''The Navy Way'' is a 1944 American

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

William Berke William A. Berke (October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a three-dec ...

concentrating on US Navy

recruit training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which Resocialization, resocializes its subjects for ...

with many sequences filmed at the

Great Lakes Naval Training Center Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...

. The film had its premiere at the

Genesee Theatre Genesee Theatre is a concert hall and movie palace in Waukegan, Illinois. Today, the venue has seats for 2,403 people and opened in 1927. It's both used as a vaudeville theater and cinema and hosts musical artists and shows. History In 1926, A.L ...

in nearby

Waukegan, Illinois Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 89,321, makin ...

Plot

Five men enlist in the navy: Frankie, who did it after finding his fiancée Agnes in the arms of another man; Malcolm, a millionaire; Billy, who has never left home and whose father died in World War One; rancher Steve, whose son died in battle; and boxer Johnny, who was drafted. The five men are in the same company. Steve becomes a father figure to Billy but Johnny is resentful about his boxing career being interrupted. Johnny falls for Ellen, a WAVE. Johnny wins a fight for his company with a broken hand, impressing the others, although he has constant discipline problems. During a training exercise Johnny saves Steve from drowning. Frankie and Agnes get married and Ellen and Malcolm fall in love. Johnny finds out and goes on a drunken binge with Malcolm's ex, Trudy. Malcolm tries to get Johnny to come back to base before he gets in trouble but Johnny beats him up. Johnny takes full responsibility and faces a court martial. Johnny's parents plead his case as does Chaplain Benson. Johnny is given a second chance and the friends go off to fight together.

Cast

* Robert Lowery as Johnny Zumano aka Johnny Jersey *

Jean Parker Jean Parker (born Lois May Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. A native of Montana, indigent during the Great Depression, she was adopted by a family in Pasadena, California, at age ten. She ini ...

as Ellen Sayre * William Henry as Malcolm Randall *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many ...

as Frankie Gimble * Sharon Douglas as Trudy *

Robert Armstrong Robert Armstrong may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Robert Armstrong (actor) (1890–1973), film actor *Robert Armstrong (cartoonist) (born 1950), American underground comics artist and musician, coined the term "couch potato" Fictional charac ...

as CPO Harper * Tom Keene as Steve Appleby * Larry Nunn as Billy Jamison *

Mary Treen Mary Treen (born Mary Louise Summers; March 27, 1907 – July 20, 1989) was an American film and television actress. A minor actress for much of her career, she managed to secure a plain, unassuming niche for herself in dozens of movies and t ...

as Agnes *

Wallace Pindell Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name Wa ...

as Sailor Joslin * John 'Skins' Miller as Recruit Pop Lacy *

Joseph Crehan Joseph A. Creaghan (July 15, 1883 – April 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in ''Union Paci ...

as Chaplain Benson * Commander Hjalmar F. Hanson as Great Lakes Naval Station Choir Director *

Art Lasky Arthur Lakofsky (November 16, 1909 – April 2, 1980), also known as Art Lasky, was a heavyweight professional boxer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Personal life Lasky was born in 1908 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and called Minneapolis his home. H ...

as Fighter * John J. 'Red' Madigan as Sailor

Production

In July 1943 Pine Thomas announced that Jean Parker and Russell Hayden would star and that the film would be shot at the Great Lakes Naval Training School. In September William Henry had replaced Hayden as the lead. Tom Keene signed to play a role under the name "Richard Powers". Jean Parker made the film as the first of a new three-picture contract with Pine-Thomas. The other male lead was given to Robert Lowery, who was signed by Pine Thomas to a long-term contract.

Reception

The film had its world premiere in late March 1944 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station.5 STARS ARRIVE FOR LAUNCHING 'THE NAVY WAY' Chicago Daily Tribune 21 Mar 1944: 20.

References

External links

*
''The Navy Way''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

''The Navy Way''
at BFI
Review of film
at ''Variety'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Navy Way 1944 films 1940s war drama films American war drama films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films World War II films made in wartime Films directed by William A. Berke 1944 drama films English-language war drama films