User Reviews

It was a long time after I'd watched Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in individual vehicles that I learned about their early career team up. Both are so widely disparate in temperament and personality that the combination seems implausible. Even here, their brand of humor doesn't suggest camaraderie, as Sgt. Puccinelli (Martin) takes special delight in lording over the hapless Private Korwin (Lewis).

I was surprised to see in the early credits that the film introduces Polly Bergen. She shares about equal screen time with the picture's other female complements, Jean Ruth and Angela Greene. The impression that stands out of course is that long close up during a duet between Bergen and Martin that endorses her future celebrity. It had the aura of a shampoo and toothpaste commercial rolled into one; you almost expect one of those magical twinkles to flash in her eyes.

I guess you WOULD have to go back to 1950 to enjoy a five cent soda from a vending machine; I'm always happy to see those reminders of a simpler time.

Say, just how drunk would you have to be to come on to a guy in drag with a hairy chest wearing a dress? Mike Kellin portrays the inebriated Sgt. McVey and in his way looks like another version of the rubber faced Lewis. Makes you kind of wonder how one guy becomes a super star and another gets by as a character actor.

There's a surprise bit in the film when Lewis and Martin mimic Barry Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby in a scene from "Going My Way", both are dead on in one of the highlights of the movie.

"At War With The Army" can easily be found individually or in compilation with a host of public domain films of the era. It's worth a viewing for an early look at future celebrity legends whose careers eventually took separate paths.

First off, because this film has been in the public domain, virtually every version released on DVD has been lousy. Finally, Film Chest has done a good restoration. The opening credits seem a little shaky, but after that the print is very good. So, kudos to Film Chest.

This story began as a play, and it shows, and that's always been my complaint about the film. It just has that feel to it (for example, the first 30 minutes of the film is in two rooms in a military office). The production values here were moderate at best -- it was the first film to be produced by Martin & Lewis' own film company -- York Productions. Nevertheless, with the restoration, it's decent to watch.

One of the problems here is that the plot as thin as an anorexic. It's about 20 minutes into the film before any plot at all emerges. Meanwhile there are a few funny lines (along the caliber of "He used to be a soda jerk, but he ran outta soda").

About 30 minutes into the film, Dean Martin has his first song -- "Tonda Wanda Hoy", a clever romantic song with a Hawaiian theme. Polly Bergen, Dean's love interest, doesn't come into the film until 50 minutes in. She really was quite lovely. It's about this time when Dean and Polly duet on the best song of the picture -- "You And Your Beautiful Eyes"; it's a snappy song with a poor arrangement (better to listen to the Capitol recording).

As far as Jerry Lewis, he essentially plays the same character he played in every other Martin & Lewis picture.

In terms of other supporting actors, Mike Kellin is along (why did he become an actor?), as is band leader Dick Stabile who has a small supporting role.

Suffice it to say that this film is of interest mainly to Martin & Lewis fans (and I am a fan of Martin). At least we've now got a good restoration.

While getting through the opening credits I was amazed to discover that this movie was 'adapted from a play'. The film not only has the look and feel of a play, it also has the look and feel of a bare boned TV test pilot episode of M*A*S*H* that has gone terribly, terribly wrong. However, if you've never seen any Martin & Lewis films, this film is a good place to start. The reason it's a good place to start is because after this film, the films can only get better.

While 'At War With The Army' is not a classic comedy, it does feature a handful of chuckles that hold a mild interest. You get to see a glimpse of Martin & Lewis' stage act, something you would see put to better effect some time later in 'The Caddy'. There are a couple of Dean Martin musical numbers for the fans of Dino and for the Lewis fans there's tons and tons of facial expressions, mimicry and cross dressing.

Although the film formula for the Martin & Lewis movies never strayed too far from their "Straight Man/Idiot" routine, what is a little surprising here is how mean the character of Sgt. Puccinelli (Dean Martin) is to Pfc. Alvin Korwin (Jerry Lewis) throughout the film. Because of his attitude towards Lewis, Martin comes off mainly as boorish and self-centered. This doesn't do Martin any favors when he sings his songs at the nightclub or in the recording studio; you just want something really bad to happen to him. One wonders if Hal Walker (the director) forgot he was making a comedy. Making Martin's character such an a-hole seems to be a cheap way to make the audience feel sympathy for Lewis' character.

Well, that would be fine, but remember, this is Jerry Lewis in 'At War With The Army', not Harpo Marx in 'A Night At The Opera'. Lewis isn't naturally lovable like Harpo; Lewis becomes irritating in almost every film he's ever been in, that's his charm, right? What makes the other films of Martin & Lewis work is that Dean sticks up for Lewis; he's even amused by him to some extent. There's no reason for Martin to dislike Lewis so much in this film. I could understand the friction between their characters in 'The Stooge', but here his hatred has no merit. I mean isn't it enough that Lewis is playing this 'Cinderella' type of character, can't we feel for him enough as it is? Making Dino such a heavy in the film just to give Lewis some sympathy from the audience was a mistake. Walker should've made them to be best friends that climbed up through the army ranks at different speeds. Dino is on the fast track because he's a likable and able soldier and Lewis is on the longer track because he's a born potato peeler and mop swabber. Remember, the title is 'At War With The Army', not 'At War With Pfc. Alvin Korwin'.

Pointing out all of the silly forms to sign and army procedures is what works best in the film. It never hits too hard with its army satire, but it does effectively point out the wasteful and mindless protocol that has to be followed and how this protocol sets up power structures within the ranks. Again, it comes off as a bare boned TV test pilot of M*A*S*H*.

THE MOMENT WHERE YOU CRINGE:

Lewis says under the pressure while being bullied by the high-ranking officers at training camp that, "concentration camp has got to be better than this". Hmmm…well, that's a pretty offensive line. However, I think this line takes on a whole new meaning when one remembers that some twenty years later Lewis would try to make a comedy that takes place in a German concentration camp (The Day The Clown Cried).

The best moment comes when Martin & Lewis do a scene from 'Going My Way' with Martin as Bing Crosby and Lewis as Barry Fitzgerald. It comes off as surprisingly touching, if not just a little out of place. You also think to yourself, "why wasn't the rest of this movie anywhere as good as this?"

Recommended viewing only for inclusive film collectors, fans of Lewis & Martin or very young children.

6/10. Clark Richards

While Ray Evans and Jay Livingston may have had some song hits still sung today, don't expect to hear any of them in this military comedy that made me long for Abbott and Costello or Joe E. Brown or Bob Hope or Laurel and Hardy or Durante and Keaton or any of the other comics who did films about buffoons serving their country. Lewis and Martin have always been an acquired taste, and this first pairing in the lead after the two Irma films left me thinking that I had just eaten something rancid.

First of all, there's no real plotline, just a bunch of extremely dated sketches featuring Jerry Lewis and giving the opportunity for Dean Martin to sing some forgettable melodys even he's had better songs. Jerry Lewis can't decide if he's being a thinner version of Lou Costello or an updated version of Stan Laurel, going from persona to persona, and giving one of the worst drag impressions in film history. It's definitely the one time that cross-dressing in movies was a drag.

Mike Kellin plays the typical beleaguered sergeant, and Dean Martin outside of his singing and romancing isn't very likeable. I expected to see a lot more of Polly Bergen, having appeared in a few B westerns, and unfortunately, she has very little to do. As for the other women in the ensemble, they are Paramount lot starlets who didn't have much screen presence, either stereotypically sweet or blandly bad. A handful of laughs made me cringe that I found any of this funny. This is not amore. This is a-messy.

It's hard now to imagine how popular this comedy team was around 1950. Everyone with a television set seemed tuned in to their Colgate Comedy Hour in which the routines were usually similar: the silly Jerry Lewis was Lou Costello and the self-confident Dean Martin was Bud Abbott. Martin insulted Lewis constantly, shoving him around, and Lewis helped with his whiny voice and puppet-like postures.

The show was risqué for its time. They once used the word "broad" to refer to a woman. They came close to using a forbidden word when they exclaimed, "What the -- HEY!" When they broke up a few years later it was tragic, like the Beatles breaking up a generation later.

This production is true to form. Lewis whines, makes faces, and falls down. Martin orders him around and treats him with scorn. It appears to be a hurried version of a stage play made during the war years. Basically, there is a single set, the Captain's office and the Admittance Room or whatever it's called. Dean Martin is Top Sergeant (after having been in the Army for only five years) and Lewis is a PFC.

There are a couple of songs, limitlessly forgettable, a stunning solo on the alto sax by Dick Stabile as Punky, and a spot-on impersonation of "Going My Way," with Lewis as Barry Fitzgerald's priest and Martin passing convincingly for Bing Crosby.

It doesn't seem very funny now. People rush in and out of rooms and shout at one another. Lewis somehow winds up dressed as a blond girl in a beer parlor but the jokes seem weak. After their split, both performers went on to more ambitious and better things.

With great golden age-Hollywood director Hal Walker at the helm, starring not just Martin or Lewis, but both of them - this promises a show for the ages. And it sure doesn't disappoint, it is extremely cleverly written.

The script is brilliant, conveying the hardships of war and military life through clever satire, and both of the master showmen give it their all.

All of this, combined with a great soundtrack (which is of course to be expected when people such as this are involved), makes for greatness. This is a film for the ages, with performances for the ages.

Very fun and well put together piece in terms of cinematography, cutting and editing - and extremely funny and cleverly written.

Recommended for any lover of film, and of Lewis and Martin!