Diagonaldi Very well executed

Micransix Crappy film

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Duesenberger As a slice of cinematic history, this film is worth watching. It was clear to me that it must have been written, and production largely completed before December 7, 1941. I'd like to see if there is any historical evidence of this.There was no reference in the film to the global conflict in which Europe and Asia were involved at the time until the last minutes of the film. I wonder how the original script ended? Most shocking is the brief shot at the end during the final marching parade where an older Asian man is shown cheering the marines as they march on by. The man is replete with "Foomanchoo" mustache and holding a sign saying "Me Chinese" while waiving a small American flag. Rarely was Hollywood so blatantly racist.The early Technicolor looks colorized by today's standards and yet beautiful for its time. I could have done without the endless marching and parade grounds scenes which took over most of the movie.

Michael O'Keefe TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI sounds like the title of an action packed war movie; not exactly what you get. A cocky young son of an officer, Chris Winter(John Payne)shamelessly joins the Marine Corps with the attitude of entering a country club. A tough-as-nails drill sergeant Dixie Smith(Randolph Scott)does his best to whip the rich boy into a legitimate and worthy Marine. Love interest Maureen O'Hara is a solid highlight. This movie was partially filmed in Hawaii just before the Pearl Harbor "sucker punch". Cinematography earned an Oscar nomination. This WWII entry from 20th Century Fox has a strong supporting cast featuring: John Hamilton, Nancy Kelly, William Tracy, Henry Morgan, Alan Hale, Jr., Russel Hicks and Charles Tannen.

bensonmum2 To the Shores of Tripoli is the kind of movie that I generally don't care for. The title may conjure images of Marines fighting and dying on some foreign shore, but you won't find that here. Instead you'll find a flag-waving recruitment film that makes Marine basic training look like a trip to summer camp. The movie makes it seem that the entire eight week training is made up of little more than marching and doing drills in a parking lot. And when these guys aren't in the parking lot, they're pulling pranks and wooing nurses they've been told to leave alone. Abbott and Costello's Buck Privates has more in the way of military realism than To the Shores of Tripoli.Yet despite all its shortcomings, forced patriotism, and light as air plot, I enjoyed To the Shores of Tripoli. I was somehow able to put my brain on hold and go along for the ride. It's harmless, good-natured fun. Most of my enjoyment probably comes from the three main leads. John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, and Randolph Scott do a solid job with what they're given to work with. Much of the comedy works, particularly the hospital scene where Payne fakes an injury to be near O'Hara. And, To the Shores of Tripoli has an innocence to it that you don't find in movies anymore that I find appealing.

pcronin This is probably John Payne's best vehicle. He plays the rugged individualist Pvt Chris Winters, an upstart booted from Culver who enlists in the marines, not coincidentally in the unit headed by his father's old officer buddy who not also coincidentally saved his life. Funny things start happening right away. First his girlfriend who he joined to get away from's father is the CO, so she always gets letters excusing him from duty to be with her. Ugh. Next Chris falls head over heels for beautiful 2nd Lieut Mary Carter, a cold nurse who quickly melts when he will stop at nothing to get near her, immediately feigning hit by a military truck to land him in the infirmary. She teaches him a hilarious but painful lesson, yet he is still determined. Then it gets serious when they're assigned C school duty and are called to "war games" at sea which consists of going into a mine field, where Chris' Sgt Dixie Smith played by Randolph Scott gets knocked out and is in grave danger of being blown up. Chris takes a boat from the sweeper and singlehandedly rescues him, returning to a heroes welcome. He has won over Mary, but gets angry because he is so principled and it is killing his spirit. Mary says goodbye, and he goes with his girlfriend to a cushy desk job in Washington, only in the car listening to the radio he hears that the Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbor. His unit happens to be parading by on their way to war, so he leaps out and changes back from suit to uniform hiding among the ranks. That is humorous too. The final scene is the ship leaving the harbor with Mary in Chris' arms and everyone singing the Marine Hymn, "From the Halls of Montezuma!...", and you know the rest! Pick up a copy today!