''Abroad with Two Yanks'' is a 1944 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

and starring Helen Walker, William Bendix and

Dennis O'Keefe Dennis O'Keefe (born Edward Vance Flanagan; March 29, 1908 – August 31, 1968) was an American actor. Early years O'Keefe was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, as Edward Vance Flanagan, the son of Edward J. Flanagan and Charlotte Flanagan ( ...

as the title characters. It was Bendix's third and final role in a film as a US Marine and the first of Dwan's three films about the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Plot

Arriving in Australia after the Battle of Guadalcanal, two American Marines compete with each other by stealing the other's Australian girlfriend. Their intense rivalry leads to their arrest and escape from confinement dressed as women.

Cast

* William Bendix as Cpl. Biff Koraski * Helen Walker as Joyce Stuart *

as Cpl. Jeff Reardon * John Loder as Sgt. Cyril North * George Cleveland as Roderick Stuart * Janet Lambert as Alice * James Flavin as Sgt. Wiggins *

Arthur Hunnicutt Arthur Lee Hunnicutt (February 17, 1910 – September 26, 1979) was an American actor known for his portrayal of old, wise, grizzled rural characters. He received an Academy Awards, Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

as Arkie

Production

Hal Roach

The film was originally announced as one of

Hal Roach's Streamliners Hal Roach's Streamliners are a series of featurette comedy films created by Hal Roach that are longer than a short subject and shorter than a feature film, not exceeding 50 minutes in length. Twenty of the 29 features that Roach produced for United ...

titled ''Yanks Down Under'' starring William Bendix. Due to

Hal Roach Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter, ...

's contract for filming training films for the American Army, the film and Bendix's commitment to it was sold to producer Edward Small with Roach employee

Fred Guiol Fred Guiol (February 17, 1898 – May 23, 1964), pronounced "Gill," was an American film director and screenwriter. Career Guiol worked at the Hal Roach Studios for many years, first as a property man, later as assistant director and finally wri ...

to be credited as a producer. The film was the end of Roach's arrangement with

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

Edward Small

In November 1943 the project was with Edward Small and was called ''Waltzing Matilda''. William Bendix and Dennis O'Keefe were attached to star. The film was to be the second in a two-film contract between O'Keefe and Small, the first being '' Up in Mabel's Room''. The title was eventually changed to ''Abroad with Two Yanks''. Small later said he mainly bought the story because this title was so appealing. In January 1944 Edward Small announced the film would be his next for United Artists. Lou Beslow and John Twist were writing the script and Lew Seiler was borrowed from

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

to direct. However, by February

, who had just made ''Up in Mabel's Room'' for Small, had been signed to direct Anna Lee was meant to play the female lead. She accepted the part while in Las Vegas for her divorce proceedings. However, on returning to Hollywood she decided that the part was not suitable for her and pulled out of the film. She was replaced by Helen Walker, who was borrowed from Paramount. Filming started March 1944. Dwan said "That was a lot of fun - Bendix and O’Keefe dressed up like girls. We used a theatre in Hollywood for some of the interiors, right next to the Brown Derby. Now, it was such a hell of a job putting on that make-up and harnessing on those clothes, that they kept them on when we all went out to lunch." Hedy Lamarr took a photo with Bendix and O'Keefe around the making of the film which Small subsequently issued. Lamarr then sued Small for damages. Dwan said "Small had writers sitting with him while I was shooting. And around two or three in the afternoon he’d send down the pages that were supposed to have been shot that morning, but I’d already shot what I wanted to shoot and we’d just file the script away. So I was always off-the-cuff and he was about a day behind me with the script all the way through." The director enjoyed working with Small though calling him "a pro. A great showman and not an interfering guy. He knows his way."

Reception

Reviews were strong. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said the film was done in "the right spirit".

Proposed sequel

Edward Small wanted to star O'Keefe and Bendix in a series of films and in August announced a sequel ''Two Yanks in Paris''. Charles Rogers and Wilkie Mahoney worked on a story. However no film resulted.

Radio adaptation

'' The Screen Guild Theater''" broadcast a 30-minute radio adaptation of the movie on April 9, 1945, with William Bendix and Dennis O'Keefe reprising their film roles with Marjorie Reynolds in Helen Walker's role.

References

Notes

External links

*
Review of film
at ''Variety''
Complete copy of radio adaptation for Screen Guild Players
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{Edward Small 1944 films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films United Artists films Films directed by Allan Dwan Films about the United States Marine Corps Films set in Australia Pacific War films American comedy films Military comedy films Films produced by Edward Small Films with screenplays by Charley Rogers 1944 comedy films 1940s American films English-language comedy films