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Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines, William Demarest, Bill Edwards, Raymond Walburn ... see more see more... , Freddie Steele , Jimmie Dundee , Georgia Caine , Al Bridge , James Damore , Stephen Gregory , Len Hendry , Esther Howard , Jimmy Conlin , Arthur Hoyt , Harry Hayden , Franklin Pangborn , Victor Potel , Torben Meyer , Jack Norton , George Melford , Frank Moran , Chester Conklin , Merrill Rodin , Marjean Neville , Dot Farley , Julie Gibson , Miriam Franklin , Paul Porcasi , George Anderson , Pauline Drake , Franklin Farnum , Kenneth Gibson , Mildred Harris , Philo McCullough , Tom McGuire , Charles R. Moore , Elizabeth Patterson , Dewey Robinson , Robert Warwick , John Sinclair , Maxine Fife

It took nerve for writer/director Preston Sturges to lampoon the whole concept of hero worship in the middle of World War II, but once more Sturges' oddball sense of taste and propriety paid off at th... read more read more...e box office in Hail the Conquering Hero. Eddie Bracken plays the son of a World War I Marine hero who is the first in his small town to sign up for military service. When Bracken is discharged from the Marines for hay fever, he hasn't the nerve to go home and tell his mother and the rest of the townsfolk. Fortunately, he is befriended by a bunch of good-hearted Marines, led by sergeant William Demarest. Bracken's new buddies decide to help him save face by accompanying him to his home and telling one and all that Bracken has served valiantly in the Pacific. Lauded as a hero thanks to this subterfuge, the hapless Bracken finds himself being coerced into running for mayor! When he finally does confess the truth, the townspeople decide that only a real hero would own up to his lies in public. As always, Preston Sturges' richly varied supporting cast makes the most of every scene they're in, especially Raymond Walburn as a blustering politico and Franklin Pangborn as a persnickety councilman. Special mention must be made of Ella Raines as a refreshingly non-cliched heroine, and ex-boxer Freddie Steele as a morose Marine with a Mother complex. While Eddie Bracken's nerdish mannerisms can wear on the viewer, he is kept marvelously in check throughout Hail the Conquering Hero. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

86% liked it

502 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

18 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Preston Sturges

Release Date: August 9, 1944

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DVD Release Date: May 10, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (57)

  • rubystevens
    May 16, 2010
    rubystevens
    eddie bracken plays a washed out marine who returns home to a hero's welcome thanks to some service buddies who don't want to disappoint his mother. and then things get complicated. great performances, wonderful writing, classic sturges
  • jjnxn
    March 28, 2010
    jjnxn
    Frantic comedy that in lesser hands would be ridiculous but Sturges moves it along at such a lively clip that it comes across as silly and charming. An ace cast all perform marvelously but Demarest stands out as marine with a solution, no matter how farfetched, for every problem.
  • jam233
    January 23, 2010
    jam233
    What a great and poignant Preston Sturges comedy, certainly one of his best. The cast is superb, down to the smallest roles. Eddie Bracken and William Demarest stand out. The writing is outstanding. A great classic. Excellent writing.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
November 13, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

The deft hand of Preston Sturges molded this film, further proof that he is one of the industry's best writer-directors. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

This riotously funny motion picture, this superlative small-town comedy, is also one of the wisest ever to burst from a big-time studio. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

A scathing delight. Full Review

Christopher Lloyd
November 15, 2010
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Hail the Conquering Hero is widely praised as one of Preston Sturges' best films, but I found it tedious and mawkish - the 1944 equivalent of a dopey sitcom. Full Review

November 13, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The premier comedy writer-director of 1940s Hollywood strikes again! Full Review

Chris Barsanti
January 30, 2007
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com

...half a Sturges is better than no Sturges at all. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
October 10, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Sturges turns upside down the conventions of Hollywood's small-town film: His characters' eccentricity is meant to show the more multifarious and resourceful nature of folks who appear to be bland and... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
August 2, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

moves beyond slapstick as it's skillfully and energetically put together to tell much about Americana. Full Review

Tom Milne
February 9, 2006
Tom Milne, Time Out

Wonderful satire on small-town jingoism, all the more remarkable in that it was made during World War II. Full Review

Steve Crum
October 15, 2004
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Still hilarious Sturges after all these years.

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