See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)

Sadly Over-hyped

Crappy film

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

See Here, Private Hargrove was a lucky picture for both the subject and the actor who played the title role. The film is based on the events chronicled by drafted journalist Marion Hargrove who after his service in the army had a long career writing for the big screen. As for the man who played him Robert Walker this became his first starring role after getting good notices in featured parts in Bataan and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Watching this film now it's easy to see how he clicked with wartime audiences as the eager young recruit who becomes the bane of the existence of Sergeant Chill Wills.Keenan Wynn also got some of his first exposure in a role as Walker's best buddy and ace conman. Given Walker's journalistic background that gives Wynn the idea that they can get some light jobs in public relations and have a relatively easy war. This despite the fact that both are part of trained artillery battery.The film is pleasant viewing and Walker is as eager and likable as he was most of the time on the screen. Only late in his short tragic career was he allowed to go to the dark side in films like Vengeance Valley and Strangers On A Train. Wynn also plays a part he mostly played for his first decade. He later greatly expanded his range also to include a dark persona.Donna Reed is here also as the girl next door which she certainly played a lot of in the Forties. In later wars I think that people would have considered Walker and Wynn to be lucky stiffs to have wangled what they had. Certainly they would have thought them nuts to do what they do.See Here Private Hargrove is a World War II era film that would not and could not play for later generations. Still it's pleasant viewing seeing some of the cast in their salad days.

From listening to Robert Walker, you would swear that he sounds like Richard Crenna, who portrayed student Walter Denton, in television's "Our Miss Brooks."As a reporter, Walker may be able to write the stories but he has the uncanny ability to foul things up. Foul ups seem to follow him when he is drafted into the army. Meeting up with the usually sly Keenan Wynn, the latter and his friends are there to exploit Walker all the way.The film essentially boils down to the misadventures of Hargrove in service. Donna Reid is his faithful girlfriend.The film does show meaning when the guys ultimately trade in their cushy positions for more active duty.

Military men seemed to have some sort of great adoration for Donna Reed in this kind of movie. It occurs to me that this was made possible because of Robert Walker's performance as Marion Hargrove. Think about how good he is in this role, to be so convincing that real-life soldiers can identify with him to the point they believe his girl in the movie might be their girl, too.But the legacy of the film and its lasting impact comes from the experiences of Hargrove, a war correspondent known for his humorous essays. The essays became the basis for a book which became the basis for this film. And it did so well at the box office that MGM commissioned a sequel which again starred Mr. Walker, though Miss Reed was not in it.The real-life Marion Hargrove went on to write screenplays and television scripts. He wrote many westerns and episodes of 'The Waltons' which in its later seasons depicts the conflicts of World War II, which Mr. Hargrove experienced first-hand.

This is the third time I have seen Robert Walker snr. playing a corporal in his film roles.In chronological order first was this film (1943), albeit he was only "promoted" for one day; second in "Since You Went Away"(1944) and third in "The Clock"(1945).He stated that his challenge was to play the real life role of Marion Hargrove "appealing without resorting to buffoonery".The Producer had assembled an experienced support cast including Ray Collins, Keenan Wynn, Robert Benchley, Chill Wills and Donna Reed his love interest in the film with "more purity than passion".He admitted to a twinge of guilt (even though he was only acting) when he had to kiss her on screen since he was still married at the time to Jennifer Jones,his beloved "Phyl" (real name Phylis Isley/Walker.) I had never seen this film on mainstream terrestial analogue UK TV networks, neither had I seen it screened on our version of TCM nor other classic TV movie digital channels nor has it been made commercially available to my knowledge either as a DVD or VHS video.This is probably because the owners of the film rights considered it would not have sufficient commercial appeal.Nevertheless I tracked it down to a rare American video dealer on the internet and my son bought it for me as a Christmas present, since he knows how I love classic 1940s films.The reason I am interested in Robert Walker snr. is that he was married for five years to Jennifer Jones (whom I have been a fan of for years having collected all her films on video/DVD).I then spread my interest to other actors associated with her.I still think however that "Strangers on a Train" (1950) is Robert Walker's best film."See Here Private Hargrove" is an autobiographical innocuous comedy by Marion Hargrove (who wrote the best selling book) and who is played by Robert Walker.He starts the comedy as an ineffective newspaper reporter who has talent for writing but just cannot follow through effectively.He is then willingly packed off by his editor when he (Hargrove) is called up to join "Uncle Sam" at a North Carolina army training camp during WWII.He is assigned to training on artillery but spends most of his time there cleaning dustbins (due to a great inability to keep to the disciplined army rules).As a punishment he suffers what Americans call "KP".Does this mean "kitchen punishment"?For one glorious day he is promoted to corporal for an exercise where the blue team have to out-manoeuvre the red team but despite showing individual initiative he only succeeds in leading his company into the wrong team's HQ, because he still cannot follow through effectively.His best friend at the camp (played by real life friend Keenan Wynn whom he met earlier in New York during his first professional radio days), tries to cheat him at every opportunity taking advantage of his talent for writing and gets him to sign a fraudulent assignation of all his present and future royalties in the hope that some day he will be a famous best selling author.Due to Marion's talent for writing, they "wangle" a soft option in the camp's public relations department but after a while they yearn to be back again with their buddies in the artillery.They only just manage to do this before the brigade is moved out to go on active duty.The plot is very gentle, has simple humour, is patriotic and uncontroversial and presumably was seen by the "brass" in 1943 as approved relaxing viewing for soldiers.To young 21st century eyes the plot seems naive but it was Robert Walker's first leading role at a time when it was important to keep up the public's morale in the middle of the war.His then wife, Jennifer Jones was filming her first leading role at 20th Century Fox playing Bernadette Soubirous in "Song of Bernadette"(1943) for which of course she won the "Oscar" for best actress at the 1944 awards ceremony.I understand there is a sequel to this film "What Next Private Hargrove" (1945) again starring Robert Walker in the title role with his friend Keenan Wynn.It would be interesting to see the user comments for the latter film on IMDb.com and how the plot was subsequently developed.