An Exercise In Nonsense

Absolutely amazing

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

. . . are words you seldom hear nowadays. But back in 1945, the U.S. Navy had a whole L.T.A. (lighter-than-air) fleet. These "blimp boys" primarily were engaged in anti-submarine warfare along the U.S. coasts, though they might dabble in other missions, as shown at the end of THIS MAN'S NAVY. Military comedies such as M*A*S*H, STRIPES, DR. STRANGEGLOVE, or TV's HOGAN'S HEROES, McHALE'S NAVY, and F-TROOP tend to pop up during peace time, long after the shooting stops. This was especially true during WWII (1942-45), when the American War Dept. cross-checked EVERY feature film Pre-release against a ten-point checklist to insure that each flick made appropriate advances against the Axis forces. THIS MAN'S NAVY is as close to comedy as the War Censors would allow, with blow-hard main character Ned Trumpet, and his comic foils. Ned bails out of L.T.A.'s over Lakehurst, N.J., and under Japanese fighter plane attack in Southeast Asia, with exactly the same air of light-hearted jauntiness. In Howard Hughes' HELL'S ANGELS, the German dirigible commander orders a dozen of his crewmen to lighten the airship's load by jumping out over enemy England WITHOUT PARACHUTES. The U.S. Blimpers, on the other hand, do not need to resort to such fatal measures to shed ballast: they simply are shown pitching out swivel chairs, filing cabinets, and mini-fridges. THIS MAN'S NAVY proves that the Axis is no match for a nation of Archie Bunkers, Forrest Gumps, and Don Knottses.

"This Man's Navy" is, as other comments have indicated, a rare and well-filmed look at Navy lighter than air (LTA) activities. The LTA crews were justly proud that the convoys they shadowed never lost a ship to submarine attack. And the filming at the various NAS locations give a valuable glimpse at a type of aviation that is long gone. However, the first half of the movie is all about Beery, his relationship with his service pals, and him meeting the Tom Drake character and his mother, and getting Drake's leg fixed. Only then does the second film start. The second film is mostly LTAs in action, taking on a surfaced sub, guys get killed and much damage is caused. The look is fairly gritty and realistic, I imagine. Then we shift to Southeast Asia. Did the Navy have LTAs there? Never mind, this part is really wild, with a blimp being used to extract some downed aircrew from the jungle. And the Japs are shooting like mad. Shades of Vietnam, except the getaway is oh, so leisurely. This is a blimp we're talking about. In the end, a feel-good WWII drama about a very unusual part of the war.

Not many movies were made about the Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) aspect of aviation, but this is one of them and it's damn good. Just a fun film to watch.Most of the movie takes place at the Navy blimp operations at NAS Lakehurst (with NAS Tustin playing the role). Wallace Beery plays a likable but Munchausen-like Senior Chief Ned Trumpet, an enlisted pilot, whose tall tales have gotten so frequent nobody really believes him. Half the fun is near the end of the movie when events start proving that most of his more outlandish tales are actually true.Set during WWII, the main plot centers around bachelor Trumpet wooing a local widow only to end up having a father-son relationship with the widow's crippled son, Jess. Told he would never walk without crutches by doctors, Chief Trumpet pulls some strings and a Navy flight surgeon helps in restoring the lad's crippled leg. Jess goes on to join the Navy to become a flight officer, flying blimps back at Lakehurst and facing a whole new set of challenges.A very well-done movie, albeit not without some corny Hollywood dialogue slipping past the technical advisers, and Beery's apparent inability to march in step. Otherwise this movie gets good grades for technical accuracy, and gives a rare look into the Navy's LTA operations. The Cash Register Scene, an exchange between Trumpet and Jess's future love interest Cathy, is an absolute hoot.

Of all the movies I have seen, and that's most of them, this is by far the best one made that is primarily about the U.S. Naval Airships (Blimps) during the WW-II era. Yes there are other good LTA related movies, but most use special effects more than any real-time shots. This Man's Navy has considerably more real-time footage of blimps etc. True, lots of corny dialog but that's what makes more interesting Hollywood movies, even today. P.S. I spent 10 years(out of 20) and have over 5,000 hours in Navy Airships of all types, from 1949 through 1959. Proud member of the Naval Airship Association etc. [ATC(LA/AC) USN Retired]