Give Me a Sailor │ Universal Vault Series

Courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

by CHAD KENNERK

Oft-forgotten studio programmers like 1938’s Give Me a Sailor are a thrill to rediscover, particularly when given a high-quality Blu-ray release. Part of Universal’s ongoing efforts to bring early Paramount titles to high definition, this month early Bob Hope and Cary Grant vehicles emerge from the Universal Vault. In a presentation that far exceeds its B-movie origins, the romantic farce is written by Doris Anderson and Frank Butler from a play by Anne Nichols and directed by studio mainstay Elliott Nugent. The story sees two Navy brothers, Jim and Walter Brewster (Bob Hope and Jack Whiting), who find themselves entangled with sisters Nancy and Letty Larkin (Betty Grable and Martha Raye). 

This was the third pairing of Hope and Raye (not to mention Hope’s third film overall) and was the first time that Paramount would position them as leads. As the more established name, Raye takes top billing and gets a great spotlight for her talents. Often the butt of ‘big mouth’ jokes, Give Me a Sailor gives Raye the last laugh and an opportunity to play the glamorous leading lady. Coming off his second film, College Swing, Hope was in a transitional phase, edging toward the persona that would define him. In his autobiography, Have Tux, Will Travel, Hope had this to say about the film: “By this time I was a combo light comedian-leading man. I could look reasonably presentable or I could throw a pun – whichever was needed.”

Bob Hope in 1937

Hope also shared a wicked behind-the-scenes tale: “Martha and I were doing a scene with Andy Devine, and between shots, Andy turned to me and asked, ‘Would you like to play a little golf this afternoon?’ It was a beautiful day, so I said, ‘Sure, but we can’t escape from this chain gang.’ ‘Maybe we can,’ he said. ‘Watch me.’ He walked up to Martha Raye and asked, ‘How do you feel?’ ‘Wonderful,’ she said. ‘Just fine.’ ‘You look good, too,’ he said, ‘but you’ve been working to hard.’ ‘What do you mean?’ she asked. ‘You know pictures,’ Andy told her. ‘These producers get all they can out of you while you’re hot. They don’t care what happens to you. You’re working all the time, and you’re beating your brains out, and they’re getting the money. It drains your energy, and you ought to watch yourself.’ ‘I guess you’re right,’ Martha said thoughtfully. We shot another scene, and Andy gave her another dose of his patented treatment. When the director, Elliott Nugent, called the lunch break, Andy sat with Martha and gave her some more of the same. In addition to being one of the great comediennes, Martha is a very sensitive person. And when she came back to do the first scene of the afternoon, she fell over in a faint. ‘That’s all for today, boys,’ Elliott said. ‘It’s simple,’ Andy told me. ‘It’s called the power of suggestion.’ He tried to use it on me on the golf course all that afternoon but with small success.” 

Betty Grable plays an unusually unsympathetic role, though she does get to sing a couple of numbers with the Jack Whiting Orchestra. Paramount could never quite figure out how to cast Grable, and following Million Dollar Legs (later her nickname), she was released from her contract. Grable went on to massive success at 20th Century Fox in the 40s and 50s, thanks to her work on Broadway in Du Barry Was a Lady, opposite Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr. She once recalled Give Me a Sailor fondly, noting that “lt gave me the chance to prove myself in a modern comedy with music, and I think it came off pretty well. Bob and Martha didn't have as much filming experience as l had, and l often helped them out with little bits of business they were unfamiliar with. I was happy to do this for them, particularly so for Bob, who, I seem to recall, was a terrible worrier despite his wonderful ability to make us laugh between scenes. He was full of nervous energy. He was also quite a wolf in his younger days, and Martha and l spent a lot of time repelling his amorous advances. But I think a lot of it was just ego-boosting for Bob. Basically he was a shy man.”

Though bare bones, Universal’s Blu-ray presentation ultimately becomes the strongest argument for revisiting the film. Whether the source materials themselves were pristine or Universal is taking greater strides in its restoration work, the result is pure polish, giving the B picture an A release. It doesn’t exactly transform Give Me a Sailor into a lost classic, but it does elevate the charming, routine entertainer, capturing a moment when several major stars (and later Film Review contributors) were still on the rise.

Give Me a Sailor is available on Blu-ray 31 March from the Universal Vault Series.
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