On viewing the cast list I thought this would have to be good - but what a disappointment.
Cagney acts as a caricature of himself, in fact he seems like a cross between Mickey Rooney and the Bowery Boys, and although the rest of the leads are good (Gordon MacRae and Doris Day singing and especially Gene Nelson dancing) there is no real sparkle to lift this from the mundane.
The basic idea of using West Point is good, with the conflict between the unreal atmosphere of a training school and the real world, but this was not exploited, and one got the feeling that the powers-that-be in West Point had script approval to ensure that only a rosy view of life there was portrayed.
To make a successful musical comedy you need a good script with laughs and memorable songs, none of which this had.
Overall one to avoid.
Cagney acts as a caricature of himself, in fact he seems like a cross between Mickey Rooney and the Bowery Boys, and although the rest of the leads are good (Gordon MacRae and Doris Day singing and especially Gene Nelson dancing) there is no real sparkle to lift this from the mundane.
The basic idea of using West Point is good, with the conflict between the unreal atmosphere of a training school and the real world, but this was not exploited, and one got the feeling that the powers-that-be in West Point had script approval to ensure that only a rosy view of life there was portrayed.
To make a successful musical comedy you need a good script with laughs and memorable songs, none of which this had.
Overall one to avoid.