Reviews

Partially filmed in Fort Eustis, VA in 1951-52. I was in the army, at Ft. Eustis, waiting for my shipping orders when the cast and crew arrived. Many of us were used as background. Before they left, they gave us a special screening with most of the actors attending. Jeff Chandler was there. I met one of the actresses, who was with the cast, but not in the picture. We had some nice chats; I saw her off when they departed. I was 12 when world war II started and all of the war films were in black and white. Even the news was in black and white. I feel that black and white and war go together. There is nothing pretty about war. All wars are, more or less, the same; why should the films be any different?

Jerry Brandow and his band played for Jill Corey on that shoot. Jerry asked me to accompany him to a location shoot to meet Howard Koch. Lee Bowmen and Jill Corey were shooting a scene. After the shoot we all walked back to our cars. I met Howard Koch and Lee Bowman. Jill remembered me from Pittsburgh. We had dated when she was working in small clubs around the area. That night we met at a recording studio and they recorded Jerry and Jill for the shoot the next day. Jill gave Jerry her arrangement and Jerry tried to fake it (Jerry and his band were a popular group at a jazz club, the "Pin Up," on Miami Beach - He also danced on Broadway with Steve and Nick Condos, Martha Raye's ex-husband)), but he did not read music. Jill caught on, but worked it out with Jerry and they did the recording. The next day Jerry and I went to the Club 21 in a hotel on 21st street on Miami Beach, the location for the music shoot.. During the breaks Jill and I chatted and watched the Pittsburgh Pirates win the World series. She married Don Hoak the Pirates pitcher. Kaye Master was also in that show. Rocky Graziano was also on that episode. Jerry and Rocky were friends and the three of us would go out drinking after the shoot. Jerry was in a scene where he falls out of a row boat. Jerry couldn't swim but did the stunt and then almost drowned before they got him out.

I saw this film in Albany, NY while taking a 40' yacht up the Hudson River from New York City. I thought it was very funny. coincidently, I was with the songwriter, Bob Hilliard and his wife Jackie, the night before I left New York. Also, Albany is mentioned in the movie and the Albany audience went wild. I had to take a boat and a bus to Albany to experience this. In the first comment about this film, the writer refers to Bob Hilliard as a "Brill Building Writer." Most writers and musicians worked out of that building in the forties and fifties. Bob wrote a number of hits, including; "Our Day Will Come" "Moonlight Gambler" "Be My Life's Companion" "Money Burns A hole In My Pocket" "In the Wee small Hours of the Morning", and many more. I don't think he should be dismissed as just a "Brill Building Song Writer." You can read more about Bob and see a list of all of his songs by running a search for "Bob Hilliard" in one of the major search engines. There is a website with stories and a list of all of his songs.