You're in the Navy Now
You're in the Navy Now
NR | 23 February 1951 (USA)
You're in the Navy Now Trailers

When Lt. John Harkness is assigned as the new skipper of a submarine chaser equipped with an experimental steam engine, he hopes that the U.S.S. Teakettle's veterans will afford him enough help to accomplish the ship's goals. Unfortunately, he finds the crew and its officers share his novice status or only have experience in diesel engines.

Reviews
Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Michael Morrison When Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson and Jack Warden are uncredited atmosphere and bit players, then you know the ones who do get credited will be HUGE names indeed.Gary Cooper is the nominal star but much more of the action is handled, and handled superbly, by his "junior officers" and the "crew."One of my favorites is Harvey Lembeck. I cringe at the waste of such talent as Harvey Lembeck in those horrible (except for the girls in swim suits) beach movies. But when he actually gets a part, as here, he just makes it look too easy. Absolutely marvelous talent.Jane Greer has a few moments to do something besides look beautiful, and she does look beautiful but also handles those other moments too. Another superb talent.Jack Webb again proves he was a real actor before he became somewhat of a cartoon character as "Joe Friday." This is a rather different part, where his character is a bit more loose and outgoing than his "Joe Friday" or "D.I." roles.Eddie Albert -- well, what does one need to say? As almost always, he plays a likable character, and plays it so so well, it's hard to remember he's an actor, not that real person you really want to get to know.Richard Erdman gets one of his best roles. He's another who's nearly always a likable character, but his comedic talents are really on display here. He's another sadly under-rated and wonderful actor.With a walk-on part is Ed Begley. For his few seconds on camera, he nearly steals it.Then the magnificent Ray Collins, the superlative John McIntire, and the unknown Henry Slate almost round out the credited cast, and each and every one is just ... just ... how many more superlatives can I find to use? How about "perfect"? They are all such great talents and they get such a great script, this movie is close enough to perfect because of them and it.Finally, though, there is that excellent veteran, pretty unknown except to movie fanatics like myself, the magnificent Millard Mitchell. He has played practically every type of role Hollywood has created, even Western characters, and played them all to perfection. Mitchell was, simply, one of the greatest acting talents I have ever seen. Here, as the chief bosun, he almost steals every scene he's in."You're in the Navy Now" was a real surprise to me. I had never heard of it. And it was called a "comedy." Well, yes, in spots it's very funny. But mostly it's a pleasant type of humor, one could even say "warm."I highly recommend "You're in the Navy Now," and there's a watchable print at YouTube, occasionally out of synch, but mostly very good. Please try to see this wonderful motion picture.
JohnHowardReid Gary Cooper (Lieutenant John Harkness), Jane Greer (Ellie), Millard Mitchell (Larrabee), Eddie Albert (Lieutenant Bill Barron), John McIntire (Commander Reynolds), Ray Collins (Admiral Tennant), Harry Von Zell (Captain Eliot), Jack Webb (Ensign Anthony Barbo), Richard Erdman (Ensign Chuck Dorrance), Harvey Lembeck (Norelli), Henry Slate (Ryan, chief engineer), Ed Begley (commander), Fay Roope (battleship admiral), Charles Tannen (Houlihan), Charles Buchinsky (Bronson) (Wascylewski), Jack Warden (Morse), Ken Harvey, Lee Marvin, Jerry Hausner, Charles Smith (crew members), James Cornell (new sailor), Glen Gordon, Laurence Hugo (shore patrolmen), Damian O'Flynn (doctor), Biff McGuire (sailor messenger), Norman McKay (admiral's aide), John McGuire (naval commander), Elsa Peterson (admiral's wife), Herman Cantor (naval captain), Joel Fluellen (mess boy), William Leicester (chief petty officer), Ted Stanhope (naval officer), Rory Mallinson (lieutenant commander), Bernard Kates (tugboat sailor).Director: HENRY HATHAWAY. Screenplay: Richard Murphy. Based on an article "Flying Teakettle" by John W. Hazard published in The New Yorker magazine of 21 January 1950. Photography: Joe MacDonald. Film editor: James B. Clark. Music composed by Cyril Mockridge, orchestrated by Edward B. Powell, directed by Lionel Newman. Art directors: Lyle Wheeler, J. Russell Spencer. Set decorators: Thomas Little, Fred J. Rode. Wardrobe supervisor: Charles Le Maire. Make- up: Ben Nye. Special photographic effects: Fred Sersen, Ray Kellogg. Technical adviser: Chief Boatswain Joseph Warren Lomax, USN. Sound recording: W. D. Flick, Roger Heman. Producer: Fred Kohlmar. Copyright 23 February 1951 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 23 February 1951. U.S. release: January 1951. U.K. release: 28 May 1951. Australian release: 26 October 1951. 8,345 feet. 93 minutes.Original U.S. release title: "U.S.S. Teakettle."SYNOPSIS: Volunteering for the Navy, Lieutenant Harkness (Gary Cooper) is posted to command an experimental submarine-chaser. As neither he nor any member of the crew, with the exception of the boatswain, has the slightest knowledge of seamanship, some pretty hectic test cruises are undertaken.NOTES: Film debut of Charles Bronson, under his real name, Charles Buchinsky.COMMENT: As he had done in the 1940s, director Henry Hathaway strode like a veritable Colossus through the 1950s. Admittedly, the introduction of the anamorphic screen saw — oddly enough, since he was a master of action and location shooting — a diminution of his powers, particularly in Legend of the Lost (1957), but the end of the decade saw him right back in top form with "North to Alaska". Like that latter success," You're in the Navy Now" is one of Hathaway's rare comedies. However, unlike Alaska (which was one of the most popular films of the year), Navy failed to find an audience and was eventually marketed as a "B". Yet it is not only well made, with all the usual Hathaway virtues and strengths, but it's very entertaining. I can't do better than quote Homer Dickens who wrote in his excellent entry in the famous Citadel books series, The Films of Gary Cooper: "Never was Cooper more delightful or winning."Originally filmed as U.S.S. Teakettle, 20th Century-Fox actually released the film with this title in February of 1951. Despite glowing reviews, the audience response was nil and a change of title was thought necessary. Immediately thereafter, it came out as "You're in the Navy Now".The part was Cooper's first starring role at 20th Century-Fox and marked his first visit to that great studio since the early days of his career (1925), when he rode as an extra in Tom Mix's film, The Lucky Horseshoe.Said the New York Times (Bosley Crowther): "The best comedy of the year." Other critics were equally ecstatic. Incidentally, despite his praise, Bosley Crowther did not include "You're in the Navy Now" in his Ten Best Films of 1951, though it does figure in his supplementary list of runners-up.
pdwebbsite This is a typical Gary Cooper vehicle where he gets placed in a sudden leadership role and has to rally the men who serve him. It's worked well in his other films and does so here. What I really enjoyed is all the actors who would later go on to enjoy their own careers like Eddie Arnold, Charles Bronson, Jack Webb, and even Lee Marvin. A great look at some of the less glorious aspects of navy service during WWII. So many films showcase the expertise or the hardened battle-weary sailors, but this movie showed how many sailors found themselves to be "90 day wonders", meaning they were pulled out from being civilians and trained quickly to serve. This movie showed that the average Joe (and Jill) truly did his or her part in winning the war.
F Gwynplaine MacIntyre 'You're in the Navy Now' is painfully bad: very likely the worst movie Gary Cooper ever made. It's supposedly based on a true story, but the incident which inspired this film doesn't seem to have enough plot to sustain a feature-length script.I saw this movie on local television while I was house-sitting for my mother-in-law in Long Island, New York. There was a raging blizzard outside, and I was literally snowbound. If I'd been able to get out the door, I definitely would have stopped watching this movie.There are some interesting names in the supporting cast, notably Charles Bronson (under his original name), Lee Marvin, Harvey Lembeck, Jack Webb and Jack Warden. Forget it. Everybody stinks in this movie. Even the usually reliable Millard Mitchell is awful. Lee Marvin and Jack Warden are onscreen so briefly, there's no point in your watching for them.Gary Cooper plays an obscure naval officer who is assigned to command a ship which is powered by a new, experimental steam turbine: basically, the whole ship is a giant teakettle. Cooper realises that the assignment is not a prestigious one: if it were, it would have gone to a better officer.Cooper was a good actor in dramatic roles, but he simply had no ability for comedy. He made several bad comedies, and this one is his worst. Jane Greer has always bored me, and she bored me more than usual here. This ship went down with all hands, and sank without a trace. Have I mentioned that this movie stinks? I'll rate 'You're in the Navy Now' one point out of 10. Toot! Toot!