At War with the Army

source: At War with the Army

Dean Martin is very funny as a frustrated office sergeant in this Army comedy. Polly Bergen is beautiful and she sings a song with Dean, while Dean sings one song alone. Jerry 'The Schmuck' Lewis is much less impressive. Film was released in 1950, though the print you'll see looks more like the movie was made in 1939. But at least it's funny. Base office scenes are great and magnify the kind of stuff that goes on in the military. I worked in Air Force administration and it was silly at times. My favorite line is when the captain tells Dino to send in "morning reports the night before".

While Ray Evans and Jay Livingston may have had some song hits still sung today, don't expect to hear any of them in this military comedy that made me long for Abbott and Costello or Joe E. Brown or Bob Hope or Laurel and Hardy or Durante and Keaton or any of the other comics who did films about buffoons serving their country. Lewis and Martin have always been an acquired taste, and this first pairing in the lead after the two Irma films left me thinking that I had just eaten something rancid. First of all, there's no real plotline, just a bunch of extremely dated sketches featuring Jerry Lewis and giving the opportunity for Dean Martin to sing some forgettable melodys even he's had better songs. Jerry Lewis can't decide if he's being a thinner version of Lou Costello or an updated version of Stan Laurel, going from persona to persona, and giving one of the worst drag impressions in film history. It's definitely the one time that cross-dressing in movies was a drag. Mike Kellin plays the typical beleaguered sergeant, and Dean Martin outside of his singing and romancing isn't very likeable. I expected to see a lot more of Polly Bergen, having appeared in a few B westerns, and unfortunately, she has very little to do. As for the other women in the ensemble, they are Paramount lot starlets who didn't have much screen presence, either stereotypically sweet or blandly bad. A handful of laughs made me cringe that I found any of this funny. This is not amore. This is a-messy.

At War with the Army is set during the World War II.Alvin Corwin and Vic Puccinelli used to be good buddies but after joining the army Vic becomes a bossy sergeant.At War with the Army is an average Jerry Lewis comedy from 1950.The movie offers many funny scenes, that make you laugh.There are also some music scenes, like Jerry and Dean movies usually had.If you are a fan of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin comedies, like I am, then this is a movie for you to watch.

This was the Start of Good Run for the Musical/Comedy Team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Their Break Up in 1956 is the Stuff of Legend, but Both went on to have Fantastic Success Solo. This is Virtually a Stage Play Filmed and it is Mostly Choreographed as such with Little Regard for the Move Medium. It tends to Suffer for it although the Energy is High and it does move along at a Brisk Pace. The Camaraderie of the Two Stars is also Strained Somewhat because of the Nasty way Dean's Character Treats the Childlike Lewis. This makes the Transition to the Dance Hall Awkward and when Jerry makes Reference to Their Long Friendship before the War it is almost Unbelievable and comes out of Nowhere. There are some Highlights with One for Dean with Polly Bergen in a Recording Booth and Jerry Dressed in Drag. The Movie is Talky and some of the other Characters Come and Go with Varying Degrees of Interest and the Whole Thing is Overstuffed. Certainly Worth a Watch for Historical Context and Fans of Martin and Lewis or even Dean and Jerry on Their Own. This is the Really the Flashpoint for Both and it Propelled Long and Interesting Careers. Both had Inconsistent Results but Maintained Stellar Status and Rode what Talent They had as Far and Long as Possible. Note…Although they made two movies before this in support, My Friend Irma (1949) and My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), this was the team's first headliner and launching point.

Just rewatched this Martin & Lewis movie on YouTube. This was their first one as the only stars having previously had to share billing with others on their previous two: My Friend Irma and My Friend Irma Goes West. Dean is the sergeant and Jerry is the lowly private who has to endure his commands even though they were previously good friends. Those beginning scenes of Jerry being yelled at aren't funny but Lewis gets some hilarious moments like when he dresses like a woman and fools a drunk Mike Kellin, one of his officers, in a bar or his dealings with a berserk soda machine. Dean, as usual, croons some good tunes including one with Polly Bergin who's not such a bad singer herself. The comedy, for the most part, is uneven though it's worth it when things come to a head near the end. So on that note, At War with the Army is worth a look. P.S. Lewis' actual natural voice emerges when the picture ends.

First off, because this film has been in the public domain, virtually every version released on DVD has been lousy. Finally, Film Chest has done a good restoration. The opening credits seem a little shaky, but after that the print is very good. So, kudos to Film Chest. This story began as a play, and it shows, and that's always been my complaint about the film. It just has that feel to it (for example, the first 30 minutes of the film is in two rooms in a military office). The production values here were moderate at best -- it was the first film to be produced by Martin & Lewis' own film company -- York Productions. Nevertheless, with the restoration, it's decent to watch. One of the problems here is that the plot as thin as an anorexic. It's about 20 minutes into the film before any plot at all emerges. Meanwhile there are a few funny lines (along the caliber of "He used to be a soda jerk, but he ran outta soda"). About 30 minutes into the film, Dean Martin has his first song -- "Tonda Wanda Hoy", a clever romantic song with a Hawaiian theme. Polly Bergen, Dean's love interest, doesn't come into the film until 50 minutes in. She really was quite lovely. It's about this time when Dean and Polly duet on the best song of the picture -- "You And Your Beautiful Eyes"; it's a snappy song with a poor arrangement (better to listen to the Capitol recording). As far as Jerry Lewis, he essentially plays the same character he played in every other Martin & Lewis picture. In terms of other supporting actors, Mike Kellin is along (why did he become an actor?), as is band leader Dick Stabile who has a small supporting role. Suffice it to say that this film is of interest mainly to Martin & Lewis fans (and I am a fan of Martin). At least we've now got a good restoration.

I'm a big fan of both of them. Separately. But wow, this one is a dud. It reminded me of one of those forgettable non-copyrighted movies that used to be on late night tv when I was a kid in the "70s. After a while I started watching it as if I was watching a Jerry Lewis student film. You can see in his eyes that he was paying attention to everything. You can witness Jerry learning how to be a genius.

'At War With The Army' starts off a bit messy and much of the humour feels a little dated. The first half hour is a little out of place but some of the jokes get you through it. However, it is the latter half that I enjoyed the most. The slapstick and situational comedies keep the viewer highly entertained, whether it's the sequence with Lewis dressed in drag and adjusting his voice trying to sound like a woman (having the effect opposite to the intended). I also enjoyed the songs in this part of the movie. It is perhaps common opinion that Martin and Lewis are a formidable comedic duo on screen. Their impressions in the final sequence and the on screen banter are amongst the highlights of 'At War With The Army' and the plus, easily outweigh the negative. This may not be the best of what the duo have accomplished but thanks to them it's good enough entertainment.

This was to me one of the funniest movies ever that Dean and Jerry made together. They were absolutely great together sort of like a big brother, little brother relationship that actually worked well on screen for both them playing off of each others weaknesses and strengths. I give this movie 10 stars out of 10! I may be a bit biased since I was too young to remember much of the other comedy duos as Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello and not to take anything away from them as they were great in their own right as well e.t.c.. However, Dean and Jerry were the best ever comedic acting duo and writing this review makes me want to see this movie again real soon! I'm not sure how many times I have seen this movie but suffice it to say at least 5-10 times or more over the years. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the war time type of movie setting as it made for a great backdrop for a movie. I don't see anyone coming along to ever replace guys like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis they were truly a once in lifetime experience of great talent and knew how to make an audience laugh and forget about their troubles even if for just a couple of hours at a time. God bless them both!