When Woodrow Truesmith comes marching home, it's to the happiest homecoming any U. S. Marine ever saw: Marching bands, a mortgage- burning ceremony for his mother, even a campaign for mayor. But Truesmith's not only a reluctant hero, he's no hero at all.Transforming a false-flag endeavor into the stuff of comedy would be a challenge for any writer-director circa World War II: Preston Sturges handles it with steady aplomb. Truesmith (Eddie Bracken) is no fraud; rather he's found himself with six real Marines who take to him and his failed effort to join their ranks, and decide to grant him the stature that hay fever denied. The fact Truesmith himself wants no part of this only makes it more interesting."They want heroes, we got six of 'em," says Marine Sgt. Heffelfinger (William Demarest). "All right, we throw in a seventh for good luck. Who's counting?"Bracken and Demarest have some great back-and-forths, two overbearing actors who find just the right backboards in each other. When Truesmith refuses to wear a Marine uniform because it's against regulations, Sgt. Heffelfinger waves it off: "That only applies to Marines."When the other five Marines take turns telling terrible Truesmith tales to the tipsy townspeople, Truesmith complains they are lying. Heffelfinger again holds firm: "Every one of those boys is telling the truth except they changed the names a little so as not to give out military information."Why are the Marines so gung-ho on selling Truesmith so high? Some of it has to do with his father, a war buddy Heffelfinger saw fall at Belleau Wood. Heffelfinger probably senses Truesmith would have turned out the same had hay fever not gotten in the way, and he's keeping faith with the old man. Also, these six Marines still have a war to fight. By championing Truesmith, they are getting maybe their only chance at a heroic homecoming of their own.And what a homecoming! Norman Rockwell couldn't have painted it better. Georgia Caine as Woodrow's mother makes breakfast for six new sons, while Ella Raines as the girl Woodrow left behind keeps putting off breaking the news that she's gotten engaged to someone else. This is comically difficult when everyone in town including the fiancé's mother is pulling for Woodrow.The usual Sturges stock company shows up here; this time there's no awkward shoehorning as the characters have just enough time to make their unique impressions without clogging up the works. It's actually a marvelous thing how the movie flows together, a thrusting narrative that makes time for diverse voices by having everyone interrupt everyone else. Raymond Walburn as the narcissistic mayor even interrupts himself.Just when things seem to be reaching critical mass, Sturges cuts to a tender moment between Bracken and Raines, or a tense one between Woodrow and one of the Marines (Freddie Steele) who suffers from undiagnosed PTSD and is fixedly determined that Woodrow not disappoint his mother, being he has no mother of his own. Even this isn't beyond Sturges' comedy."Are you nuts or something?" Woodrow asks him."Maybe," the Marine answers.Sturges works a political campaign into the story, coded messages about greedy Republicans doing battle with selfless Democrats with a war hero thrown in the mix. It's very simplistic, but adds to the fun.Sturges films can be exhausting, but "Hail The Conquering Hero" hits all the right notes. It has a lot to say about military service, and how people can contribute to a larger cause with or without putting themselves in combat. There are many ways to be a hero.

"Hail the Conquering Hero" as directed by Preston Sturges is a film about deception and its reception by the public, and in this case the American public. This film is also a biting satire delineating ideals about patriotism, hero worship of the military, politicians, the gullibility of the public and even mother love. Starring many of the Sturges travelling road company like Eddie Bracken, Raymond Walburn, and William Demarest among others, the story of Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith details why a man who is rejected by the Marines for chronic hay fever comes to be a hero in spite of these limitations.When Woodrow meets up with his father's former military buddy, as played by Demarest a deception and fraud follows that begins a chain of events that include the house mortgage to be handled, a statue of Woody and paterfamilias to be erected and Woodrow to be nominated for mayor of the town. The fact that the sharp and biting wit of Preston Sturges was willing to take on such giants of sentiment and satirize them, especially during wartime, shows what a relentless observer of mankind he was. Being that he had changed his own real name from Edmond Biden, perhaps the idea of changing identities was appealing to him also.The fact that the societal norms purveyed here have not changed much in the years since it was produced in 1944 tell a lot about the American public's ability to forgive any story or fraud or crime, if the story and tale behind it are exciting or interesting enough. That ostensibly is the real story here in all its raw truth. The public's need to see the good in a crook, the honor in a liar and brains in a fool, are still extant in our current society.Deception in movies or in real life is often applauded and is a thematic constant in both. Highly recommended.

This Preston Sturges film is a wartime comedy with more to it than appears on the surface. It's a good story with a plot that is well developed. The situation comedy is plain for all to see. Eddie Bracken's Woodrow Truesmith returns home after being away for a year, supposedly for wartime service overseas. William Demarest, as Sgt. Heppelfinger, heads a group of Marines who are back in the States from Guadalcanal, and who concoct a ruse to make Woodrow a hero back home. There are more details but this sets the stage for much of the story. Yet, underlying this is a message about nonmilitary service in wartime. It's no disgrace that Woodrow was medically discharged from the Marines after one month of training. And, people who fill civilian jobs back home also are important to the war effort. None of this is overtly obvious, so that it doesn't become a preachy film. But that nice, subtle message is there. Bracken does a good job in his role, but I think Demarest was especially good as the sergeant. The rest of the actors were all quite good. The film has a sizable cast with several notable character actors of the day. Franklin Pangborn plays the reception committee chairman in a frenzied, disorganized and pompous way that was a trademark of many of his roles. Raymond Walburn as Mayor Noble had some of the best lines in the movie – a good number of lines. He played his role superbly well and clearly provided must of the humor in the film. He had many snappy, very funny quips and lines. Which lead me to think that the film also was something of a spoof of politics. Even the stereotyping of Marines as not well educated gets a pass. This bunch is seen as caring and considerate men, even with their toughness. In the end, Woodrow swallows his pride and tells the town folk the truth. Honesty once again proves to be the best policy.

Sturges set the bar very high with the four films preceding this one, including his masterpiece, "Sullivan's Travels." This one is disappointing. Bracken is given little to do except look outraged and embarrassed. Raines is pretty but there is little chemistry between her and Bracken. Demarest comes off best as the Sarge who tries to help Bracken soften the news of his discharge to his mother by making up a story of heroic exploits, a setup that has good comic possibilities. However, Sturges' script is surprisingly flat and unfunny, lacking the zaniness of his earlier efforts. After a brief period of inspiration marked by genius, Sturges seems to have abruptly lost it and this was the start of the decline.