At War with the Army (1950)
Directed by Hal Walker

Film Review

Immediately after working on their debut film for Paramount Pictures - My Friend Irma (1949) - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis lent their formidable comedy talents to their first 'off-Hollywood' film (made for a company named York Productions), adapted from a popular stage play by James B. Allardice.  By this stage, Martin and Lewis were national stars, made famous by their radio shows and television appearances, and this film, together with its successors, soon helped to make them America's leading comedy double act.

Whilst At War with the Army is definitely not the comedy duo's best film, it is the first of their many screen pairings which makes full use of their winning formula, consisting of slapstick, songs and no end of knockabout tomfoolery (the latter mostly supplied by Lewis).  Apart from Lewis's cheeky opening number (The Navy Gets the Gravy But the Army Gets the Beans), most of the songs are pretty forgettable and a great deal of the comedy gets buried underneath an overly elaborate plot.  If the script had been given a little more attention, this could have been a comedy classic.  As it is, rambling and unfocused, the film just about redeems itself, mainly through Lewis's unstoppable comedy antics.

Whether he is dressing up as a woman who is most definitely not out for a good time or trying desperately to out-butch his team mate (in both cases putting on a deep voice that is much funnier than his usual high-pitched warble), Jerry Lewis never fails to get the laughs - no wonder he was adored.  The film's best gags are Lewis's battle with a psychotically deranged drinks dispenser and the comedy duo's attempt to imitate Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald in the film Going My Way (1944).  Army life has never been such fun.

Film Synopsis

Before America went into WWII, Vic Puccinelli and Alvin Korwin had a successful nightclub act.  Now, in 1944, they find themselves in the United States Army, Alvin bitterly resenting the fact that his friend Vic now ranks above him.  Whilst Alvin is tasked with menial jobs such as serving up barely edible meals for the troops, Vic is slow vegetating behind a desk.  Both men are desperate to escape their dull routine.  Alvin wants a three-day pass so that he can go and visit his wife, who has just given birth to their first child.  Vic is hankering after a more glamorous overseas assignment.  With luck, and various mishaps, they both come close to getting what they desire, but army life soon gets the better of them...