When Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson and Jack Warden are uncredited atmosphere and bit players, then you know the ones who do get credited will be HUGE names indeed.Gary Cooper is the nominal star but much more of the action is handled, and handled superbly, by his "junior officers" and the "crew."One of my favorites is Harvey Lembeck. I cringe at the waste of such talent as Harvey Lembeck in those horrible (except for the girls in swim suits) beach movies. But when he actually gets a part, as here, he just makes it look too easy. Absolutely marvelous talent.Jane Greer has a few moments to do something besides look beautiful, and she does look beautiful but also handles those other moments too. Another superb talent.Jack Webb again proves he was a real actor before he became somewhat of a cartoon character as "Joe Friday." This is a rather different part, where his character is a bit more loose and outgoing than his "Joe Friday" or "D.I." roles.Eddie Albert -- well, what does one need to say? As almost always, he plays a likable character, and plays it so so well, it's hard to remember he's an actor, not that real person you really want to get to know.Richard Erdman gets one of his best roles. He's another who's nearly always a likable character, but his comedic talents are really on display here. He's another sadly under-rated and wonderful actor.With a walk-on part is Ed Begley. For his few seconds on camera, he nearly steals it.Then the magnificent Ray Collins, the superlative John McIntire, and the unknown Henry Slate almost round out the credited cast, and each and every one is just ... just ... how many more superlatives can I find to use? How about "perfect"? They are all such great talents and they get such a great script, this movie is close enough to perfect because of them and it.Finally, though, there is that excellent veteran, pretty unknown except to movie fanatics like myself, the magnificent Millard Mitchell. He has played practically every type of role Hollywood has created, even Western characters, and played them all to perfection. Mitchell was, simply, one of the greatest acting talents I have ever seen. Here, as the chief bosun, he almost steals every scene he's in."You're in the Navy Now" was a real surprise to me. I had never heard of it. And it was called a "comedy." Well, yes, in spots it's very funny. But mostly it's a pleasant type of humor, one could even say "warm."I highly recommend "You're in the Navy Now," and there's a watchable print at YouTube, occasionally out of synch, but mostly very good. Please try to see this wonderful motion picture.

I have always enjoyed this film for its humor and human characterizations. Men taken from their homes and jobs and suddenly finding themselves in a new and unfamiliar setting is always cause for confusion and misunderstanding. This film does an excellent effort at showing how men can respond to those challenges. Yet does so with wit and intelligence. There is no goof section for this movie so I want to tell of two that I noticed. In one scene the crew is exercising weapons practice. On the bridge acting as communications man is Lee Marvin. When the command to drop a depth charge is given the command is received by Lee Marvin as the stern communications man. On the building behind the dock where the ship is berthed appears the sign "We Built for Victory." Obviously a post-war addition.

This movie is a very comical look at an actual incident that happened in the US Navy during World War II.* Warning -- Spoiler * Gary Cooper plays Lieutenant John W. Harkness, a naval reserve officer who, because the Navy was short of officers, went through their crash course on how to be an officer. On receiving his commission, he finds he has the unfortunate luck of being assigned to one of the Navy's "experiments" -- a sub chaser powered by an experimental steam engine. Due to his degree in mechanical engineering, or perhaps because of it, Lt. Harkness is the only person on board who knows anything about steam engines.Dubbed the "USS Teakettle," a nom de plume intended by the rest of the Navy as a slur against the ship, the crew takes the name and runs with it. Unfortunately, the ship is plagued with problems from the get go, and Lt. Harkness and his crew become the butt of many jokes. The crew manages to redeem themselves only through a base-sponsored boxing match.The "coup de grace" occurs when the Teakettle is on another test run with the program's commander, Rear Admiral L. C. Tennant. After completing a successful run, the throttles on the steam engine freeze wide open, causing the ship to slough through the harbor waters at break-neck speeds until it finally comes to rest smashed against an aircraft carrier. Honor is finally satisfied, however, when the Admiral proclaims the experiment a failure and refits the ship with a diesel engine.This movie is full of hilarious sequences and scenes of a ship commander who'd rather be someplace else.The movie stars Gary Cooper, Jane Greer, Edward Albert, Ray Collins, Jack Webb and Henry Slate. Directed by Henry Hathaway.

Never intended to be side-splittingly hilarious, 'You're In The Navy Now' is an earnest effort at showing the lighter side of naval service, broadly in the manner of the 'Readers' Digest' feature "Humor In Uniform," and as such it works though modern audiences often think it dated and unamusing. Poor modern audiences, indeed.Solid cast here, with Gary Cooper shipshape as the green but earnest new skipper of a submarine chaser in which an experimental propulsion plant has been installed for testing; Jack Webb, Eddie Albert, Harry Von Zell, Jane Greer, Harvey Lembeck, Jack Warden, Charles Buchinski - later to become Charles Bronson, and Lee Marvin all working, and sometimes conniving, together to make their oddly-engined ship a proud one.The actual PC1168 used in the film can be seen here: http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/011168.htm 'You're In The Navy Now' is a pleasant way to voyage through an evening.