Tell It to the Marines (1926)
*** (out of 4)
Private Skeet Burns (William Haines) shows up to the Marine training camp expecting to run things but the only thing he runs into is Sgt. O'Hara (Lon Chaney), a tough, hard-hitting man who plans on shaping Burns into a real man. TELL IT TO THE MARINES is best remembered today for the marvelous performance by Chaney and there's no question that he's the greatest thing about the movie but the entire story is pretty much built around the Haines character. Haines always strikes up a heated debate among film buffs because some love him while others hate him. His entire career had him playing obnoxious and annoying characters who would find themselves in a certain situation and he'd have to finally grow up. That formula was shown in countless films like SPRING FEVER and SPEEDWAY but it's also on full display here. I personally don't mind the routine too much but at this point I've seen it so many times that you really do feel as if you're watching the same movie over and over again. With that said, Haines was one of the biggest box office draws back in the day so clearly people loved him back then. The story here pretty much has Haines battling Chaney and of course there's a nurse (Eleanor Boardman) that Haines really likes but she sees right through his childish behavior. We even get a rather shocking scene where Haines pretty much forces himself on her and she has to escape from him yet a few minutes later she's realizing that she's in love with him!! There's no doubt that the story isn't all that original and even the training camp stuff is something we've seen countless times before. Even though you'll know every twist in the story and the ending is easy to spot coming, the film is still worth viewing because of the masterful performance of Chaney. He had said this was his favorite role and it's easy to see why. It's also easy to see why the Marine Corps would give him an honorary membership. Chaney doesn't wear any of the famous make-up but instead he just delivers a full, strong performance that certainly ranks among the greatest of his career. You can't help but look at this character and see a real Marine officer and not just some actor in the role. Chaney is so convincing in the part that you often times forget that you're watching an actor. Haines can do Haines like no one else and as usual he has no problem playing the jerk and he's also believable once his character begins to change. Boardman is fine as the love interest and we even get Warner Oland as the Chinese bandit leader. TELL IT TO THE MARINES seems to get better with age as Chaney's performance is certainly timeless and the main reason to watch the film.
*** (out of 4)
Private Skeet Burns (William Haines) shows up to the Marine training camp expecting to run things but the only thing he runs into is Sgt. O'Hara (Lon Chaney), a tough, hard-hitting man who plans on shaping Burns into a real man. TELL IT TO THE MARINES is best remembered today for the marvelous performance by Chaney and there's no question that he's the greatest thing about the movie but the entire story is pretty much built around the Haines character. Haines always strikes up a heated debate among film buffs because some love him while others hate him. His entire career had him playing obnoxious and annoying characters who would find themselves in a certain situation and he'd have to finally grow up. That formula was shown in countless films like SPRING FEVER and SPEEDWAY but it's also on full display here. I personally don't mind the routine too much but at this point I've seen it so many times that you really do feel as if you're watching the same movie over and over again. With that said, Haines was one of the biggest box office draws back in the day so clearly people loved him back then. The story here pretty much has Haines battling Chaney and of course there's a nurse (Eleanor Boardman) that Haines really likes but she sees right through his childish behavior. We even get a rather shocking scene where Haines pretty much forces himself on her and she has to escape from him yet a few minutes later she's realizing that she's in love with him!! There's no doubt that the story isn't all that original and even the training camp stuff is something we've seen countless times before. Even though you'll know every twist in the story and the ending is easy to spot coming, the film is still worth viewing because of the masterful performance of Chaney. He had said this was his favorite role and it's easy to see why. It's also easy to see why the Marine Corps would give him an honorary membership. Chaney doesn't wear any of the famous make-up but instead he just delivers a full, strong performance that certainly ranks among the greatest of his career. You can't help but look at this character and see a real Marine officer and not just some actor in the role. Chaney is so convincing in the part that you often times forget that you're watching an actor. Haines can do Haines like no one else and as usual he has no problem playing the jerk and he's also believable once his character begins to change. Boardman is fine as the love interest and we even get Warner Oland as the Chinese bandit leader. TELL IT TO THE MARINES seems to get better with age as Chaney's performance is certainly timeless and the main reason to watch the film.