Review of Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) by Jay N — 26 Mar 2010

I really like Preston Sturges movies and this is one that I had missed till now. Eddie Bracken is the same kind of guy he usually plays... and it's funny in this one, too. He gets a medical discharge from the marines for hay fever and he is embarrassed, so he doesn't go home.

He runs into WIlliam Demarest and his five marine buddies and buys them all drinks. They learn that he was lying to his mother and telling her he was overseas, and they concoct this plan to sneak him home in a uniform so his mom thinks he's a hero.

The only problem is she told a few people and the entire town is there at the station waiting to welcome home the hero and the next thing you know, he's being nominated as a candidate for mayor. One little lie gets bigger and bigger and even though it's a bit predictable, it's fun to watch and the dialog is just very entertaining to listen to.