At War With the Army

Though At War With the Army was the third film appearance of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, it was the team's first starring vehicle. A pattern is set herein for all the Martin-Lewis flicks to follow: Martin plays a self-assured romeo, forever bursting into song, while Lewis is a hopeless screw-up, unable to perform the simplest task without wreaking havoc (in this one, he can't even operate a Coke machine properly). The plotline adheres a bit too strictly to its source, a popular play by James B. Allardice: thus, this military farce is more stagebound and contrived than Martin and Lewis' later films. Mike Kellin repeats his Broadway role as M&L's tough topkick, while a pleasingly plump Polly Bergen makes a very brief appearance. Martin's songs are serviceable, but Lewis' rendition of "The Navy Gets the Gravy But the Army Gets the Beans". Because it has lapsed into public domain, At War with the Army is one of the most accessible of the Martin and Lewis films.