I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

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 (19??) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (19??) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)

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:

Soldier: You're not Mrs. Rochard!
Capt. Henri Rochard: I'm *Mr.* Rochard.
Soldier: Well, it's your *wife* who must report here for transportation to Bremerhaven.
Capt. Henri Rochard: According to the War Department, I *am* my wife.
Soldier: You can't be your wife!
Capt. Henri Rochard: If the American army says I can be my wife, who am I to dispute them?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

"...for your information, I am a war bride!"

I was wavering between awarding this movie a 7 or an 8, and have finally plunked for an 8 because a movie with Cary Grant in it has got to be truly horrible and an utter stinker to get anything below an 8.

This should make it pretty obvious what the best thing about this otherwise average film was. The chemistry between Grant and Sheridan is amusing but not engaging (not the way his verbal sparring with other co-stars like Katharine Hepburn and Rosalind Russell just sparkle right off the screen); the plot is contrived and the romance between the two main characters--Henri and Catherine--isn't particularly believable. (Grant and Sheridan fail at what Gable and Colbert did so well in 'It Happened One Night': making it believable and real and sympathetic that two characters at absolute loggerheads *could* fall helplessly in love.)

This doesn't mean that the film is *bad*. The first half of the movie is mildly amusing, with the bickering between the two main characters as they take a motorcycle trip to their destination. But the best part of it probably comes when Henri and Catherine get married (three times!), with all its attendant problems. It is Grant's perfect comic timing and adorable mien that makes the blatantly "please laugh now" moments genuinely funny. The look of resignation, anger, or suppressed annoyance on Henri's face as he repeatedly asserts that he is "an alien spouse" under the Congressional War Brides Act must be seen to be believed. And I dare anyone *not* to laugh when Grant cross-dresses. That is probably the best part of the film.

An average film without Cary Grant, a better one for having him in it, but definitely an average (if not poor) Grant film. If you want to introduce a friend to the charms of Cary Grant or to screwball comedy, you're better off with Bringing Up Baby or His Girl Friday. This one's probably for true Grant aficionados only.