Customer Reviews

Hail the Conquering Hero [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Preston Sturges' 1944 farce "Hail the Conquering Hero" tells the story of Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (Eddie Bracken), who is discharged from the Marines because he has Hay Fever. Ashamed to go home, Woodrow meets up with Sergeant Heppelfinger (William Demarest), a decorated Marine hero from Guadalcanal, who decide the boy should return home as a hero. Woodrow returns home where the entire town shows up to greet the "conquering hero" and end up nominating him for Mayor. Of course, Woodrow becomes more and more uncomfortable with the way things are going and feelings compelled to do the right thing.

On the one hand, because this is Preston Sturges we realize this film is a rather pointed examination of the cult of hero worship that can spring up around mere mortals. Then again, you can simply take this as a variation on the old mistaken identity routine in an above-average screwball comedy. Bracken's performance is at the heart of either interpretation and it is impossible not to feel sorry for the guy, who never really wanted to go along with this ploy in the first place. Sturges employed a host of his regulars, such as Raymond Walburn and Franklin Pangborn, but newcomer Ella Raines as Libby, the girl Woodrow left behind, really shines through (think Cathy O'Donnell in "The Best Years of Our Lives"). This is not one of the films that immediately comes to mind when you think of Preston Sturges, but he rarely disappoints you with any of his films.

Between 1940 and 1944, Preston Sturges was on a role. He wrote and directed seven absolutely stellar comedies before he lost the magical touch that had made his one of the great comedy screenwriters of the 1930s and directors of the early 1940s. This was the last of that stellar run.

The premise is simple. Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith, magnificently portrayed by Eddie Bracken, is discharged from the marines because of hay fever, but is too ashamed to return home. Instead, he fakes a military career, having people mail home letters from abroad to make his friends and family and girlfriend all believe he is in combat. When a group of marines hear about his situation, they compassionately decide to return him to his hometown as a war hero. The bulk of the film deals with the misunderstandings that arise from this pretence.

HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO has all the marks of Sturges's best work: lightening paced dialog, a huge cast of talented character actors (most familiar from other Sturges films), and multiple layers of action in scene after scene. The ensemble cast truly excels in this film. No one, however, stands out more than William Demarest, who did almost all his greatest work in Sturges films.

For some reason, this film does not seem to be shown as often as most of Sturges best films, and even some lesser films get shown more frequently. But this is absolutely first rate Sturges, and anyone enjoying THE LADY EVE or SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS or THE PALM BEACH STORY will find just as much to love in this one.

Top-notch Preston Sturges comedy about patriotism and small-town politics. Eddie Bracken plays the son of a WW I marine hero who has joined up for WW II with high hopes for glory, only to be discharged for hay fever. Embarrassed to go home to his mother and sweetheart (Ella Rains), he meets six marines in a bar one night (led by William Demerest) and before he knows what hit him, he's on his way home a decorated war hero (thanks to the snow job concocted by Demerest). The town goes ga-ga and ends up electing him mayor. He finally straightens things out at the end, but in the meantime we are treated to some of the best Sturges exploding humor on screen. The entire Sturges stock company is on hand, and especially good are Raymond Walburn as the windbag mayor Bracken defeats, Freddie Steele as a mother-loving marine, and, of course, Demerest. Brilliant fare, this is Sturges in peak form.

IT'S A CRYING SHAME THERE'S NO DVD OF THIS YET. COME ON!!

I am 26 and I love old movies....Carey Grant, Danny Kaye, they just don't make movies like they used to. The crass, offensive material in "comedies" nowadays is repetitive, unimaginative and disgusting. This movie? Funny! It even makes takes time to point out and correct off-beat actions (nothing crude). A true classic and a traditional hectic, comedic, feel-good movie. I will definitely be adding this one to my collection!

One of Preston Sturges' best movies (though they're ALL great)! Sturges' hilarious, fast-paced joke-a-minute script is acted brilliantly by his usual company of classic character actors - a real "who's who" of American Cinema and TV. Eddie Bracken is perfect in the roll as the reluctant "hero." A real saterical statement about America's hero worship and fun insight into the homefront during WW II. Watch this with "The Miracle of Morgan Creek."

The story of a young man named Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (hey, it's Preston Sturges!) who was born on the same day his father died in the Great War and during WWII, he is discharged with hay fever. However, when he encounters some war vets, his "letters" are sent home to his mother that he was a battle hero by them, and after the lie, his whole town is after him even convincing him to run for mayor. A winner! This film really made me laugh and feel good! HOW COULD IT HAVE LOST THE 1944 BEST SCREENPLAY OSCAR WHICH IT WAS NOMINATED FOR??? This, along with the masterpiece "Sullivans Travels" (1941), shows what a GENIUS Mr. Sturges was. Buy this one and watch it over and over again. And in addition, why am I the first one reviewing this gem?

I just ordered and received the recently-released DVD format of this fine movie, and, as a big fan of the movie, it was with great anticipation that I opened the package and popped the disc into the player...I wanted to see how improved the DVD would be vs. the VHS copy I have. However, the new DVD didn't play very long before I became very disappointed. During the opening credits in the original movie, the credit pages were framed in white, and this white frame continued to appear on the screen of the movie's opening scene, framing the tap-dancing lady for a short time, then gradually disappeared. On the new DVD, this white frame has been cropped out of the picture, and also cropped out of the opening scene, where the lady does her tap dance. This might not bother some viewers, but this cropped picture size or ratio continues throughout the movie, chopping off parts of hats, parts of the actors' heads, and tops of signs. This is most notable at the beginning of the movie, in the night club scene, where one member of the singing group (the gentleman on the right) has his head partially cropped. Among others, one of the 'Welcome Woodrow' signs is cropped. I don't know why Universal Studios would do something like this. I waited so long for the DVD version, and now I wish that I had not ordered it.

Preston Sturges continues to be one of my favorite directors, and directors continues to be my most reliable predictor on which movies I will like. This one has more comedy than the other Sturges films I have watched. A little over done in parts, but unlike "Christmas in Conneticut" it knows when to stop piling on trouble for the main character. The feel good ending is predictable but the final speaches are especially well written and delivered.

Woodrow comes from a small close-knit town in California. His grandfather owned the land the town was built on and his father was a brave Marine who die for his country. So when Woodrow is kicked out of the Marines after one month for chronic hay fever he's too embarrassed to go home. He works for a year at the shipyards and mails letters home via outgoing soldiers.

One fateful evening some Marines on leave hear his tale and concoct a fake war hero story and escort him home thinking that only his poor worried mother will hear their lies. They even gather up some medals for him. But when they arrive on the train Woodrow's greeted by a cheering crowd and five marching bands all playing different songs at one time. The mayor gives Woodrow the key to the city, the town folk pay off his mother's mortgage, they nominate Woodrow for the upcoming race for mayor, a statue is being erected and they even write a song about him. Woodrow tries over and over to tell everybody the truth, but each time he does the lie only gets bigger and bigger.

Made the same year as Sturges' screwball classic THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK this movie has a number of the same actors (I lost count at 10) and is almost as funny, but for some reason it's kinda slipped through the cracks. Would make a great double feature with THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK.

Why is there not a Preston Sturges DVD box set?

D: Preston Sturges (THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, THE LADY EVE)

Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith - Eddie Bracken (THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, HOME ALONE 2)
Libby - Ella Raines (THE SENATOR WAS INDISCREET, BRUTE FORCE)
Sgt. Heppelfinger - William Demarest (THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK. IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD)

This was to be Preston Sturges, last great film for Paramount. Its even more cynical than his previous films. With a unique mixture of cynicism and wit..Sturges lets us all look into ourselves.through the personna of Eddie Bracken.

In the last reel, as the train leaves the station..we see whats on the lips of Bracken..and as a viewer ..knowing that this was to be the last of the great Sturges films, we are saying goodbye to a genre of films that can never be again.!

Preston Sturges was so talented and witty that the Hollywood elites of the period didnt even recognize his great talents...no matter..because films like this only get better with each viewing..therefore time is on "his" side!

CP