''Back at the Front'' (titled ''Willie and Joe in Tokyo'' in the UK) is a 1952 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

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and Film producer, producer of low-budget Western (genre), Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment indus ...

and starring Tom Ewell,

Harvey Lembeck Harvey Lembeck (April 15, 1923 – January 5, 1982) was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on '' The Phil Silvers Show'' (a.k.a. ''Sgt. Bilko'', a.k.a. ''You'll Never Get Rich'') in the late 1950s, and ...

and Mari Blanchard, very loosely based on the characters ''Willie and Joe'' by

Bill Mauldin William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the ...

. It is a sequel to '' Up Front'' (1951). Mauldin repudiated both films, and refused his advising fee.

Plot

Willie (Ewell) and Joe (Lembeck) are two U.S. Army veterans of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who got through the war by goldbricking. After returning to civilian life they are recalled to

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

and end up part of the post war occupation forces in Japan. Chaos ensues as they attempt one con job after another in order to avoid work details and get leave to spend time in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Cast

* Tom Ewell as Willie *

as Joe * Mari Blanchard as Nina * Richard Long as T/Sgt. Rose *

Gregg Palmer Palmer Edwin Lee (January 25, 1927 – October 31, 2015), known by his stage name Gregg Palmer, was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing Tom McLowery in the final season of the American Western (genre), western televis ...

as Capt. White * Barry Kelley as Brig. Gen. Dixon *

Russell Johnson Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in '' Gilligan's Island'' and Marshal Gib Scott in '' Black Saddle''. Early life Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, ...

as Johnny Redondo * Vaughn Taylor as Maj. Lester Ormsby * Aram Katcher as Ben * Aen-Ling Chow as Sameko * Benson Fong as Rickshaw boy *

Lane Bradford Lane Bradford (born ''John Myrtland Le Varre, Jr.''; August 29, 1922 – June 6, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 250 films and television series between 1940 and 1973, specializing in supporting "tough-guy" roles predominan ...

as Military Policeman *

Dee Carroll Dee or DEE may refer to: People Surname * Dee, an alternate spelling of the Welsh surname Day (surname), Day * Dee, a romanization of several Chinese surnames, including: ** Those listed at Di (surname) ** Some Hokkien pronunciations of the ...

as Night Curse *

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

as Soldier

References

External links

* 1952 films Universal Pictures films Military comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by George Sherman Films based on American comics Films set in Tokyo Japan in non-Japanese culture American comedy films 1952 comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{WWII-film-stub