Product: At War With the Army [VHS] (1950)
Rating: 4.0
MARTIN AND LEWIS IN THEIR FIRST STARRING FILM
At War With the Army was the first starring role for the team of Martin and Lewis. They had yet to build that perfect chemistry together and most of their best scenes in the film are separate from each other. But still you could see where the duo would eventually go on to huge things in many future films.Martin plays bully Sgt. Puccinelli who is always picking (often nastily) on poor, private Alvin Korwen (Lewis). They were buddies from back home but now Puccinelli just bosses Alvin around. There's not much plot to speak of. The action mainly takes base at an Army training base, and more specifically in the orderly room. It's mostly an excuse for Jerry to do some of his trademark slapstick and for Dean to sing which is all ridiculously out of place but still fun to watch. Polly Bergen is along in her first role as Martin's girlfriend, Helen.The Film was directed by Hal Walker who had worked on severl of the Hope & Crosby road pictures so he had some experience in dealing with a similiar comedy team, although certainly one that was much more polished than Martin and Lewis were in 1950. Overall it was a light, but entertaining comedy. Much like seeing the pair do their nightclub routine but framed by this army setting.