Yanks Ahoy

Yanks Ahoy (1943)

** (out of 4)

Hal Roach produced comedy is in the same series that includes Tanks a Million and Fall In. In this film, as in the previous two I watched, the brainy Sgt. Doubleday (William Tracy) is at odds with Sgt. Ames (Joe Sawyer) aboard a ship where there might be a Japanese spy on board. I enjoyed the first two films I watched as cheap, B-movie entertainment but this one here is certainly the weakest of the three. This is due in large part to a very weak screenplay that doesn't allow the two stars any good scenes. The first two movies were actually pretty well written but there aren't too many jokes here that actually work. The running gag of sea sickness falls flat on its face and even Tracy and Sawyer seem bored here. In an interesting note, the type of helmets the men are wearing here are modeled after a new type of helmet, which was being used in WW2. The only catch is that the men in the film are wearing them backwards throughout!!!