No way - period.

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Yes I was a little underwhelmed too. It's the first time I've seen it and having read so much about it, perhaps my expectations were a bit high. With the exception of James Cagney (somewhat over the top and appeared to have no redeeming features or reasons for his behaviour) I thought the other 3 leads were very good. Fonda was great; quietly dignified and firm in his convictions.

The crew though seemed to be the stereotypical bunch of knuckleheads we always seem to have served up in these sort of films...the template for McHale's Navy et al. The setting on the supply ship was great; it kind of made for a 50's version of Jarhead.

The film's stage origins revealed themselves too overtly in some of the cabin scenes which just seemed to go on interminably...the "scotch - making" for example, which we never see used with the women anyway. So what was the point? The several liberty episodes ...understandable since they hadn't had any for a year, but kind of predictable and repetitive.

Ultimately despite a good ending, I found the whole thing pretty uneven and I can't see myself racing back for a second viewing any time in the near future.

MATRIX you obviously have no clue what you are talking about.

RE: Cagney's role of Captain Morton. All of the action either directly or indirectly revolves around him. The fact that he won't sign Doug Roberts' transfer request approved. The "deal" that Doug makes with him to get the crew some liberty. The reaction of the crew when they think that Doug has sold out to Morton when he stops being insubordinate to the Captain. The fact that Ens. Pulver does anything to avoid Morton and in the end after he finds out that Doug has been killed, in that instant he does what he had been bragging about for the whole movie to Doug, and Doug's telling him that when he stands up to the Captain that then and only then will Doug consider him an equal, and blasts his way into Morton's office and proclaims that it is him and that he "threw your stinking palm tree overboard, and what is this crud about no movie tonight!" Cagney's perfomance is one of his best of all time. Morton is a man that you have to hate, but that you have to also feel sorry for. Cagney bring these emotions out in a grand style!

Name one, just one actor of today that could play the role of Morton, go ahead, I need a good laugh!!!!!!

You notice that the admin deleted matrix's post.

I agree with the first comment. This movie is way over-rated. The priniciples are all good especially Powell but all the navy guys are way over the top hamming it up like a broadway musical chorus. Also it's incredibly stage bound. When the crew is ripping the town apart we only see Fonda sitting on the dock waiting for his leave. Later during the Lemmon firecracker in the laundry scene we see soap suds emerge from the laundry and Lemmon enter the cabin covered in them . The direction is like something out of Three's Company ( I read John Ford quit the project early on). Also what happened with the nurse and the fake scotch? Never mind the comparisons to serious war films this movie can't hold a candle to either Operation Petticoat or Father Goose both war-time comedies .

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It was 1955. Americans had been through two wars with only a short breather between them. Most adults had been personally touched by one or both of them. They didn't want to see graphic violence-they lived it. Don't forget this flick was a film version of a very successful Broadway show. I love this movie and Ensign Pulmer as well. Way better than the sequel after sequel/remake of the second sequel, special effect loaded nonsense they make these days. These young un's wouldn't understand. We have blue aliens and remakes of (bad) '80's TV shows leading ticket sales at the box office. Nuff said!

Remember Rabbit Ears with tin foil?