IMDb > Give Me a Sailor (1938)

Give Me a Sailor (1938) More at IMDbPro »


IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   102 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Doris Anderson (writer)
Frank Butler (writer)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Give Me a Sailor on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 August 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
It's full speed ahead in this grandest Raye riot! more
Plot:
Jim and Walter are two brother sailors in the United States Navy. Walter tells Jim as soon as they get... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Martha Raye's Legs Were the Sexiest? more (3 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Martha Raye ... Letty Larkin

Bob Hope ... Jim Brewster

Betty Grable ... Nancy Larkin
Jack Whiting ... Walter Brewster
Clarence Kolb ... CaptainTallant
J.C. Nugent ... Mr. Larkin
Bonnie Jean Churchill ... Ethel May Brewster
Nana Bryant ... Mrs. Minnie Brewster
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kathleen Lockhart ... Mrs. Hawks (scenes deleted)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
80 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. more
Soundtrack:
The U.S.A. and You more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Martha Raye's Legs Were the Sexiest?, 24 September 2007
5/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

A few years after Give Me a Sailor was out, Betty Grable finally hit the big time over at 20th Century Fox. Those beautiful legs of her's on which perched the USA's all American girl were her stock and trade. Reportedly Lloyd's of London had them insured in seven figures.

So when part of the plot is Martha Raye winning a radio contest with a picture of her legs, it strains the credulity a lot. Of course the folks at Paramount obviously did not read into the future about Betty Grable's legs being her fortune.

Give Me a Sailor is one of the weaker of Bob Hope's early films. He was co-starred with Martha Raye a lot and note the billing where she's above him in the title and would be that way in all of their joint projects in the late Thirties.

Raye and Grable are sisters, Raye's the plain jane who's the good cook, but with apparently great legs. Grable's the beautiful sister whose gams never got noticed and she can't cook to save her life.

The sisters are being courted by two brothers, Bob Hope and Jack Whiting who are both in the Navy. Well at least both are after Betty with the other maybe doomed to settle for Martha. After a lot of crazy screwball antics which finds them at one point engaged to the wrong girl, all is right in the end. Guess who winds up with who though.

Jack Whiting made very few films, but he was a leading Broadway musical star and had the distinction of being Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.'s stepdad. Whiting married Anne Sully Fairbanks after her divorce from Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was finalized. He has a long list of Broadway credits stretching almost 40 years. He had a pleasant enough singing voice, but as a film personality he was bland. Hope, Raye, and Grable just run all over him. I guess Hope needed to wait for Bing Crosby for a singer who could hold his own and more with him on screen.

Raye has some funny moments in the film, especially when she and Hope are stuck out in the woods together. She's the best one in the film by far.

Fans of Rapid Robert will like Give Me a Sailor as certainly will fans of Martha Raye and Betty Grable. If there are any Jack Whiting fans out there, this is one of the few places you'll see your man.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (3 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Give Me a Sailor (1938)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Sunday in New York Follow the Fleet The Good Humor Man Hit the Deck Sailor Beware
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb Comedy section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.