Rally Round the Flag, Boys!
| Rally Round the Flag, Boys! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Leo McCarey |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Rally Round the Flag, Boys! by Max Shulman |
| Produced by | Leo McCarey |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.9 million rentals)[2] |
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! is a 1958 American
Plot
In the fictional suburban commuter town of Putnam's Landing, Connecticut, public relations specialist Harry Bannerman is slowly going insane because his wife Grace insists on attending every local civic committee meeting. When the government selects the town for the site of a new missile base, Grace joins a committee to prevent it from being built.
Harry is made the liaison for the military, and Grace's activities cause him no end of trouble. Adding to the dilemma is Angela Hoffa, whose efforts to get Harry for herself lead to dizzying recriminations and misunderstandings.
Cast
- Paul Newman as Harry Bannerman
- Joanne Woodward as Grace Bannerman
- Joan Collins as Angela Hoffa
- Murvyn Vye as Oscar Hoffa
- Jack Carson as Captain Hoxie
- Tuesday Weld as Comfort Goodpasture
- Dwayne Hickman as Grady Metcalf, Comfort's suitor
- Gale Gordon as General Thorwald
- Tom Gilson as Corporal Opie
- O.Z. Whiteheadas Isaac Goodpasture, Comfort's Father
- Stanley Livingston as Peter Bannerman
- Percy Helton as Waldo Pike, the plumber
- Joseph Holland as Manning Thaw
- David Hedison as narrator (voice only)
Production
George Axelrod worked on the script for a year with McCarey. He later recalled they came up with an approach to do the film "but it was too far out for Buddy Adler", the head of production at Fox:
Max Shulman's book was a very funny book, and very literary, in that he used literary devices – which don't often translate to the screen very well. The story itself was rather boring, but the author's comments were funny. So I invented a narrator, named Max, who wove the film together. It was a throwback to the old Pete Smith comedy shorts. But they hated the idea of narration – just as they hate the idea of fantasy – so they threw it out. And then I had to spend a lot of time getting my name off the picture, because I don't want my name on something I didn't write.[3]
Production on Rally Round the Flag, Boys! started in mid-June 1958 and ended in mid-August. The role of Captain Hoxie was originally going to be portrayed by Paul Douglas, but was taken over by Jack Carson after Douglas fell ill, according to a July 1958 The Hollywood Reporter news item.[citation needed]
The part of Angela was originally intended for actress Jayne Mansfield, but after intense lobbying from Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward,[citation needed] she was replaced with Joan Collins (who had co-starred with Mansfield in The Wayward Bus).
A March 1958 item[citation needed] noted that actor Mickey Shaughnessy was set for a featured role; however, he did not appear in the film. A Daily Variety news item[citation needed] reported that in March 1958, Buddy Adler was set to produce the film, and was considering the film to star Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and William Holden.
Release
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! premiered in New York City theatres on December 23, 1958. It was released nationwide in February 1959.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on reviews from 10 critics, with an average rating of 5/10.[4]
Awards
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! was nominated for the Golden
References
- ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
- ^ "1959: Probable Domestic Take". Variety. January 6, 1960. p. 34.
- ^ "The Hollywood Screenwriter: Take 2". Film Comment. Vol. 14, no. 4. July–August 1978. pp. 33–47.
- ^ Rally Round the Flag, Boys! at Rotten Tomatoes
