Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writer:

Preston Sturges (writer)

Release Date:

9 August 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Having been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow...

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Mayor | Irony | Beautiful Woman | Politician

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Eddie Bracken	...	Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith
Ella Raines	...	Libby
Raymond Walburn	...	Mayor Everett D. Noble
William Demarest	...	Sgt. Heppelfinger
Franklin Pangborn	...	Committee Chairman
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Libby's Aunt
Georgia Caine	...	Mrs. Truesmith
Al Bridge	...	Political Boss (as Alan Bridge)
Freddie Steele	...	Bugsy
Bill Edwards	...	Forrest Noble
Harry Hayden	...	Doc Bissell
Jimmy Conlin	...	Judge Dennis
Jimmie Dundee	...	Cpl. Candida
Chester Conklin	...	Western Union Man
Esther Howard	...	Mrs. Noble

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

As the marines are leaving the Oakdale station, a billboard behind them is advertising The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), another film by Preston Sturges.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in the movie, in the nightclub, there's a shot of a man sitting at a table eating a sandwich. After a quick cutaway the man is smoking and the sandwich is on his plate...untouched.

Quotes:

Singer: I got to have cooperation. I sing for him in seven flats. And he
[indicating bandleader]
Singer: won't play it in seven flats.
American Legion Bandleader: We don't know how to play in seven flats. We're not musicians.
Singer: You don't have to tell me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Patty Duke Show: The Conquering Hero (#1.8)" (1963)

Soundtrack:

Home to the Arms of Mother

Brilliant satire on patriotism

Preston Sturges's companion piece to The Miracle of Morgan's Creek was this brilliant satire on patriotism and hero worship, with Eddie Bracken giving a touching performance as a 4-F reject whose elaborate system of lies snowballs when he runs into a troop of returning Marines who decide to help him maintain his imposture. Taking a lot of strands from Sturges's previous comedies, this film remains fresh and perceptive, with hilarious insights into politics, family values, and ethics. With the disenchantment with politics in today's society, where is Preston Sturges when we need him?