The heirloom-quality Olive Signature division of Olive Films awesomely lives up to the Olive motto "Cinema Lives Here" regarding releasing two wonderfully remastered Cary Grant classics on Blu-ray in time for the holidays. These versions of the WWII-themed comedies "Operation Petticoat" (1959) and "Father Goose" (1964) hit virtual store shelves on November 28, 2017.
Your not-so-humble reviewer is thrilled to have "Petticoat" and is using this review as a letter to Santa regarding a wish for "Goose" stuffed in his Christmas stocking.
Although "Petticoat" is one of several comedies of the era that mine humor from military bureaucracy and zany characters serving together, it is most notable for making perfect use of the comedic talents of Grant; he is at his best playing a straight man forced to contend with wacky circumstances that take him outside his comfort zone.
Further, Grant has a great gag man in Tony Curtis as an undisciplined member of his crew. The "True Hollywood Story" regarding this pairing is that it illustrates the transition from Hollywood Royalty such as Grant to the young lions such as Curtis; a particular scene in which Grant epically gets the better of Curtis demonstrates that the old-style royals still have plenty of life in them later in the their careers.
The Grant-Curtis dynamic additionally enhances the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" vibe of "Petticoat." Neither the Captain Picard and the Lt. Commander Riker characters nor their portrayors are as far apart as their "Petticoat" counterparts, but we still get Picard uncomfortable about having children on his ship; we further regularly get Riker advocating bolder action than his commanding officer.
The "Petticoat"/"Trek" commonality continues with the U.S.S. Enterprise on which Picard and his crew serve facing many of the same situations as the submarine in "Petticoat" and employing comparable tactics in response.
"Petticoat" is one of many Blake Edwards classics and also inspires an amusing 1977-79 sitcom starring prior Gomez Addams John Astin and future Ernest Jim Varney. (A faint memory is that the series is an ABC Friday night comedy.) The concept of the film and the series is that a straight-laced naval officer finds himself commanding a pink submarine with army nurses as passengers.
The real action in the film opens in the early days of WWII. Lt. Commander Matt Sherman (Grant) is set to take the brand-new submarine The Sea Tiger into open waters from a South Pacific naval base when a Japanese attack heavily damages the vessel. Eagerness on the part of Sherman to contribute to the war effort prompts a deal whereby the authorization to let him take off for open waters is conditioned on completing necessary repairs under virtually impossible conditions.
The desperate measures in response to the desperate times include the powers-that-be assigning social-climbing con man/scavenger Lt. Nick Holden (Curtis) as the executive officer on the submarine. Showing up in a gleaming white uniform followed by an essentially valet lugging a suitcase and golf clubs does not get Holden off to a good start either with his commanding officer or the rest of the crew.
An early scene between Sherman, Holden, and crew member Ernest Hunkle ("McHale's Navy and "The Love Boat" veteran Gavin MacLoed) is one of the most hilarious in the film; it also perfectly illustrates the absurdity of military bureaucracy. This exchange revolves around the navy denying a requisition for toilet paper based on asserting that is in an unknown product despite a (unused) sample being attached to the necessary form.
This exchange also sets the stage for Holden to use his scavenging skills for good rather than evil. This leads to another hilarious scene in which Holden attempts to outwit an MP who catches him in a variation of red handed.
Because "Petticoat" otherwise would be a short, stating that the submarine manages to limp out to sea en route to a base where it can receive adequate service is not much of a spoiler.
Sherman giving Holden an almost literal wake-up call regarding life on a submarine leads to even more hilarity; this also is the beginning of the evolution of Holden adjusting his attitude from essentially considering himself an honored guest to being a fully contributing member of a crew.
The evolution of The Sea Tiger from a traditional vessel to the wackiest submarine in the navy begins during a stop for emergency repairs. The scavenging of Holden nets a small group of army nurses who are stranded on the not-so-deserted isle. An obvious mix of motivations prompts Holden to invite these women to join the sausage party in a metal casing.
The next portion of the film largely revolves around Sherman and his crew adjusting to the new normal regarding having women who essentially only have the clothes on their backs in their midst. Holden stays true to form regarding finding creative solutions to these problems and in taking full advantage of the situation.
The arguably best-known bit of hilarity ensues when accident-prone nurse Lt. Crandall causes the Tiger literally to miss its mark; this triggers the events that lead to that vessel going from battleship gray to Pepto Bismol pink. That in turns leads to Sherman and his crew facing their most serious peril; the ingenuity in response to that includes a variation of raising a white flag.
Edwards does his usually good job wrapping up all the action and provides an epilogue that keeps the audience laughing to the end; this is among the copious evidence that he is a young lion who fully understands the circle of life.
Olive does "Petticoat" (and Edwards) proud regarding the tons of high-quality Blu-ray extras. One feature has Edwards daughter Jennifer lovingly discuss the career of her father and "Victor/Victoria" star Lesley Ann Warren convey the thrill of Edwards putting her on his radar and the related joy of filming "Victor." Another short has TV Land legends MacLoed and Marion Ross discuss their glee comparable to that of Warren regarding their experiences with Edwards. (MacLoed particularly is the gracious man whom your not-so-humble reviewer personally knows him to be.)
Olive further provides newsreel footage of Grant attending the premiere of "Petticoat" at Radio City Music Hall; a segment on the submarine that portrays the Sea Tiger allows us to meet that star.
Olicve wraps this up with an equally entertaining and informative written essay by film critic Chris Fujiwara; a big takeaway from this analysis is that "Petticoat" is funny because much of it is true.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Petticoat" (or "Trek") is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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