''Here Comes the Navy'' (also known as ''Hey, Sailor'') is a 1934 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film written by Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson and directed by

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage, and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director, he made films in numerous genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, and c ...

. The film stars

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

, Pat O'Brien,

Gloria Stuart Gloria Frances Stuart (born Gloria Stewart; July 4, 1910 – September 26, 2010) was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in pre-code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Ro ...

and

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

Plot

Riveter "Chesty" O'Connor and his best friend "Droopy" join the US Navy to annoy O'Connor's nemesis,

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

"Biff" Martin. O'Connor gets himself court-martialed for being

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

while visiting Martin's sister Dorothy. Disgruntled at his treatment, O'Connor angrily derides the Navy and finds himself ostracized by his fellow sailors in the USS ''

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

''. During gunnery practice, O'Connor puts out a fire in a 14 inch

gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanis ...

and receives the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

medal, but is still determined to get out of the Navy. Later, O'Connor transfers to the US Naval Air Service and is assigned to the

rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the Aerostat, envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pres ...

. When the ''Macon'' tries to dock, Chief Martin is accidentally caught on a guide rope and is hoisted into the air. Despite orders, O'Connor climbs down the rope and saves Martin's life by parachuting both of them to the ground. Later, at the wedding of O'Connor to Dorothy, Martin finds out that O'Connor has been promoted to warrant

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior Naval rating, rate of the deck department and is responsible for the ...

and now outranks him.

Cast

Production

With the full cooperation of the US Navy, principal photography, which ended early May 1934, took place at a number of naval facilities, including the Bremerton Navy yard, Washington, Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, as well as other locations in San Pedro and Sunnyvale, California. Naval personnel made up many of the extras on the film. Of historical interest is that a portion of the filming of ''Here Comes the Navy'' took place aboard the battleship , which was sunk by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

. Further, portions of the film also include shots of the

dirigible An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat ( lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding ...

, a year before the accident that destroyed the airship with the loss of two crew.

Reception

In his review for ''

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 ...

'', film critic Frank Nugent described ''Here Comes the Navy'' as another of the films in "traditional Cagneyesque manner." "Some of the heartiest laughs of the current cinema season were recorded last night in the Strand Theatre, where "Here Comes the Navy" had its metropolitan première. A fast-moving comedy enriched by an authentic naval setting, this Warner production has the added advantage, in these parlous times, of being beyond censorial reproach." Nugent, Frank, "F.S.N."br>"Movie review: 'Here Comes the Navy' (1934); Mr. Cagney Afloat."
''

'', July 21, 1934. ''Here Comes the Navy'' was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...

Box office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $1,183,000 domestically and $575,000 internationally.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Smith, Richard K. ''The Airships Akron & Macon: Flying Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy''. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1965. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Here Comes The Navy 1934 films 1930s romantic comedy-drama films American aviation films American buddy comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Lloyd Bacon Films about the United States Navy Warner Bros. films 1930s buddy films 1930s American films English-language romantic comedy-drama films English-language buddy films