Before CHARLTON HESTON parted the Red Sea as Moses, he took time out to work on a delightfully original little comedy called THE PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON, nicely photographed at St. Catherine's Military Academy in Anaheim, California, and giving Heston one of his rare comedy roles.
He's a good sport about doing this sort of thing, a step down from the heavy dramatics usually assigned him, but he's no Cary Grant or James Stewart when it comes to comedy finesse. You can see him struggling to put some comic charm into certain moments, but he's only half successful.
Others around him have a surer way with this kind of material. JULIA ADAMS is attractive, warm and easy in a role that involves a romance with Heston after a few squabbles over just how tough he should or shouldn't be with the young cadets.
TIM HOVEY is a little scene-stealer as the youngest, who tries to win Adams' attention all the time by making numerous trips to the infirmary where she's the head doctor. And NANA BRYANT as Mother Superior and WILLIAM DEMAREST as a crusty handyman, add their professionalism to the pleasant cast, as does SAL MINEO as one of the more earnest cadets.
Nominated for Best Original Screenplay, it's a predictable yarn but the writing is well crafted (the authors wrote "Leave It To Beaver" for TV), and the story is fresh and interesting even though the happy ending is telegraphed long before the final credits.
Summing up: Enjoyable and fun to watch Heston tackle a comedy role so earnestly, if not with the ease of a Grant or Stewart. At times, it's like watching the bull in a china shop.
He's a good sport about doing this sort of thing, a step down from the heavy dramatics usually assigned him, but he's no Cary Grant or James Stewart when it comes to comedy finesse. You can see him struggling to put some comic charm into certain moments, but he's only half successful.
Others around him have a surer way with this kind of material. JULIA ADAMS is attractive, warm and easy in a role that involves a romance with Heston after a few squabbles over just how tough he should or shouldn't be with the young cadets.
TIM HOVEY is a little scene-stealer as the youngest, who tries to win Adams' attention all the time by making numerous trips to the infirmary where she's the head doctor. And NANA BRYANT as Mother Superior and WILLIAM DEMAREST as a crusty handyman, add their professionalism to the pleasant cast, as does SAL MINEO as one of the more earnest cadets.
Nominated for Best Original Screenplay, it's a predictable yarn but the writing is well crafted (the authors wrote "Leave It To Beaver" for TV), and the story is fresh and interesting even though the happy ending is telegraphed long before the final credits.
Summing up: Enjoyable and fun to watch Heston tackle a comedy role so earnestly, if not with the ease of a Grant or Stewart. At times, it's like watching the bull in a china shop.