Introduction

Here Comes the Navy (also known as Hey, Sailor) is a 1934 American romantic comedy film written by Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson and directed by Lloyd Bacon.

The film stars James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Gloria Stuart and Frank McHugh.

Stuart was Oscar-nominated 63 years later for another nautical epic, Titanic (1997).

Outline

Riveter “Chesty” O’Conner (James Cagney) and his best friend, “Droopy” (Frank McHugh), join the US Navy to annoy O’Connor’s nemesis, Chief Petty Officer “Biff” Martin (Pat O’Brien). O’Conner gets himself court-martialed for being AWOL while visiting Martin’s sister Dorothy (Gloria Stuart). Disgruntled at his treatment, O’Connor angrily derides the Navy and finds himself ostracised by his fellow sailors.

During gunnery practice, O’Conner helps put out a fire in a gun room and receives the Navy Cross medal, but is still determined to get out of the Navy. Later. O’Conner transfers to the US Naval Air Service and is assigned to the rigid airship USS Macon. When the Macon tries to dock, Martin is accidentally caught on a guide rope and is hoisted into the air. Despite orders, O’Conner climbs down the rope and saves Martin’s life by parachuting both of them to the ground.

Later, at the wedding of O’Conner to Dorothy, Martin finds out that O’Conner has been promoted to boatswain and now outranks him.

Trivia

• With the full cooperation of the US Navy, principal photography which ended early May 1934, took place at a number of naval facilities, including the Bremerton Navy yard, Washington, Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, as well as other locations in San Pedro and Sunnyvale, California.
• Naval personnel made up many of the extras on the film.
• Of historical interest is that a portion of the filming of Here Comes the Navy took place aboard the battleship Arizona, which was sunk by the Japanese on 07 December 1941, at Pearl Harbour.
• Further, portions of the film also include shots of the dirigible Macon, a year before the accident that destroyed the airship with the loss of two crew.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Lloyd Bacon.
• Producer(s): Louis Edelman.
• Writer(s): Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson.
• Music: Charles A. Zimmerman.
• Cinematography: Arthur Edeson.
• Editor(s): George Amy.
• Production: Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
• Distributor(s): Warner Bros and The Vitaphone Corp.
• Release Date: 21 July 1934.
• Running Time: 87 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.