Copyright 2 January 1930 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Distributing Corp. New York opening at the Capitol: 10 January 1930. U.S. release: 20 December 1929. 6,936 feet. 77 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Bumptious sailor meets a nice girl at a dance hall.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: An ideal way to punish obstreperous kids: Tie them to a chair and make them watch a William Haines picture.
COMMENT: Those old critics knew a thing or two. In this case, they're dead right. Navy Blues is a terrible picture, a chore to sit through, mainly because William Haines is so plain awful. His is a repulsive personality, full of conceit and boorish, fast-talking egomania. He never stops hogging the mike or the camera. The other players are utterly swamped by his over-bearing self-adulation. Even Karl Dane, no mean scene-chewer himself, is reduced to a mere supporting slot. Whatever a lovely girl like Anita Page can see in this mean-faced braggart beats us. Brown's disappointingly static, pedestrianly indulgent direction doesn't help either. Production values are appropriately meager.
OTHER VIEWS: Aside from the interesting fact that the melody of the theme song was stolen by Stephen Sondheim for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", and that Anita Page is a mildly attractive heroine and that some of the film was obviously lensed on location on board a real battleship, this is an unrewarding film. William Haines is the original hammy Mister Obnoxious of romantic leads and is about as funny as a hand-stand in the morgue. The sound recording is so muffled it often sounds like the actors are saying their lines under water and the direction is so ordinary as to make one think Mr Brown didn't have more than an ounce of talent. - JHR writing as George Addison.
SYNOPSIS: Bumptious sailor meets a nice girl at a dance hall.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: An ideal way to punish obstreperous kids: Tie them to a chair and make them watch a William Haines picture.
COMMENT: Those old critics knew a thing or two. In this case, they're dead right. Navy Blues is a terrible picture, a chore to sit through, mainly because William Haines is so plain awful. His is a repulsive personality, full of conceit and boorish, fast-talking egomania. He never stops hogging the mike or the camera. The other players are utterly swamped by his over-bearing self-adulation. Even Karl Dane, no mean scene-chewer himself, is reduced to a mere supporting slot. Whatever a lovely girl like Anita Page can see in this mean-faced braggart beats us. Brown's disappointingly static, pedestrianly indulgent direction doesn't help either. Production values are appropriately meager.
OTHER VIEWS: Aside from the interesting fact that the melody of the theme song was stolen by Stephen Sondheim for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", and that Anita Page is a mildly attractive heroine and that some of the film was obviously lensed on location on board a real battleship, this is an unrewarding film. William Haines is the original hammy Mister Obnoxious of romantic leads and is about as funny as a hand-stand in the morgue. The sound recording is so muffled it often sounds like the actors are saying their lines under water and the direction is so ordinary as to make one think Mr Brown didn't have more than an ounce of talent. - JHR writing as George Addison.