Evening star., 1945-12-07
BY HARRY MACARTHUR.

One of the advantages of peace
(if that is what this Isl Is that we
probably will not be faced with a
large number of pictures about
young men who are amusing misf1ts
in the Army but blunder through.
The formula shows signs Of grow
ing thin in What Next, Corpl. Har-
grove?" though the new film at the
Palace does have goodly share Of
moments that are funny, some of
them uproariously so.
The pattern for this current ad-
venture of the cinema version of a
young man named Marion Hargrove
was set by its predecessor, If, that
is, it's predecessor had anything to
do with a book named "See Here,
Pvt. Hargrove," which is something
we wouldn't know about. Corpl.
Hargrove (the one in the film, as
distinguished from the one who
writes is a hapless lad with an
uncanny knack for doing, not exact
ly the wrong thing, but some i'll
starred thing which always seems
a better idea at the time than 1t
later turns out.
Such a central figure has turned
up countless numbers Of times in
cinema comedies and will continue
to be with us, you may be sure.
Whether you call him Corpl. Har-
grove or another name, he Is a
stock type and that is all. Fa-
miliar as he is, he is amusing, how
ever. when the cinematic PAGES he
is put through are contrived by a
script writer of some wit and imagi-
nation, which is what has happened
in the case of What Next, Corpl.
Hargrove?" The screen play Harry
Kurnitz has written around the
characters of the Hargrove book
is a nimble one, with comedy in
both situation and conversation.
Only occasionally does it bog down.
Corpl. Hargrove turns up this
time in France, shortly after D day,
liberates a town, gets involved in
considerable trouble through the
Vaccinations Of his buddy, Pvt.
Thomas Mulvehill, and winds up
charging of to battle again. War is
not, however, what Gen. Sherman
is reported to have called it, as 1t
is visited upon Corpl. Hargrove,
his gun crew and the officers driven
temporarily frantic by his antics.
This particular part of the war be-
comes frenZied, at times, but 1t is
more unnerving than internal.
The sometime corporal is captured
once by the Germans (briefly)
eludes capture by French lass,
gets a little muddy now and again,
is tossed into the cooler by the mill
tary police and undergoes several
other more or less narrowing expert
ences. But the worst that happens
to him occurs in brief moment
when he, after becoming involved In
some misdeed or other, appears be-
fore his superior officers, expecting
to be well chewed-out. "Corpl
Hargrove reporting, sir" he says.
The lieutenant looks up, controlling
himself, then says only: you may
go, Pvt. Hargrove."
\ It is a moment which makes all
former ex-noncoms in the Palace
audience howl with joy.
Il X y y X
There also are some other bright
moments, number of them aris-
ing from Corpl. Hargrove's attempts
to get along with the Army in spite
of the various forms of trouble in
which Pvt. Mulvehill, the con-man
and expert goof-off, manages to
involve him. The two make ad-
mirable foils for each other and
there Is a lot of fun to be had at
those times, happily fairly numer-
GUS, when Mr.. Kurnitz has provided
diverting escapades for them.
! Most of the players should be