Destroyer

Steve "Boley" Boleslavski (Edward G. Robinson) and Kansas Jackson (Edgar Buchanan) are old sea dogs who put together the second incarnation of a Navy destroyer called the John Paul Jones. Boley swears it's a great ship, but during its trials, it fails on many counts and is consigned to mail delivery. Morale is low, people want to leave, and on top of all that, Boley has trouble with a crewman named Mickey Donahue (Glenn Ford), who starts seeing Boley's daughter Mary (Marguerite Chapman). How will all these problems be resolved?

This was a fun one. I went in not knowing anything about it, just wanting to see more of Ford and Robinson. Though there are serious moments, mostly of the action variety, this is largely a light comedy, which is not surprising considering people like Buchanan, Leo Gorcey and Ed Brophy are in it. They provide levity, but also some heart.

Far from the best war picture I've seen, but still a good experience. Plus, it's always interesting to see these movies that were made in the middle of the war. Always adds another angle to things.

P.S. Good ol' Regis Toomey has a nice role in this as Boley's superior officer (once trained by Boley), and shockingly, he doesn't play a cop! Well, unless you consider a Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy a cop.