B24 Viewing in 2015 a topical film from 1944 is like taking a ride in a time-worn Model A Ford...fun at first but soon annoying, unless you can remember how you felt about it in 1944. For many of us belonging to that older generation, the Model A was our first cheap used car, and we loved it. The Private Hargrove movies, unlike now classic dramas and comedies of that or any other time, probably ought to be forgotten except as artifacts of ages past. Only film history students and old folks can fully understand them. The corny jokes, the earnest patriotic comments, the primer on army life, the girls of the USO...all fall nowadays into the category of trivia.Those of us who were approaching draft age at the time watched this film and other war films with genuine trepidation that we would soon be walking in a hail of bullets on a mined beachhead. A little humor took the edge off.

jarrodmcdonald-1 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.

MartinHafer Private Hargrove (Robert Walker) is one of the most inept Privates in the US Army and much of the film consists of the Sergeants trying to somehow turn this numb-skull into a decent soldier. But it all seems hopeless and we should be awfully glad there weren't more like him in the service--or else the war might have gone the other way! Oddly, however, I did notice that almost all the soldiers were skinny little squirts--the must rugged among them being Keenan Wynn! In some ways, the film plays a bit like "No Time For Sergeants" but without the hillbilly angle--consisting of a series of screw ups and comedic situations in boot camp and very, very little evidence that an actual war is taking place! However, the film takes a romantic turn when Walker is tricked into a date with lovely Donna Reed. When the two fall in love, the joke's on the fellows who set him up with her. This part of the film is quite sweet and helps to create a more well-rounded film--not just a typical army comedy. And, because he now has some focus in his life, he improves as a soldier and actually is promoted to acting Corporal...which takes him completely by surprise. So can Hargrove get the girl AND be a success in the Army? Tune in and see.Overall, this is a very slight but pleasant film. Sure, it's a piece of fluff...but nice fluff. There is a sequel--which I have not yet seen. Considering that this was a decent and likable film, I might just give "What next, Corporal Hargrove?" a look.

betsmith6 More than 5,000,000 men entered the armed services in World War II and movies like See Here, Private Hargroves was an attempt to assure the folks back home and incoming draftees that Army life could be swell. You may have to scrub a few garbage cans but you will make buddies that will last a lifetime and get a chance to meet and fall in love with a beauty like Donna Reed. Even a screw-up like Hargrove eventually becomes a member of the best gunnery team in the battery and earn the respect of the drill instructors that once tormented him. One character even tells Hargrove that he will remember his Army service as the best times of his life.