An Outstanding Performance by Bogey, rapidly moving toward THE END(His Own!). also, a 'Not Bad' Kids War Picture & Great Soul Searching Human Drama for the "Big Kids"!

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2007)

It was the 9th Birthday for one of my best life friends. On or about March 31, 1955, a whole bunch of us 4th Grade Boys were invited to the Senese Family House at approximately 6200 S. Marshfield.(NO GIRLS,IF YOU PLEASE!! Uh, Yuch!!) We were all classmates at St.Theodore Grammar School, only a stones throw from their house.
There were 7 Senese kids, 4 boys and 3 girls. Gene ranked 3rd behind oldest Don and sister Therese.(then, after Gene we have Celeste, Geraline, Gerrard and Greg.) Their Dad, Leo Senese, was an auto mechanic working for a local Chicago Cartage Company and still had the reputation from his youth as being a really great Baseball Player(in High School). "Hard Hitting" Senese was how one of the local newspaper guys described him,kinda like my Dad, Clem Ryan; but that's another story.
We all knew that this would be a great party, as Mrs. Senese's reputation for throwing a great party was well known through various Church functions(Boy Scouts, Altar Boys, Holy Name Society, etc.); as well as their other get togethers. Every kis in attendance would be very happy with the shindig! And it is elementary that good eats, cold pop and a home made Devil's Food Birthday Cake all add up to a great time. It certainly did on this day.
As if that wasn't enough, we were treated to a trip to the show! In the old neighborhood, this meant the old (noe gone) Ogden Theatre at 1625 W. 63rd Street. Gene's big brother, Don(the late Donald Senese*)had been given the job of providing the escort and perform supervisory functions on the excursion.(What a great Party! I hope that scale Model B-29 Flying Fortress, World War II Bomber was enough of a present!) The Picture was THE CAINE MUTINY(Stanley Kramer Productions/Columbia Pictures 1954), which was still at the shows then, winding down its run with the neighborhood houses like the venerable Ogden.
I can't remember a 2nd feature, of which there usually was one. But, this was great! We had a Bugs Bunny, the Coming Attractions and this Picture, a War Movie yet! Well, with risk of sounding like an ingrate to our most gracious host Senese Family, the movie was 'all right', but a trifle short on the Action Sequences and heavy on the talk scenes. At was at least light on those "mushy" kissin' scenes and had hardly any girls at all! It was a number of years later, at least 25 had gone by, and we rented THE CAINE MUTINY from our local video store, Classic Video on 63rd Street & Albany. This gave a previously unheard of chance to view the film again, only this time it was with benefit of age, experience, knowledge and (we hope) wisdom. The VHS cassette afforded one the ability to watch through, no commercials for Jim Moran's Courtesy Motor Sales or Mages Sporting Goods Stores, etc. Or, the film could be re-run, stopped and re-run again.
More importantly, this time the film was understandable. The story line, though set in time of War, had a greater relevance to all of our human nature, no matter who we were as a people or a person. The conflict of World War II served as a most serious back drop to the human tempest we follow here.
The Lonely Business of Commanding Men and the roles performed by fellas from the various social stratum and all walks of life are examined in detail. We see the Service Life through the eyes of the various characters, many with flawed views or self serving agendas. Commradiere, trust, friendship, rivalry, manipulation, betrayal, exploitation and self aggrandizement are all explored as two sides to the same scales.
In the proverbial nutshell, a Court Martial is convened to determine the guilt or innocence of a group of subordinate Commissioned Naval Officers serving on the Mine Sweeper, the U.S.S. Caine. An incident on board ship during battle lead to the forced relief of the Commanding Officer,Lieutennant Commander Phillip Francis Queeg(Humphrey Bogart)by the next in command, Lieutennant Steve Maryk(Van Johnson). Lieutennant Tom Keefer(Fred MacMurray) and Ensign Willis Seward Keith(Robert Francis) are considered among the most culpable. Naval Staff Lawyer,Lieutennant Barney Greenblatt(Jose Ferrer) is appointed as Counsel for the Defense.
The Stanley Kramer Production, Directed by Edward Dmytryk of the written for the screen play by Stanley Roberts & Michael Blankfort(additional dialogue)is beautifully filmed by Frank Planer and has a vibrant, meaningful Original Theme and Incidental Musical Score by Max Steiner.
NOTE: * Dr. Donald Senese, Ph.D.(1942-2006). A College Instructor, a Political Campaign Adviser and former Under Secretary of Education in the Administration of President Ronald W. Reagan. (Also a truly good friend and great guy from the old neighborhood, who really made good!)