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:

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.

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:

Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith: I knew the Marines could do almost anything, but I never knew they could do anything like this.
Bugsy: You got no idea!

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Hail the Conquering Hero

One of the funniest comedies ever made

Brilliant farce with more than a bitter-sweet tang about the attitudes of small town Americans towards the war and the people who served. The dialogue and pacing is first rate and Preston Sturges' stock cast are all excellent, not least Freddie Steele as the slightly dented Bugsy. His performance gives an odd edge to the film, being an awful actor and a poor comedian helps him stand out and appear as someone more real and genuine.

Sturges is Hollywood's most forgotten great director, writer and producer. Even though he shone brightly but briefly he made far superior comedies than Woody Allen's and those are pretty damn good themselves.