When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Sy Gomberg (story)
Richard Sale (writer)

Release Date:

February 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Plot:

Willie Kluggs enters the service with hopes of going overseas, but his uncanny marksmanship keeps him at home as a shooting instructor... much to his embarrassment.

Plot Keywords:

Deception | Gestapo | Home Front | Drugstore | Parade

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Dan Dailey	...	William 'Bill' Kluggs
Corinne Calvet	...	Yvonne Le Tete
Colleen Townsend	...	Marjorie 'Marge' Fettles
William Demarest	...	Herman Kluggs
Jimmy Lydon	...	Charles 'Charlie' Fettles (as James Lydon)
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Maj. Adams
Evelyn Varden	...	Mrs. Gertrude Kluggs
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Mitchum	...	Schreves (scenes deleted)
Paul Picerni	...	Kerrigan (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | USA:Approved (PCA #13928) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Conejo Valley, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Vera Miles' film debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: Willie goes in to see Col. Butterworth about a transfer in the late evening, and when he goes into the office, rear projection shows it's daylight outside.

Quotes:

William 'Bill' Kluggs: The War went on, and I didn't. They shipped soldiers east, and they shipped 'em west, but you'd have thought I had a long-term lease.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in MASH (1970)

Soundtrack:

Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)

During WWII a young American have difficulties to prove his love for his country

I have seen this film 55 years ago. My brother and I found it excellent, with natural acting actors and plenty of fine humor. Years later I always remembered with pleasure some parts of it, but I didn't remember neither the original name, nor the director. Recently, researching John Fords films I find this site. Trying to find more films from one of my preferred directors. I read about ¨When Willy come marching home". It was amazing as I realized that this was the Film I never dreamed to find again. I cannot remember so much to be sure that my recollections are correct. I need to see this film again in order to do a more exact comment. During all this years I have seen thousands of films. If "When Willy come marching home" let such an impression on me during all this time, I believed it should be a very good one.

Gerardo Arias