This is really an inane film that seemed to get somewhat better as it went on.Miyoshi Umeki proved once again that she was no actress and confirmed my belief that her supporting Oscar for "Sayonara" was absolutely ridiculous. This being said, Umeki finally broke out of those sad doldrums that she displayed on screen. Even in this comedy, she looked at times like she did as Mrs. Joe Kelly, wife of Red Buttons, in that miserable 1957 film. There is one scene in "Cry for Happy" where she pretends to be a nurse interviewing a reporter who is interested in adopting a child. That scene was quite humorous, but we see little else going for her.The film itself deals with three gobs in Japan who stay at a geisha house and then claim that the latter place is an orphanage. The fun breaks out once children are brought in to make the place look legitimate.Donald O'Connor joins Glenn Ford as one of the sailors. The film goes to show you that without dancing, O'Connor is lost.

The female oriental stars of Sayonara, Miko Taka and Miyoshi Umeki, team once again for a story dealing with the American occupation of Japan in Cry For Happy. At least the film is not as tragic for Miyoshi as Sayonara was. It's also not as good, but it's also a good deal lighter.The American leads are Glenn Ford who was also in a film about the post war occupation in The Teahouse Of The August Moon and Donald O'Connor. Ford is a Navy CPO in charge of photographic unit and O'Connor is one of his new men, the others being James Shigeta and Chet Douglas. Through an incredible combination of circumstances the four of them wind up living in a geisha house that Taka runs. Ford during a moment of inter-service rival bragging, boasts publicly of sponsoring an orphanage and has to make good on that for Admiral Howard St. John and more important the Admiral's wife, Harriet MacGibbon. Believe it or not it all works out.Cry For Happy is a little slow at times, but enough laughs are there for it to be enjoyable. Best scene in the film involves Miyoshi Umeki discouraging nosy reporter Joe Flynn from adopting one of the 'orphans' with her broken English. Red tape is red tape in any language and culture.Next best scene is at the very end with Ford having to provide temporary headquarters for an influx of real orphans his new establishment is getting, but is not ready to receive yet. And we can't forget the film that was shot with Navy equipment lent on the sly by Ford to aspiring Japanese film producer Robert Kino. I guess you could call it a Sushi western. It gets audience approval, but not quite the way Kino was hoping for.The team of George Marshall and Glenn Ford is not often discussed as a director/actor combination. But some very funny comedies were turned out be this pair. Cry For Happy will be enjoyed by Glenn Ford's still legion of fans.

It's a durn shame that the actual filming locations aren't listed here, as of July 2008. A title card at the beginning wants us to believe that this was filmed at the US Naval base in Japan in 1951 right after WW II, but for starters, we know this was filmed in 1960/1961. All the inside shots could be filmed on a set. The picture starts at a geisha performance, with the show and the girls being explained to the navy and to the viewer. Sailors led by Murray Prince (O'Connor) are assigned to help CPO Cyphers (Glenn Ford) for a military press project. Sharp viewers will recognize Joe Flynn as John McIntosh, rep for the U.S. press. He will be the Captain in McHale's Navy in 1962. Watch for Ted Knight (from Mary Tyler Moore) as Glick, the Admiral's assistant. Also, Miyoshi Umeki, one of the geisha girls, will be the housekeeper in Courtship of Eddie's Father in 1969. At a press corp meeting, the marines confront the navy, and the lies and mixups begin. While a little dated now, the exotic Japanese kimonos and house decorations, authentic or not, must have made for an interesting film at the time. Similar to "Walk Don't Run" which Cary Grant would make in 1966. Some clever bits about a spaghetti western done Japanese style. Keep an eye out for Harriet MacGibbon, the Admiral's wife - she was Mrs. Drysdale in Beverly Hillbillies. At 110 minutes, this goes on pretty long, but its an entertaining film.

Not a very good movie. I can't remember when this was last shown on the boob tube. Much of it was filmed on location aboard the USS Los Angeles (CA-135), a heavy cruiser once homeported in Long Beach, California. Many ship's company appeared as extras. If you're a Glenn Ford or Donald O'Connor fan, or simply want to see what a heavy gun cruiser looked like, it might be worth your time. Just don't have any expectations beyond that. There are better WWII Navy movies out there, such as "The Enemy Below," "The Caine Mutiny," and "Onionhead." For some good inside info on the making of "Cry For Happy," ask anybody who was serving aboard the LA when this was filmed.