Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
-
95% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
86% of users liked it
(542 ratings)
It took nerve for writer/director Preston Sturges to lampoon the whole concept of hero worship in the middle of World War II, but once more Sturges' oddball sense of taste and propriety paid off at the box office in Hail the Conquering Hero. Eddie Bracken plays the son of a World War I Marine… More It took nerve for writer/director Preston Sturges to lampoon the whole concept of hero worship in the middle of World War II, but once more Sturges' oddball sense of taste and propriety paid off at the box office in Hail the Conquering Hero. Eddie Bracken plays the son of a World War I Marine hero who is the first in his small town to sign up for military service. When Bracken is discharged from the Marines for hay fever, he hasn't the nerve to go home and tell his mother and the rest of the townsfolk. Fortunately, he is befriended by a bunch of good-hearted Marines, led by sergeant William Demarest. Bracken's new buddies decide to help him save face by accompanying him to his home and telling one and all that Bracken has served valiantly in the Pacific. Lauded as a hero thanks to this subterfuge, the hapless Bracken finds himself being coerced into running for mayor! When he finally does confess the truth, the townspeople decide that only a real hero would own up to his lies in public. As always, Preston Sturges' richly varied supporting cast makes the most of every scene they're in, especially Raymond Walburn as a blustering politico and Franklin Pangborn as a persnickety councilman. Special mention must be made of Ella Raines as a refreshingly non-cliched heroine, and ex-boxer Freddie Steele as a morose Marine with a Mother complex. While Eddie Bracken's nerdish mannerisms can wear on the viewer, he is kept marvelously in check throughout Hail the Conquering Hero. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Preston Sturges
- Genres
- Drama, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 9, 1944 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
-
Variety Staff, Variety
The deft hand of Preston Sturges molded this film, further proof that he is one of the industry's best writer-directors.
-
Tom Milne, Time Out
Wonderful satire on small-town jingoism, all the more remarkable in that it was made during World War II.
-
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
This riotously funny motion picture, this superlative small-town comedy, is also one of the wisest ever to burst from a big-time studio.
-
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A scathing delight.
-
James Agee, The Nation
It is a bewilderingly skillful picture, and the skill is used no more brilliantly to tell the story than to cover up the story's weaknesses and those of its author, Preston Sturges.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Eddie Bracken
as Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith
-
Ella Raines
as Libby
-
William Demarest
as Sergeant
-
Bill Edwards
as Forrest Noble
-
Raymond Walburn
as Mr. Noble
-
Freddie Steele
as Bugsy
-
Jimmie Dundee
as Corporal
-
Georgia Caine
as Mrs. Truesmith
-
Al Bridge
as Political Boss
-
James Damore
as Jonesy
-
Stephen Gregory
as Bill
-
Len Hendry
as Juke
-
Esther Howard
as Mrs. Noble
-
Jimmy Conlin
as Judge Dennis
-
Arthur Hoyt
as Reverend Upperman
-
Harry Hayden
as Doc Bissell
-
Franklin Pangborn
as Committee Chairman
-
Victor Potel
as Progressive Bandleader
-
Torben Meyer
as Mr. Schultz
-
Jack Norton
as Regular Bandleader
-
George Melford
as Sheriff
-
Frank Moran
as Town Painter
-
Chester Conklin
as Western Union Man
-
Merrill Rodin
as Alfie
-
Marjean Neville
as Mamie
-
Dot Farley
as Mamie's Mother
-
Julie Gibson
as Singer
-
Miriam Franklin
as Dancer
-
Paul Porcasi
as Cafe Owner
-
George Anderson
as Bartender
-
Pauline Drake
as Telephone Operator
-
Franklin Farnum
as Town Councilman
-
Kenneth Gibson
as Town Councilman
-
Mildred Harris
as Marine Colonel's Wife
-
Philo McCullough
as Town Councilman
-
Tom McGuire
as Town Councilman
-
Charles R. Moore
as Porter
- Elizabeth Patterson
-
Dewey Robinson
as Conductor
-
Robert Warwick
as Marine Colonel
-
John Sinclair
as American Legion Bandleader
-
Maxine Fife
as Colonel's Daughter
