Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Keira Brennan
The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
richardv88
The only existing (to my knowledge) motion pictures of the USS Arizona BEFORE December 7, 1941. For that alone, this movie rates 15 stars. Cagney and O'Brien aren't bad either...but I was fascinated by the ship and the crew, man of whom lost their lives (and are still aboard)several years later. I do have a DVD of this movie (B&W of course) and I treasure it greatly. I wish this was widely available to modelers who now have an opportunity to make a replica of the Arizona in the large 1/200 scale! (also 1/526, 1/700, 1/350). The details of armament, decks, structure, hull, etc. are an extraordinary opportunity for research.What an incredible opportunity to see this piece of history!
qsilver-2
About half way through the movie you see the U S Pacific fleet (San Diego based at the time in 1934)on Sea Maneuvers out by Santa Catalina Island, California. This is the only motion picture footage of the "Arizona" firing her 14 inch live rounds (She is the first of several Battleships firing from left to right). Footage was taken by the U S S "Macon", Navy Airship at the time. The airship was caught in a storm about a year later very close to where they were filming and fell from the sky. About 250 of the sailors who were aboard the "Arizona" at the time of the film were also on deck December 7, 1941 when the Empire of Japan attacked the ship inside Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Notice the sleeping quarters (hammocks) for the sailors at that time.
mkilmer
Cagney was great as a stubborn smart aleck, and that is what the James Cagney had a great manner of getting the girl, whether it be Bette Davis in THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D. (1941) or Gloria Stuart in HERE COMES THE NAVY (1934).In HERE COMES THE NAVY, Chesty O'Conner (Cagney) joins the navy simply to have a shot at a rematch brawl with naval officer Biff Martin (Pat O'Brien). On board, he wants to take O'Brien's girl who turns out to be his sister (Stuart). He befriends Droopy Mullins, a sidekick type splendidly played by Frank McHugh.This was a delightful film, a must for fans of Cagney's humor. And for navy buffs who like to note the service between the world wars, as the Department of the Navy is cited as cooperating in this film.Oh, and my wife reminds me to point out that there is a blimp in this picture. It is dated to that extent, but its themes and comedy are always applicable. (The blackface scene being the notable exception, but as such attitudes were very present in yesterday's Hollywood, we must bit our lips and let them pass. In this film, the actual African American characters look at Cagney in blackface as if he were goofy. They, too, let it pass.)
Night Must Fall
(spoilers) Leatherpuss. Stupid. Hot-head. These are but a few of the many insults traded by Jim Cagney (as Seaman 2nd Class Chester `Chesty' O'Connor) and Pat O'Brien (as Chief Petty Officer Biff Martin) both on and off the U.S.S. Arizona.The film follows their tumultuous association as civilians (before ironworker Cagney joins the navy) and then as military colleagues thrust upon each other on a peacetime vessel.James Cagney looks great in a tux, and gets to dance a little before the real fun starts. The ironworkers have thrown themselves a dance, and first prize is a big silver cup. Chesty's pristine, crisp rented tuxedo doesn't last very long, as Gladys Hawkins, his girlfriend, literally waltzes off with Biff Martin. Chesty doesn't take kindly to this, and the two men, who have previously locked horns (Cagney and the ironmen antagonize the passing sailors by shouting conflicting commands at them), come to blows. O'Brien wins the fight, and the dance crowd simply walks over the prostrate form of poor Chesty, who can only lie there in a heap. To add insult to injury, O'Brien and Gladys win the 1st prize for the waltz contest! The following day, things get even worse, as Chesty is laid off from his job and Gladys dumps him, preferring Biff's company.Vowing revenge, Chesty decides to join the navy to get even with Biff. First stop is the San Diego naval training station, where Frank McHugh (always top-notch, and extremely funny in this movie) as Wilbur `Droopy' Mullins enters the picture. He and Chesty become fast friends who cover for each other and who borrow money back and forth so fast all throughout the film, forget trying to keep up. Droopy's reason d'etre seems to be to try to send his poor mom enough money for her to buy a decent pair of false teeth, ones that will enable her to keep up with her job as choir singer AND allow her to eat meat. This is a VERY funny running gag, with an excellent pay-off at the end of the film.After training, Chesty and Droopy are assigned to Biff's ship, the U.S.S. Arizona, as hoped. The moment Chesty claps eyes on Biff, he attempts to punch him. Needless to say, this is not encouraged, and his efforts are immediately curtailed. Biff then decides to make naval life very difficult for his nemesis.While Chesty has supposedly given up on `dames' because of his experience with Gladys, enter Dot, Biff's sister (played well by Gloria Stuart). Of course, Chesty is unaware that she's also a Martin, and chases her until he wrangles a dinner invitation out of her. On liberty for the evening of the dinner, Biff pays a visit to Dot, and in seconds, the boys are at it again.After a series of misadventures, Chesty actually escapes duty by bribery and sneaking off the ship in disguise (to see Dot), and is admonished by Biff, who reports him as AWOL. Chesty is a prisoner and cannot leave the ship. He degrades the other sailors, who avoid him at all costs. He and Dot also split, in a dramatic, well-played scene, in which they are both terribly disillusioned. Later Chesty proves his courage during a mock battle, but he denounces the officers, the medal he receives, and the navy as a whole. He is then granted a transfer to a naval aircraft (a zeppelin). The crew of the Arizona must then act as ground crew for a mock maneuver Chesty's aircraft is involved in, Biff gets in trouble, and Chesty ends up saving the day and getting the girl. Droopy's infamous mom is finally seen at the end of the film, and we even get a glimpse of her new false teeth!Very entertaining and lots of fun, with all the stars in top form. Cagney and O'Brien argue and fight all through the film in some great comic scenes – yet they were best friends in real life!Recommended!!!
