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rally round the flag boys wse
director leo mccarey was clearly past his prime when he made this screen version of max shulman s comic novel rally round the flag boys ; still the film was a success no small thanks to the star power of real life husband and wife paul newman and joanne woodward . the scene is putnams landing connecticut where commuter harry bannerman paul newman is driven crazy by his wife graces joanne woodward insistence upon joining every civic committee known to man . when the government chooses putnams landing as the location for their new missile base grace immediately joins a committee to halt this project which causes no end of trouble for air force reservist harry who is expected to be the governments liason man for the new base . adding to the dilemma is local vamp angela hoffa joan collins whose efforts to get her lunchhooks into harry lead to a dizzying series of recriminations and misunderstandings . satirical barbs are aimed at military stupidity as personified by thick eared captain hoxie played by jack carson small town hypocrisy and the teenaged beat craze . among the supporting players are dwayne hickman and tuesday weld cast respectively as marlon brando wannabe grady metcalf and nubile high schooler comfort goodpasture ; within a year of this film hickman and weld would be reunited on the tv series dobie gillis likewise based on a max shulman novel . also appearing are reliable comedy foil gale gordon and an uncredited murvyn vye as angela hoffas neglectful husband . considered fairly racy in 1958 rally round the flag boys seems slightly childish and draggy today ; one wonders how it would have fared had leo mccarey been at the height of his powers . hal erickson all movie guide . br br commentary by author and film historian aubrey solomon commentary is only on selected parts of the filmanimated photo galleryrestoration comparisonoriginal theatrical trailerinteractive pressbookadvertising galleryvintage press release . br br commentary by author and film historian aubrey solomon commentary is only on selected parts of the filmanimated photo galleryrestoration comparisonoriginal theatrical trailerinteractive pressbookadvertising galleryvintage press release .