I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Charles Lederer (screenplay) &
Leonard Spigelgass (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 August 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

WAIT TILL YOU SEE FLORENCE! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Captain Henri Rochard is a French officer assigned to work with Lieut. Catherine Gates. Through a wacky series of misadventures...

Plot Keywords:

Army | American | French | Germany | Railroad Crossing

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Capt. Henri Rochard
Ann Sheridan	...	Lt. Catherine Gates
Marion Marshall	...	Lt. Kitty Lawrence
Randy Stuart	...	Lt. Eloise Billings
Bill Neff	...	Capt. Jack Ramsey (as William Neff)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
King Donovan	...	Undetermined Role (scenes deleted)
Charles B. Fitzsimons	...	Lieutenant Kelly (scenes deleted)
Robert Stevenson	...	Lieutenant (scenes deleted)
Otto Waldis	...	Undetermined Role (scenes deleted)
Robert Adair	...	Colonel Bliven (uncredited)
Mark Baker	...	Barracks Private (uncredited)
Michael Balfour	...	Male billet sergeant (uncredited)
Estelle Brody	...	WAC announcer officer (uncredited)
André Charlot	...	French Minister (uncredited)
Russ Conway	...	Cmdr. Willis, Chaplain (uncredited)
H.P. Crowe	...	M.P. sergeant at Heidelberg town hall (uncredited)
Patricia Cutts	...	Girl in Doorway (uncredited)
Coral Drouyn	...	Precocious Child (uncredited)
Eugene Gericke	...	Tony Jowitt (uncredited)
Alex Gerry	...	Hotel Room Waiter (uncredited)
Paul Hardtmuth	...	German Mayor (uncredited)
Joe Haworth	...	Shore Patrolman (uncredited)
Gil Herman	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Arthur Hill	...	Dependents Clearing Officer (uncredited)
Carl Jaffe	...	Jail Officer (uncredited)
Lily Kann	...	Innkeeper's Wife (uncredited)
Robert Kleinert	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Naval Lt. Perkins (uncredited)
Alfred Linder	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Patricia Marmont	...	Female reception officer (uncredited)
Stanley Maxted	...	U.S. Consul in Heidelberg (uncredited)
Bill McLean	...	Expectant GI (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Army Chaplain (uncredited)
Martin Miller	...	Herr Schindler, black marketeer (uncredited)
William Murphy	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Robert Nichols	...	Sergeant in Heidelberg Street / Mechanic (uncredited)
Richard Nielson	...	Motor Pool Sergeant (uncredited)
Robert Patten	...	Interne (uncredited)
Barbara Perry	...	Tall WAC (uncredited)
Edward Platt	...	Lieutenant in Gates's office (uncredited)
Ben Pollock	...	Officer (uncredited)
William Pullen	...	Sam, a Sergeant (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	German Policeman (uncredited)
William Self	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
John Serret	...	French Notary (uncredited)
Lester Sharpe	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Kenneth Tobey	...	Red, Seaman (uncredited)
Werner Tronjeck	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Mavis Villiers	...	Corporal (uncredited)
Ruben Wendorf	...	Innkeeper's Assistant (uncredited)
John Whitney	...	Bill Trumble (uncredited)
William Yetter Sr.	...	German Policeman (uncredited)
Kay Young	...	Maj. Prendergast (uncredited)
John Zilly	...	Shore Patrolman (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Hawks

Writing credits
Charles Lederer		(screenplay) &
Leonard Spigelgass		(screenplay) and
Hagar Wilde		(screenplay)
Henri Rochard		(story)

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge		(as Cyril Mockridge)

Cinematography by
Osmond Borradaile		(director of photography) (as O. Borrodaile)
Norbert Brodine

Film Editing by
James B. Clark

Art Direction by
Albert Hogsett
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Irene Brooks	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Linda Cross	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Kenneth McKay	....	makeup artist: Europe (uncredited)
Pat McNalley	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Ida Mills	....	hairdresser: Europe (uncredited)
Charles Nash	....	assistant makeup artist: Europe (uncredited)

Production Management
A.F. Erickson	....	production manager (uncredited)
Ronald Kinnoch	....	production manager: Europe (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Bremer	....	assistant director: Europe (uncredited)
Arthur Jacobson	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Peter Maxwell	....	second assistant director: Europe (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
George Leverett	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Godfrey A. Godar	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Ray Hearne	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Eddie Ledgerwood	....	grip (uncredited)
Jerry Milligan	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Robert A. Petzoldt	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Roger Shearman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Robert Walker	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	musical director
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)

Other crew
Pamela Davies	....	continuity: Europe (uncredited)
Kathleen Fagan	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Hazel Swift	....	assistant continuity: Europe (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (released by)
• 20th Century Fox (1949) (France) (theatrical) (35 and 16mm)
• Centfox (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Carlotta Films (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Cecchi Gori Home Video (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• MC One (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• VellaVisión (2007) (Spain) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox (????) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fox Video (video)

Also Known As:

Howard Hawks' I Was a Male War Bride (USA) (complete title)
I Was a Male War Bride (Australia)
You Can't Sleep Here (UK)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate # 13534) | France:U | UK:U | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

'Edward Platt (I)''s film debut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: With Catherine gone briefly, Henri is waiting and sleeping in the sidecar when some children put the motorcycle in gear. With no driver the motorcycle increases in speed and shifts gears.

Quotes:

Lt. Kitty Lawrence: He could leave marks on me anytime. I'd bring the stick!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Intelligent, Reality-Based Satire; The Cast is Very Good; What Fun

Howard Hawks has fashioned many a film on his favorite subject of the war between men and women. But none has been more droll, in my estimation, than "I Was Male War Bride". The movie was filmed in actual French locations not long after the end of WWII. The plot revolves about the necessity for two officers, a Frenchman and an American WAC, to go on a mission together--after a disastrous first assignment, at least on a personal level. The adventures, mishaps, one-upsmanships, accidents and lodging-room mixups they have results in further infuriating the French officer, at the same time he is falling in love with his maddening partner. But the real problem for them begins when they decide to get married and go to the United States--and the only way it can be handled swiftly is if he is declared to be a "war bride". The Frenchman is admirably played despite his accent by Cary Grant; the female is the lovely Ann Sheridan, who proves herself to be adept at verbal comedy of the deadpan variety. Other seen to advantage in the film include Randy Stuart, Kenneth Tobey as a grumpy officer, and Marion Marshall. Editor James B. Clark and hairstylist Ben Nye were kept busy during this one; and Lyl;e Wheeler provided luminous images to accompany Cyril Mockridge's clever music. Henri Rochard's story is so real and so involving that the writers who worked on it were able to milk this slender premise for all it was worth. The climax as Grant manages to get to sail home to the US on a ship disguised as a female only adds to the overall sense of intelligence in charge and fun in the air. Not a great film, perhaps, but an important lesson in how to ground satirical comedy in reality, and reap the benefits of a situation .