Tanks a Million was the first of a series of films that starred William Tracy as an ingenuous army recruit with a knack of falling into good luck that is drives old time sergeant Joe Sawyer to his wit's end. I've never seen any of these films before I hope the others are as funny.
James Gleason is also along for the ride in this series as the cantankerous commanding officer of the post. As always Gleason is wonderful.
The gimmick in this film is that William Tracy as 'Dodo' Doubleday has a photographic memory and he's memorized the Army's book of rules. He's not brilliant, he's a milder version of an idiot savant, possibly Dustin Hoffman could play him if they ever wanted to make an updated version of these films. He arrives at the fort a young draftee and his knowledge of the Army manual gets him made a sergeant in one day which Sawyer took 10 years to learn.
Film fans might better remember Tracy as Misto from the Brother Rat films and as another ingenuous recruit in To The Shores of Tripoli. Tracy apparently had these characters down pat.
Hal Roach produced these films, cheaply made of course, but with some good comedy writing in them and good performances by some fine character actors.
James Gleason is also along for the ride in this series as the cantankerous commanding officer of the post. As always Gleason is wonderful.
The gimmick in this film is that William Tracy as 'Dodo' Doubleday has a photographic memory and he's memorized the Army's book of rules. He's not brilliant, he's a milder version of an idiot savant, possibly Dustin Hoffman could play him if they ever wanted to make an updated version of these films. He arrives at the fort a young draftee and his knowledge of the Army manual gets him made a sergeant in one day which Sawyer took 10 years to learn.
Film fans might better remember Tracy as Misto from the Brother Rat films and as another ingenuous recruit in To The Shores of Tripoli. Tracy apparently had these characters down pat.
Hal Roach produced these films, cheaply made of course, but with some good comedy writing in them and good performances by some fine character actors.