''Up in Arms'' is a 1944

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

directed by

Elliott Nugent Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director. Biography Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He successfully made the transition from silent fil ...

and starring

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

and

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

. It was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1945.

Plot

Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can be close to doctors and nurses and get free advice on his supposed illnesses. The doctors know him well and consider him a

hypochondriac Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...

. So, when he is drafted into the US Army for war service, he is devastated. His best friend Joe gets himself also drafted so he can keep an eye on Danny. Danny is in love with nurse Mary Morgan, but she is really in love with Joe, and Joe's girl Virginia is secretly in love with Danny. The boys get through basic training, and as they embark by ship to the South Pacific, they discover that Mary and Virginia have also enlisted as army nurses. As officers, though, they cannot fraternize with the boys. Danny contrives to smuggle Mary on board, and during the voyage, he tries to keep her hidden, but the truth eventually comes out and Danny is hauled before Colonel Ashley – who has him sent to the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

. When the troops are landed on a Pacific island, Danny is again imprisoned, but is "rescued" by a Japanese patrol. They try to interrogate him, but Danny manages to bamboozle them and eventually impersonates the commander. He gives orders that the soldiers surrender to the Americans – and they obey orders to the letter, and Danny is a hero.

Cast

as Danny Weems *

as Nurse Lt. Virginia Merrill *

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

as Joe Nelson * Constance Dowling as Nurse Lt. Mary Morgan *

Louis Calhern Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. Well known to film noir fans for his role as the pivotal villain in 1950's '' The Asphalt Jungle'', he was ...

as Col. Phil Ashley *

Margaret Dumont Margaret Dumont (born Daisy Juliette Baker; October 20, 1882 – March 6, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. She is best remembered as the comic foil to the Marx Brothers in seven of their films; Groucho Marx called her "practically ...

as Mrs. Willoughby

Production notes

* Production dates: late June–late September 1943 * The working title of this film was ''With Flying Colors''. * All of the actresses who played nurses in ''Up in Arms'' are listed collectively onscreen as "The

Goldwyn Girls The Goldwyn Girls were a musical stock company of female dancers employed by Samuel Goldwyn. Famous actresses, dancers, and models whose career included a stint in the Goldwyn Girls include Lucille Ball, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd, Paulette Go ...

." * Danny Kaye's character was based on the character "The Nervous Wreck" from the play of the same name by Owen Davis, which opened in New York in 1923. The play, which bears little resemblance to the film, was in turn based on the 1921 magazine serial ''The Wreck'' by Edith J. Rath and Sam H. Harris, which was published as a novel called ''The Nervous Wreck'' in 1923. In 1928, Florenz Ziegfeld staged a musical version of Davis' play called '' Whoopee!'' starring Eddie Cantor (film version, 1930).Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, and Donald McNeilly, ''Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America, Volume 1'' (London: Routledge, 2007), 590. * ''Up in Arms'' marked the motion picture feature debut of Broadway star Danny Kaye (1911–1987), and opened to uniformly rave reviews. The popular star, who began on Broadway in 1939, had already turned down a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

when he was cast in ''Up in Arms''. After this film, Kaye became an international success and he went on to do four more pictures in succession with Sam Goldwyn before moving on to Warner Bros.,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. *

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

& Ted Koehler contributed 3 songs to the film; "All Out For Freedom", "Now I Know" & "Tess's Torch Song".

Reception

At the

17th Academy Awards The 17th Academy Awards were held on March 15, 1945 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, honoring the films of 1944. This was the first time the complete awards ceremony was broadcast nationally, on the Blue Network ( ABC Radio). Bob Hope hosted the ...

on March 15, 1945, ''Up in Arms'' was nominated in the Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) and Music (Song-"Now I Know") categories. The film earned

theatrical rental A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fre ...

s of $3,015,000 in the United States and Canada and $1,700,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $4,715,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Up In Arms 1944 films Films directed by Elliott Nugent Samuel Goldwyn Productions films Films scored by Max Steiner Military humor in film 1944 musical comedy films World War II films made in wartime Pacific War films American musical comedy films