I was really excited to see To the Shores of Tripoli. John Payne in a uniform, Randolph Scott as the hard-as-nails sergeant, and Maureen O'Hara in the middle of a love triangle-what could go wrong? Well, only part of my assumptions going in proved to be correct. To make sure he wouldn't be in contention to get the girl, they grayed up Randy's hair. Still, he's infinitely nicer, more responsible, and has more in common with Maureen, so why would a little gray hair get between them? It doesn't make any sense why she doesn't look twice at him, or why he isn't given his own love interest.
John Payne, although incredibly handsome, plays a first-class jerk in this movie. He's mean, manipulative, and doesn't have any respect for the Marines, Maureen, or her status as a lieutenant in the nurses' division. For example, in order to spend time with her, he pretends to get hit by a car-by slamming his hand down on the car and then falling to the ground-so he can spend all night in the hospital. He's incredibly selfish, and didn't care that he would worry and traumatize the driver, or that he was shirking his military duty, or that he was using valuable resources that could have been used on a truly wounded man. I didn't think his gesture was romantic, and I wasn't rooting for him.
I didn't really like this movie, and the next time I'm in the mood to see John and Maureen together, I'll pop in Sentimental Journey. Still, it wasn't an entire loss. Randy looked really good with gray hair, a uniform, and a stern expression.
John Payne, although incredibly handsome, plays a first-class jerk in this movie. He's mean, manipulative, and doesn't have any respect for the Marines, Maureen, or her status as a lieutenant in the nurses' division. For example, in order to spend time with her, he pretends to get hit by a car-by slamming his hand down on the car and then falling to the ground-so he can spend all night in the hospital. He's incredibly selfish, and didn't care that he would worry and traumatize the driver, or that he was shirking his military duty, or that he was using valuable resources that could have been used on a truly wounded man. I didn't think his gesture was romantic, and I wasn't rooting for him.
I didn't really like this movie, and the next time I'm in the mood to see John and Maureen together, I'll pop in Sentimental Journey. Still, it wasn't an entire loss. Randy looked really good with gray hair, a uniform, and a stern expression.