Navy Blues(Warner Bros.) (1941)

THE Margie Jordan’... wou. Cake tare ok ors Litthelle Botton... oe ee Powerhotisexbélfon 23505 et Homer Matitews , = 1.2. Buttes: Johnson? 6 i se Tere ee eR eae ee Mii ah ER ae Rocky Anderson’. 6.0. 3. % JOSE cys ss e+ > corks eas CAST ANN SHERIDAN JACK OAKIE MARTHA RAYE JACK HALEY Herbert Anderson . Jack Carson Jackie C. Gleason William T. Orr Richard Lane John Ridgely and THE NAVY BLUES SEXTET Katharine Aldridge, Georgia Carroll, Marguerite Chapman, Peggy Diggins, Loraine Gettman and Claire James PRODUCTION STAFF Directed by LLOYD BACON Screen Play by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay and Arthur T. Horman and Sam Perrin; From a Story by Arthur T. Horman; Director of Photography, Tony Gaudio, A.S.C.; Film Editor, Rudi Fehr; Sound by C. A. Riggs; Dance Sequences Photographed by Sol Polito, A.S.C., and James Wong Howe, A.S.C.; Dialogue Director, Eddie Blatt; Gowns by Howard Shoup; Art Director, Robert Haas; Dance Numbers Directed by Seymour Felix; Technical Advisor, J. J. Giblon; Special Effects by H. F. Koenekamp, _A.S.C.; Music and Lyrics by Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer; Orchestral Arrangements by Ray Heindorf; Musical Director, Leo F. Forbstein; Makeup Artist, Perc Westmore. This Picture Produced Under the Auspices of the Motion Picture Committee, Cooperating for National Defense. 22 THE STORY (Not for Publication): As the battleship Cleveland approaches Honolulu, Cake O'Hara (Jack Oakie) and Powerhouse Bolton (Jack Haley), two slap-happy gobs, are eagerly looking forward to shore leave. Financial phenaglers both, they are always looking for ways to turn a dishonest penny, and think that they've found it when they run into Homer Matthews (Herbert Anderson) in Honolulu. Homer is the navy's best gun pointer and he confides to the boys that he has just been transferred to their ship. Cautioning him to secrecy, they proceed to place heavy bets on the Cleveland's winning the navy gunnery contest, In Honolulu they also encounter Powerhouse's wife Lillibelle (Martha Raye), out to collect her alimony. She and Margie (Ann Sheridan) are entertainers at a night club there, and when the boys run into a snag with their easy-money scheme they appeal to Margie for help. It seems Homer's enlistment is up and he intends to leave the navy to go back to his farm in lowa —the day before the gunnery contest. Margie's job is to make him fall in love with her and reenlist so he can stay near her. Homer falls, but hard, until some of the other sailors tell him of the plot. He has reenlisted, but the day of the contest he is so miserable that he can't even point a gun. Margie saves the day, however, by flying out in a plane over the Cleveland and signalling to Homer that she really does love him. (Running Time: 108 minutes.) Navy Blues’ Gala Musical With All-Star Comedy Cast Forsaking fight and frenzy for fun and frolic, “Navy Blues,’ Warner Bros. picture coming to the Srand Theatre Friday, will uncork a barrel of mirth and music as Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, Martha Raye, Jack Haley and the Navy Blues’ Sextet outdo themselves in a comedy of errors. The only battle in this battleship picture is a battle of wits and wisecracks and the guns constantly roar out salvos of frivolity even in target practice. The story is the amusing tale of two slap happy gobs on the U.S.S. Cleveland who get into double trouble in Hawaii by trying to evade two gallivanting gals, and by trying to filch their shipmate’s pay. The gobs are played by Jack Oakie and Jack Haley, the girls by Ann Sheridan and Martha Raye. In the picture Martha, as Haley’s ex-wife, is trailing him in quest of alimony. The last time she caught up with him was in San Diego where he swore she was an international spy and had her thrown into jail. To win more Navy cash the ‘ gobs are in search of a way to assure the Cleveland’s win ning the fleet gun target title. They bump into Herbert Anderson, playing a quiet, cornfed little tar from the U.S.S. Wisconsin, who has_ been transferred to the Cleveland. When they discover that he happens to the world’s greatest gun pointer, they take him in charge, hide his identity and bet the Wisconsin sailors 15 to 1 that the Cleveland will win the target championship. In need of ready cash to press their bets the gobs hit up a hardboiled petty officer (Jack Carson) for some front money with the promise he’ll get it back with plenty of interest the next day. They then pawn the ship’s trophies for additional coin. When the two Jacks learn that Herbert’s enlistment will be up the day before the target contest and that he will not reenlist because he’s homesick for his farm in Iowa, they grow frantic. To recoup their lavish bets they parade Herbert around the island revealing his identity hoping that the Wisconsin boys will call off their bets. The gobs find out, however, and let the bets ride. When Carson discovers he is being bilked and the sailors learn their ship’s’ trophies have been pawned they chase Oakie and Haley into a fashionable luau where Ann Sheridan is dancing. They grab a couple of spare grass skirts and join the chorus. Begging the furious gobs for another chance to get back the money and redeem the ship’s trophies, they prevail on Ann to play up to Anderson to get him to reenlist. Ann consents and pretends that she is a farm girl. After learning that Anderson holds a number of hog calling titles she waxes enthusiastic over his prowess. He has just about fallen in love with her when some of the Wisconsin szilors tip him off. From then on the plot gets even more complicated until Ann realizes she actually is in love with Herbert and she has to hog call and hog collar him to prove it. The Cleveland wins the target championship and everything ends in a nautical ship-shape fashion. The Navy Blues Sextet, a beauteous crew composed of Peggy Diggins, Georgia Carroll, Loraine Gettman, Marguerite Chapman, Katherine Aldridge and Claire Jones, gets a chance to swing into some unusual Hawaiian harmony, singing “In Waikiki,” “You’re a Natural” and other song hits written for the picture by Johnny Mercer and Arthur Schwartz. The picture was produced by Hal B. Wallis and directed by Lloyd Bacon from a story written by Arthur T. Horman, and adapted for the screen. Still NB 66; Mat 205—30c THE NAVY HAS LANDED and Ann Sheridan (right) seems to have the situation well in hand. With Jack Haley, Martha Raye and Jack Oakie, she heads the cast of the maritime musical, ‘Navy Blues,"" which sails into the Strand Friday. 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