskew, Glenn T. (2013-11-15). Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3330-4.
  5. ^ Zimmers, Tighe E. (2021-05-07). That's Entertainment: A Biography of Broadway Composer Arthur Schwartz. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7881-8.
  6. ^ Mercer, Johnny; Kimball, Robert; Day, Barry; Kreuger, Miles; Davis, Eric (2009-10-20). The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-26519-7.
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