Main Cast: James Cagney, Dan Dailey, Corinne Calvet, William Demarest, Craig Hill, Robert Wagner
Release Year: 1952
Country: US
Run Time: 120 minutes
Plot
James Cagney signed on to play Captain Flagg in 20th Century Fox's 1952 remake of the 1926 classic What Price Glory after being told that the old property was being converted into a musical. By the time Cagney learned that Fox had no intention of adding songs and dances to the venerable Maxwell Anderson/Laurence Stallings stage piece, it was too late to pull out, so he decided to grin (sometimes) and bear it. Under the direction of John Ford, the potent anti-war message of the original play is blunted, while the drunken rowdiness of Capt. Flagg and his friendly enemy Sergeant Quirt (Dan Dailey) was played for all it was worth and then some. Much of the brawling is over the affections of vivacious barmaid Charmaine, played by Corinne Calvet. Contrasting the rough-hewn hijinks of Flagg, Quirt and their fellow Marines on the fields and in the villages of World War I-era France is the doomed romance between private Robert Wagner and French lass Marisa Pavan. (Why does Wagner get to sing, while Cagney and Dailey do not?) Barry Norton, who played Wagner's role in the original What Price Glory? appears in the remake as a priest. Norton is unbilled, as are such familiar faces as Harry Morgan, Paul Fix, Henry Kulky, and John Ford "regulars" Dan Borzage and Bill Henry. Falling well short of classic status, the Technicolor remake of What Price Glory? is kept alive by the marvelous roughneck rapport between James Cagney and Dan Dailey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The idea of making a musical out of What Price Glory? -- as was the original intent -- is very strange, but it might have made for a more interesting film. Director John Ford rebelled against the idea (although there are a few brief musical moments that remain in the finished product), but he didn't come up with a fresh new take on the material that justified remaking it in the first place. Instead, Ford has diminished a great deal of the original's anti-war message, leaving a war-based comedy about two bickering rivals who vie for the affection of both the men under their command and the woman of whom they would like to take command. Unfortunately, the comedy is hardly as fresh as it needs to be, and it doesn't mesh with the more serious segments that deal directly with the war, giving the film a somewhat schizophrenic feeling. Shooting almost entirely on a soundstage, Ford isn't able to indulge his penchant for sweeping vistas and Glory thus feels rather cramped. What Glory does have working in its favor is its cast, led by the friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) brawling of James Cagney and Dan Dailey, who evince a positively bracing chemistry. Cagney is occasionally a trifle over the top, but endearingly so, and he and Dailey provide a great deal of energy that helps propel the film forward. A very young Robert Wagner is quite good (except when forced to utter the line which gives the film its title), Corinne Calvet possesses looks that make one immediately understand the ardor with which she is suited, and William Demarest and James Gleason add valuable color. What Price Glory? misses the mark quite often, but its cast helps to redeem its missteps. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Flagg and Quirt are veteran United States Marines whose rivalry dates back a number of years. Flagg, now a captain, is in command of a unit on the front lines of France during World War I. Sergeant Quirt is assigned to Flagg's unit as the senior non-commissioned officer. Flagg and Quirt quickly resume their rivalry which this time takes its form over the affections of Charmaine, the daughter of the local innkeeper. However, Charmaine's desire for a husband and the reality of war give the two men a common cause.
