What Did You Do in the War Daddy?
Directed by Blake Edwards
Written by William Peter Blatty; story by Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin
1966/USA
The Mirisch Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Major Pott: [driven mad after being lost in the catacombs for days] Cannon to the right of them! Cannon to the left of them! Volley’d and thunder’d and Donder and Blitzen![/box]
World War II as one big party.
Capt. Lionel Cash (Dick Shawn) is a green but by the books officer in the U.S. Army. He is assigned to liberate a strategic village in Italy. He is lucky to have Lt. Christian (James Coburn) as his right hand man. When the men advance to the village, they find the natives are more than eager to surrender. The only catch is that the town wants to celebrate its annual festival before that. Lt. Christian figures out an elaborate scheme to convince aerial reconnaissance that fierce fighting is going on while everybody parties hearty. With Harry Morgan as the addle-brained Major Pott and Carroll O’Connor as a general.
When I saw the cast and premise I held out some hope for this one. But a lot of the humor seemed lame or forced to me and I didn’t enjoy it much.
I don’t know why, but I love a lot of lame 1960s comedies. I know they’re lame, but I still get a kick out of them. Have you seen “The Last of the Secret Agents?”? So lame. I love it. And The Big Mouth, with Jerry Lewis. So lame! So wonderful!
And then there’s the one I loooove to hate … That Touch of Mink. It’s so stupid!
I don’t think I’ve seen “What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?” But I want to!
Go for it!