| 1) I saw this movie in the basement movie studio of Ytterboe Hall (my freshmancollege dorm — alas now only a memory) when it came out 37 years ago. AfterI got married and settled down, I started scanning the television listingsregularly for it. After 20 years, one of the channels started showing it inthe wee hours so I managed to tape it. ‘Advance To The Rear’ is a rare gem.
This movie was made during the short but glorious window of culturalinnocence (between R & B and the Rolling Stones) when folk music was aspopular as rock. The music is by Randy Sparks and sung by his New ChristyMinstrals. The song ‘Today’ is from this movie.
Stella Stevens, as the Confederate spy, is gorgeous beyond description.Glen Ford plays the bemused hero trying to do things by the book admidst acollection of misfits (‘We’re a company of cowards and we’ve come to savethe day.’). Jim Backus (‘Gilligan’s Island’ and the voice of Mr. Magoo)leads a familiar cast of veteran supporting actors and actresses of the era.Did I mention that Stella Stevens is good looking?
‘Advance To The Rear’ is a B-movie masterpiece. One of those rare examplesof everything coming together perfectly. For those of us who remember theera, it is also very evocative — perhaps more so than any other movie ofits time. It would be nice if whoever has the rights would release it, myVHS tape is getting a little flaky. By the way, they made an LP of the soundtrack. Now that be a major garage sale find.
2) Advance to the Rear is the last of a string of films that Glenn Fordmade with director George Marshall. As an actor/director combination,they don’t rate as high as John Wayne/John Ford or Robert DeNiro/MartinScorsese, but they did turn out a succession of very funny films.
Back at the beginning of Ford’s career, Marshall directed him in Texasalong with another young star Bill Holden. Than it was almost a decadeuntil they worked together again in one of Ford’s best and probablyfunniest film, The Sheepman.
Ford had not done that much comedy up till then. Marshall took greatadvantage of Glenn Ford’s really great gift for deadpanning somefabulous lines. They did five more films after that and Ford used himin his television series Cade’s County. A good director/actor teamturning out some great product.
I think George Marshall’s not been given his due. He was best atcomedy, but could also turn out good westerns. His most noted film,Destry Rides Again is a great blend of both.
Ford is a newly assigned lieutenant in a company that bears a strikingresemblance to F Troop. Possibly this film was the inspiration forsame. After a major snafu, they are assigned out in the west where itis hoped they cannot do too much damage to the Union cause.
And then it’s discovered they are to be protecting a major goldshipment that Confederate guerrilla James Griffith is out to steal.Ford has an additional complication in that he’s fallen for Confederatespy Stella Stevens.
You’ll have a lot of laughs along the way in seeing if and how allthese situations are dealt with. Another performance of note here isMelvyn Douglas as the commanding officer of the company. Douglas, twoyears past his Oscar for Hud, gets a real change of pace and he lookslike he’s having a ball playing the bumbling and pompous ColonelBrackenby.
Watch this one and you’re in for good afternoon’s share of laughs.
3) It is impossible to see this film and not find it intelligently hilarious.You will laugh your way through it and never once feel your time has beenwasted. The premise is simple and, in an odd way, that may in fact be it’sstrength.
During the last days of the Civil War, a contingent of Union soldiers,havemade an uneasy accommodation with their Confederate counterparts stationedafew miles away. Every day at a certain time, each side fires a round ofcannon fire at the other, timed to a deliberate miss. The aim of bothsidesis to, hopefully, last out the war in this manner: reasonably safe andsecure.
This arrangement works quite well, until a brash headstrong Union Captain(played well by Glenn Ford)decides,on his own, to go out and capture a fewof the "enemy". This of course forces their equally reluctant "enemy" toretaliate.
Ford’s Commander,(played with exquisite timing by veteran actor MelvynDouglas) is horrified. "What have you done?" he shouts at him, "take themback! How many times have I instructed you not to show initiative?" Fromthis point on, the humor escalates and never ceases.
Staffed by some of the most recognized character actors of the time, wearetreated to a highly skilled portrayal of an incredibly believableassortmentof military misfits. What makes them believable is that theircharacterizations are delivered with depth. And this, in a sense, makesthemsomewhat realistic and all the more funnier.
This high caliber B-film is well scripted and, to it’s credit, is finallybeing recognized for the cinematic gem that it is. My advice to all filmlovers is to seek out this almost forgotten treasure. Trust me, you won’tbe disappointed.
4) As others are who have studied the long and estimable body of his work,I am a great admirer of George Marshall. The versatile director had anability to tell a story with a camera that was legendary; in "Advanceto the Rear" he found, I suggest, one of his richest hoards ofcinematic possibilities. The story-line of this rare historical comedytakes the viewer back to the final days of the Civil War is winding toan inevitable close; so the commander of one contingent of unionsoldiers has made a separate truce with his Confederate counterpart. Ata prearranged time, a single cannon round, fired to miss, is set off byeach side. And that is their daily war. Period. This life-preservingbut odd arrangement works quite well, until a youthful officer,recently posted to the "Company of Cowards", the name in the originalnovel from which the narrative was extracted, sallies forth andcaptures some of "the Rebs". This precipitate action of course obligestheir equally reluctant "enemies" to do something else, that starts tolook like an act of war. "What have you done?" the union Colonelbellows at him, "Take them back! How many times have I instructed younot to show initiative?" The company depicted obviously bears astriking resemblance to "F Troop"; this film was undoubtedly the modelfor that enjoyable TV series.. After a major mess ensues, the group aredispatched to the West where it is hoped they cannot do too much damageto the Union cause. And then the viewer learns these misfits will haveto protect a large gold shipment that Confederate guerrillas willreally be trying to make away with.. The young officer has anotherthorn in his side; the complication is that he has fallenhead-over-heels for a gung-ho and gorgeous female Confederate spy. Whathappens next has to be seen to be howled at. The actors in thiscolorful comedy-and adventure and romance are under-appreciated GlennFord, the ultra-skilled award-level Melvyn Douglas as the Union colonelin question, Stella Stevens as the well-constructed spy, and a largenumber of very good supporting actors including Jim Backus, JoanBlondell, Whit Bissell, Andrew Prine, Jesse Pearson, Michael Pate, AlanHale, Jr., James Griffith, and many more in smaller roles. The writerscredited with this hilarious screenplay, probably also an inspirationfor "Hogan’s Heroes" included veteran screenwriter William Bowers,Robert Carson, Samuel A. Peeples and Jack Schaefer. The music wasprovided by Randy Sparks, the vivid cinematography by the talentedMilton Krasner. The very fine art direction was done by George W. Davisand George Imazu, with set decoration by Budd Friend and tasteful HenryGrace, with costumes by Walter Plunkett, makeup by the legendaryWilliam Tuttle and hairstyles by Sydney Guilaroff. This is a film whichhas everything I suggest that a comedy could ask for–a strong centralcharacter, a clear set of goals, well- developed characters, humor bornout of situation, character and reaction, and a first-rate productionin the hands of a director who gives every moment its due but neverslows down the pace. Please watch this feature the next time it ispresented; I believe you will appreciate its classic comedy mood asmuch as I do. I suggest it is a one-of-kind comedy although very oftenimitated.
5) Be prepared for something that by almost any standard should not beeven remotely good and find yourself laughing out loud in almost everyplace through it. Mad magazine run rampant, and far better than thelikes of much overrated and obvious stuff like Blazing Saddles. GlennFord walks through it to superb effect. The entire thing looks like itwas all done in one take and is all the better for it.
The James Bond movies were famous for their tongue in cheek humor,always stupidly it seemed to me: this one shows how tongue in cheek allthe way back and down the throat works. Forget John Ford'ssentimentality, Andre de Toth's subtleties, this is just flat out inyour face fun. Never a western before or since like it. One of a kindalways beats the rest.
6) Ford might be simply the nicest actor from the era of his peak activityin movies; I know that daddy Brando and he mutually disliked—but that'sperhaps the only negative thing that can be brought against Ford. Hewas a bright comedy and physical actor—sometimes intriguingly subtleand fanciful.
He could have been an American C. Grant.
'Advance to the Rear' seems a surprisingly timeless and genuinely funnycomedy
It is a joy to see movies and to write about them—provided you're notbashed by disrespectful, less sympathetic persons and hate—mongers—andsometimes it's the greater joy to see them, others to write about them.I confess I'm an ancient person; not quite aged—but ancient, old—as mycompatriot IL Caragiale said it—I'm an ancient fellow, or:–an oldfellow—I'm old, he said. While it just might be useless to say thatADVANCE TO THE REAR is not a perfect movie, and not a perfect comedy,it has nonetheless things that suit me. The cast is ideal—and I mean,ideal—and the execution seems admirable—a military and war comedy, anda sex comedy, accurate fun, in a lighthearted and jolly flick. Thescore simply pleases the ear and the heart. In its core, a new andmodern, a timeless comedy. William Chamberlain's THE COMPANY OF COWARDS(also mentioned in the initial credits' tune) furnished JackSchaeffer's idea—and, subsequently, Peeples & Bowers' scenario; whileMarshall, George Marshall, was the man behind the directorial lens.
Ford plays Heath; the legendary delicious babe Stella Stevens plays aDixie agent; and daddy Melvyn Douglas gives us Brackenby. StellaStevens will be again a witty prostitute in the revisionist Westernclassic CABLE HOGUE.
7) This is one heckuva fun film. Although a pretty descriptive writeup hasalready been given, I gotta tip the proverbial hat to what seems to bethe inspiration for the F-TROOP television series that debuted thefollowing year. And, the use of balladeers, THE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS,to help set scenes for the film hearkens unto many a great "tried andtrue" stories of the period…including the legendary CAT BALLOU withStubby Kaye & Nat King Cole as the Balladeers in question.
I am going to have to track this down and plant it near THE HALLELUJAHTRAIL (another good comedy set in the same time period) on my viewingshelf. |