The Admiral Was a Lady (1950)

The Worst Film Ever

The greatest movie ever made..!

People are voting emotionally.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I decided to watch this film for one reason...Edmund O'Brien. I love this guy's movies and assumed it would be pretty much like all his films of the era...tough, hard-bitten and entertaining. Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be a comedy! Edmund O'Brien in a comedy!Jimmy (O'Brien) and his three pals who served together during WWII have an odd way of living. They work their hardest NOT to go to work in order to collect Veteran's unemployment benefits. This is a bit off putting when the film begins...four guys who are essentially scamming the system. Later, it becomes more obvious that at least some of them are suffering from what we'd term today PTSD. Well, the quartet meet up with a lady, Jean (Wanda Hendrix), who also is a vet and they take it upon themselves to show her the ropes of how to scam the system. But she doesn't want to be a professional unemployed vet and is waiting for her fiancé to meet her. The problem is, he never shows up...and so the quartet take her on a series of adventures.As I already said, the adventures of men who have been avoiding work for five years makes this a tough sell. Many in the audience will feel annoyed at this...particularly how hard they work to avoid working. They are clearly NOT the most honorable of men. But despite this, the film is mildly interesting and makes a decent time-passer. Clearly not among O'Brien's better films and I was hoping to enjoy it much more than I did.

"The Admiral Was A Lady" is a comedy that I've been meaning to watch for a long time now, mainly because I like that title. However, the film itself is tamer than I expected. It's pleasant, with some nice tips on making (or saving) a little money out of nothing, but the script wanders a little too much. Edmond O'Brien is not exactly the most endearing romantic comedy lead, but Wanda Hendrix is - as some of the old posters of the film call her - Wandafull! What she lacks in height she makes up for in beauty (she has a couple of stunning close-ups) and talent: she's game in comedy and sincere in drama. Although the film treats the WWII veterans' readjustment problems in a mostly comedic manner, it does have some dramatic moments, which are surprisingly strong. ** out of 4.

I agree with the other reviewer that this is one of the best in screwball comedies and deserves more recognition than it has gotten in the past. I came across it quite by accident when purchasing a 50 movie video collection. There were some Stooges (not too fond of), East Side Kids (ok but not attractive enough), and a few other good and unusual movies. THIS one stood out as probably one of the best in the collection for its zany twists and turns and fun all around. As another viewer said, it has an unique twist to the "returning soldier" story. I would think it would fit best under the Preston Sturges movies for the amazing wild and funny antics, Rudy Vallee with the ever persistent glasses that Sturges first placed on his nose in Palm Beach Story, and the heart that demonstrates that even the crazies of men with the craziest ideas has a definite purpose in mind and not so crazy after all.Rudy Vallee and Hillary Brooke as Peter and Shirley Pedigrew nearly steal the show with their wacky relationship, but the sweet romance that builds from the very beginning when Jimmy sees the Admiral is full of innocence and charm.This is one of those movies that you wish had even more than what has been presented to you because you don't want it to stop. You want more.This is a perfect example that there are still hidden gems out there in the Golden Age of Hollywood that are still undiscovered.

The Hollywood treatment of the problems of returning servicemen after World War 2 took many forms - sob stories, psychological dramas, films noirs, even musicals - but this film is unusual, perhaps even unique, in giving them an irreverent screwball slant. The script sparkles with wise-cracking dialogue, and the action proceeds headlong in unpredictable directions. It is the sort of movie that the phrase "never a dull moment" was coined for. The two leads did full justice to their parts, but they lacked the star status to impress the critics. If Claudette Colbert and Cary Grant had been cast, or Jean Arthur and Jimmy Stewart, they could have performed no better, but this film would now be assured of its place in the annals of screwball comedy instead of being neglected and almost forgotten. Luckily it is not lost. It is available on DVD in eminently watchable condition, albeit without the full restoration that it deserves.