War dramedies were popular in the '60s, culminating in 1970's Kelly's Heroes. In an usual twist, the last one was the gold standard (pun intended). 1966 saw What Did You Do In the War, Daddy?, a rare box office bomb from Blake Edwards. At just under 2 hours, it's not only long but it seems even longer. The cast was certainly top-notch but wasted on a meandering story that could have been tightened into a decent 90 minutes. I can't help but feel that main leads Dick Shawn and James Coburn should have had their roles reversed. Shawn's comedic talent is wasted as the straight-laced captain and Coburn's lieutenant wanders through the film as if looking for something funny to do and never finding it. The normally talented Mr. Coburn seems to sleepwalk through the entire production. Carrol O'Connor is worth seeing as a gung-ho general, a part he'll later repeat almost exactly in Kelly's Heroes four years later. The most fun is to be had is in watching Harry Morgan's major slowly disintegrate from stoic leadership to complete insanity. It's a rare chance for Morgan to be loony and he plays it well.
With good production values, occasional humor and likable cast it's still worth a watch for war comedy fans....barely.
With good production values, occasional humor and likable cast it's still worth a watch for war comedy fans....barely.