If dealing with the Creature From the Black Lagoon was difficult for Julie Adams, wait till she meets Charlton Heston as a strict military commander in this amusing comedy. Heston is a by the books combat officer, responsible for training soldiers in preparation for active duty, and all of a sudden, he is transferred to become the dean of a Catholic military school. He doesn't realize that what doesn't always work with adults certainly won't work with the young, and he finds obstacles at every corner with school doctor Julie Adams, Mother Superior Nana Bryant and the various boys he encounters, particularly the very young Tim Hovey who could really use a father figure. Through the strict patience and guidance of the tough but caring Adams, Heston strives to make alterations through challenges that outweigh his capabilities. But miracles can happen, and sly manipulations by the pretty doctor keep him trapped at the school when demands from Washington threatened to remove him.
In the very same year where Sal Mineo played a shy and reluctant "Rebel Without a Cause", he has quite a different role here as the one student who respects Heston for his strictness, knowing wisely the motivations behind it. The story of the romance between Adams and Heston and the friendship that slowly grows between Heston and Hovey is quite touching as it is to see Heston grow from the experience. This is a comedy of mostly smiles, not laughs, and yet when there are laughing inducing moments, they bring out loud ones. William Demarest appears giving one of his typical lovable grouchy curmudgeon performances, usually being knocked around unintentionally by the rushing kids. Many of the circumstances that occur within this film don't always seem realistic in a military setting, let alone a school setting, but the charm of the cast makes that palatable. Adams and Heston have a nice rapport, and Bryant has a sly wink in her performance of the wise but very humane mother superior. The charming slightly animated credits will entrance you and you fulfill its promise to be a sweet if not perfect comedy. I have been humming the cute little ditty that opens the film since the first time I saw this several decades ago which I noticed that you being utilized in several other Universal films made around the same time, most notably "The Toy Tiger" which also featured Honey.
In the very same year where Sal Mineo played a shy and reluctant "Rebel Without a Cause", he has quite a different role here as the one student who respects Heston for his strictness, knowing wisely the motivations behind it. The story of the romance between Adams and Heston and the friendship that slowly grows between Heston and Hovey is quite touching as it is to see Heston grow from the experience. This is a comedy of mostly smiles, not laughs, and yet when there are laughing inducing moments, they bring out loud ones. William Demarest appears giving one of his typical lovable grouchy curmudgeon performances, usually being knocked around unintentionally by the rushing kids. Many of the circumstances that occur within this film don't always seem realistic in a military setting, let alone a school setting, but the charm of the cast makes that palatable. Adams and Heston have a nice rapport, and Bryant has a sly wink in her performance of the wise but very humane mother superior. The charming slightly animated credits will entrance you and you fulfill its promise to be a sweet if not perfect comedy. I have been humming the cute little ditty that opens the film since the first time I saw this several decades ago which I noticed that you being utilized in several other Universal films made around the same time, most notably "The Toy Tiger" which also featured Honey.