It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

During WWII, Hollywood made a bazillion war films. Almost all of them were clearly propaganda pieces--lacking realism and intended only to bolster the war effort. Allied soldiers were, generally, supermen and the enemy were subhuman monsters. The films were effective but don't age well. However, a few war films from the era managed to be very effective yet realistic--sticking to the facts but doing such a thoroughly good job that they are timeless. Two of the best of this era have to do with the same events--the loss of the Philippines to the Japanese. One, "In Harm's Way", is told from the viewpoint of two Patrol Boat captains and this film, "So Proudly We Hail!" concerns an ensemble cast of nurses stuck on Bataan during the final weeks of this battle. Both are about equally good--and both are true classics.The film begins with a small group of nurses en route from the Philippines. They've been evacuated and are heading to safety. However, several of them are clearly damaged--in particular the one played by Claudette Colbert. The story then flashes back to the beginning of the story--and you learn about all the nurses but particularly how Colbert got to this state. Among the cast are Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake. And, among the guys they fall for during the war are George Reeves (TV's Superman) and Sonny Tufts.What I really liked about the film is that although the characters are fictional, the action is very real. The war isn't sensationalized or sugar-coated--it's bloody, brutal and unrelenting. And, unlike most war films of the day, it doesn't assume the audience is stupid and realizes it can paint a realistic portrait and still contribute to the war effort. The usual jingoism is absent--just a lot of good folks giving their lives in the line of duty. As a result, the film is often heartbreaking and is bound to make an emotional connection with the viewer. Paramount should be appreciated for a great script, exceptional acting and wonderful sets and special effects, as it looks like you'd think the Philippines SHOULD look. One of the best war pictures of the era--and one worth seeing.By the way, Colbert's next film, "Since You Went Away" was also one of the greatest films of the era to deal with the war. It tells an amazingly touching story of a mother and her two daughters as they cope with the absence of loved ones. It's also a tearjerker and well worth seeing.

So Proudly We Hail was Paramount Pictures tribute to the nurses who were tending the casualties at Bataan. The film got four Oscar nominations and great roles for some of Paramout's female stars like Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake, all playing nurses and also joined by Barbara Britton, Mary Treen, Dorothy Adams, Ann Doran and so many others.Claudette is in charge of this group which sets out from San Francisco for assignment at Pearl Harbor. But the Japanese attack diverts the ship for the Phillipines where the nurses are rushed into tending the casualties on Bataan and Corregidor.Having gone to the Phillipines as a tourist and having seen both places I thought Paramount did a remarkable job in re-creating both areas. The battle and evacuation scenes were very well done, one of the nominations that So Proudly We Hail got was for Special Effects.Colbert gets herself involved with George Reeves and this was probably his best big screen performance. What an incredible tragedy that he went in the service and could not get his career momentum back as so many others did. Of course we all know he went on to be television's Superman and the tragedy that came out of that.The military's no fraternization policy got a second wink when Goddard gets herself involved with Sonny Tufts in the film that got him his first notice. He plays a former football star from Kansas and appropriately named same in the film with a kind of goofball charm that was his trademark. Now wartime audiences either didn't notice or didn't care, but his New England accent stood out all over for a guy who was supposed to be from Kansas. Tufts was from the old New England WASP family that among other things endowed Tufts University. Why didn't they just call him Boston for the film? The other Oscar nominations that So Proudly We Hail got was for Best Supporting Actress for Paulette Goddard, for Screenplay, and for Original Story. The film has held up remarkably well over the past several generations and it's a great tribute still to our army nurses in any war.

Thus movie is based on a true story taken from the book, "I Served On Bataan," written by nurse Juanita Hipps, a WWII nurse. She served in Bataan and Corrigedor during the time when McArthur withdrew to Australia. This unprecedented American withdrawal was a huge temporary defeat for our forces and ultimately led to the surrender of US and Philippine troops to Japan. Those prisoners of that surrender were the ones subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.The action and pathos of this film feel real because they are based on real human beings faced with critical issues of life, death, hatred, love and courage in the face of fire.So worth your viewing time!

I saw this film when it first came out. I liked it then and I like it now. Some argue that its a little too heavy on the patriotism. But if you remember it was made at a time when we weren't sure how the war would come out, the context keeps patriotism in perspective. Back then most everyone supported the war effort and the doubters kept their doubts to themselves. There were virtually no families without at least one member in the service and most of the non-service people worked in defense jobs. "So Proudly We Hail" was a timely film when it was made and 60+ years later its message is still relevant as an historical event.