Here Comes the Navy

Here Comes the Navy (also known as Hey, Sailor) is a 1934 American romantic comedy film written by Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson and directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film stars James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Gloria Stuart and Frank McHugh.

Plot
Riveter "Chesty" O'Connor and his best friend "Droopy" join the US Navy to annoy O'Connor's nemesis, Chief Petty Officer "Biff" Martin. O'Connor gets himself court-martialled for being AWOL while visiting Martin's sister Dorothy. Disgruntled at his treatment, O'Connor angrily derides the Navy and finds himself ostracized by his fellow sailors.

During gunnery practice, O'Connor helps put out a fire in a gun room and receives the Navy Cross medal, but is still determined to get out of the Navy. Later. O'Connor transfers to the US Naval Air Service and is assigned to the rigid airship USS Macon (ZRS-5). When the Macon tries to dock, Martin is accidentally caught on a guide rope and is hoisted into the air. Despite orders, O'Connor climbs down the rope and saves Martin's life by parachuting both of them to the ground.

Later, at the wedding of O'Connor to Dorothy, Martin finds out that O'Connor has been promoted to boatswain and now outranks him.

Production
With the full cooperation of the US Navy, principal photography, which ended early May 1934, took place at a number of naval facilities, including the Bremerton Navy yard, Washington, Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, as well as other locations in San Pedro and Sunnyvale, California. Naval personnel made up many of the extras on the film. Of historical interest is that a portion of the filming of Here Comes the Navy took place aboard the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39), which was sunk by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. Further, portions of the film also include shots of the dirigible USS Macon (ZRS-5), a year before the accident that destroyed the airship with the loss of two crew.

Reception
In his review for The New York Times, film critic Frank Nugent described Here Comes the Navy as another of the films in "traditional Cagneyesque manner." "Some of the heartiest laughs of the current cinema season were recorded last night in the Strand Theatre, where "Here Comes the Navy" had its metropolitan première. A fast-moving comedy enriched by an authentic naval setting, this Warner production has the added advantage, in these parlous times, of being beyond censorial reproach."

Here Comes the Navy was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Box office
According to Warner Bros records the film earned $1,183,000 domestically and $575,000 internationally.