. . . he was Matlock, before he started shilling for the con artists at AARP, Andy Griffith was . . .
. . . Will Stockdale -- a Georgia farm boy drafted into the Air Force. The movie -- No Time for Sergeants -- is one of the finest comedies in the American catalogue.
Correction: The first two-thirds of the movie is that good. The last one-third is inexplicably bad, inexplicably disconnected from the first two-thirds of the movie. The there had been a shark in the U.S. Air Force back then, the movie would have jumped it.
Still, Sergeants is very much worth a look-see.
For an adult generation that fought World War II and a younger generation still subject to the draft, the military -- especially the peacetime army -- offered a rich vein of humor.
Couple that with backwoods humor -- for a people whose grandparents still lived on the farm -- and you have a sure combo, "Beetle Bailey" means the "Beverly Hillbillies."
Will Stockdale is also the archetype of an physically strong and morally pure hero, an innocent, in a (mildly) corrupt world -- exposing absurdities and setting things right.
The movie is also a useful time capsule of fifties cultural attitudes and artifacts, things that were changing, have changed, and are still changing.
The first time Will Stockdale meets a female officer, for instance, he removes his cap and treats her the way he was taught to treat women. His response is socially correct, of course, but militarily incorrect. The officer chews him out. When she leaves, Will's friend schools him: "She's an officer, Will. You've got to salute her, like any other officer."
That leads to a fine comedic bit later when Will's barracks mates ogle an attractive woman officer at the door of the mess hall. Will glances back, then nonchalantly ignores her. The other men are incredulous. "Look again, Will. What do you see?" Will squints, then declares: "I . . . see . . . a . . . major." They conclude Will has bad sight and is likely to fail his eye examination, a key plot element.
Squirrel this tidbit into your trivia bank: In the 1954 novel, No Time for Sergeants, the contretemps was about a black officer, not a woman. The movie makers were unwilling to play that hand the same way, so they substituted a woman officer for a black officer.
The best scenes: Will is named permanent latrine orderly (above). Will presents the latrine for inspection by the captain. Will meets the psychaitrist. ("No. Do you hate your mother?") And Will aces the manual dexterity test, given by none other than Don Knotts. ("But that's not how you're supposed to do it!")
See it. You won't regret it.
And if you like Sergeants, dig up a copy of Mr. Griffin's legendary comedy recording, "What It Was Was Football."
My quotes are as-remembered, not as-confirmed. So sue me.
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