| When Johnny Comes Marching Home | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Charles Lamont |
| Produced by | Bernard W. Burton |
| Written by | Dorothy Bennett Oscar Brodney |
| Starring | Allan Jones Jane Frazee Gloria Jean Donald O'Connor Peggy Ryan |
| Music by | Ted Cain |
| Cinematography | George Robinson |
| Editing by | Charles Maynard |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 24, 1942 |
| Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
When Johnny Comes Marching Home is a 1942 musical film starring Allan Jones and Jane Frazee. The film was directed by Charles Lamont and is loosely based on the song with the same title.
Contents |
Johnny Kovacs (Jones) is a war hero who comes back home for a ten-day leave. Pursued by a woman (Shelton) who considers herself his fiance, he works with his superior officers to hide during his leave. He adopts the name Johnny O'Rourke, and finds a room at a theatrical boarding house. He becomes friends with some other boarders (including O'Connor, Ryan and Gloria Jean) and falls in love with a woman (Frazee). His friends overhear him talking to his officer on the phone. They misinterpret the conversation and conclude that he is a deserter. They push him into giving himself up and returning to duty. Confused by their behavior at first, he figures out what they are up to, and plays along. It all works out in the end. The closing song in the picture is a rousing patriotic number sung directly to the audience by the main players in the film.
The New York Times called Universal Pictures "miraculous" for "bringing this star-studded entertainment in under budget and within a 73-minute running time".[1]