A luckless army intelligence lieutenant finds himself stationed on a remote island army outpost during World War II, where all the action is between the sheets.A luckless army intelligence lieutenant finds himself stationed on a remote island army outpost during World War II, where all the action is between the sheets.A luckless army intelligence lieutenant finds himself stationed on a remote island army outpost during World War II, where all the action is between the sheets.
- Officer
- (uncredited)
- Nun
- (uncredited)
- Lieutenant
- (uncredited)
- Club Patron
- (uncredited)
- Lieutenant
- (uncredited)
- Club Patron
- (uncredited)
- Officer at Welcome Party
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is believed to be the first of a handful of films shot in the short lived Panacolor system. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer struck the U.S. release prints in their own lab under the Metrocolor label.
- GoofsWhen Lt. Wye is transferred to the island, the shoulder patch on his uniform changes to one signifying the U.S. Army's Ryukyu Command. This film is set during WWII and this patch did not appear until 1950 (although some references state it was unofficial as early as 1947).
- Quotes
Lt. Molly Blue: So I date a lot. I admit it. I'm shopping around. I'm 22, Merle. By the end of this war, I may be 30.
Second Lt. Merle Wye: That's why I say, "Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may."
Lt. Molly Blue: Oh, I wish I had a dollar for every time that's been suggested. You could at least be a little more original.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Password: Kitty Carlisle vs. Jack Carter: evening show (1962)
- SoundtracksThe Horizontal Lieutenant
Music by George Stoll
Lyrics by Stella Unger
Performed by The Diamonds
Courtesy of Mercury Records
Hutton and Prentiss were an attractive couple - she very sexy and long legged, he somewhat gangly and bean-pole thin, but with a great deal of boyish charm and a winsome self-effacing manner. Hutton was groomed to be a new version of Jimmy Stewart, in fact. he stayed youthful enough to successfully play Ellery Queen in a TV series when he was over 40.
With this nice pairing of leading man and lady, and the always funny Jim Backus added to the mix, this should have been an engaging comedy. The fact that it is no better than so-so is not the fault of the actors.
The film, which is based on a novel, is meant to be similar to a number of World War II military service screwball comedies that were released in the late 50's and early 60's. It tries to capture the spirit of "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "Don't Go Near the Water", both starring Glenn Ford, and "Wake Me When It's Over" starring Dick Shawn. However, it never quite makes the grade. The situations that are supposed to funny just don't quite hit home. There is a bit too much reliance on slapstick pratfalls that you can see coming a mile away, and a couple of scenes with good humor potential are wasted by sub-par dialog.
But, the cast is gamely trying their best and the great chemistry between Prentiss and Hutton comes through in some (but not all) of their scenes together. This movie is a nice time-killer, but it was not nearly as good as I had hoped.
- prcadle
- Jul 16, 2014
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,020,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1