Stand by for Action (1942)

After the first 20 minutes of this film I was wondering why TCM only rated it 2 1/2 stars; after seeing the whole thing I want to know how it got more than 1 1/2. The early part of the film is as-advertised, the story of a Captain and crew trying to get a well-worn destroyer ready to serve in WWII. About 40 minutes into the film the crew picks up a drifting lifeboat, which turns out to contain 2 sailors, 2 pregnant woman, and 20 infants. The story degenerates rapidly into 1940s claptrap, with overlarge doses of idiotic humor, sentiment, and just plain wrong use of Naval terminology and procedures. The most prominent example: when a raft tied to the deck goes adrift in a storm, the Executive Officer -- second in command of the ship -- and the senior Chief are assigned to tie it down. That task would go to the LEAST senior people on board, not the most senior. The last chapter of the story, wherein an ancient tin can out-maneuvers and destroys a Japanese battleship, is unbelievable, but at least contains interesting action. I'm afraid that Stand By For Action was a real waste of a very talented cast.

A very entertaining and rousing film, with a large part of it dedicated to a comedic angle. With a cast of Laughton, Donlevy, Taylor, Brennan and others, you could not go wrong. Sure....a destroyer trading gun fire with a battleship won't have a Hollywood ending, but still, it is an enjoyable film, and you won't go wrong killing some time enjoying it! I have always been a fan of Laughton..such a skilled actor and he pulls off his role as a seasoned admiral with skill and quite a bit of humor. Brian Donlevy always carried off his roles of authority...a currently under-appreciated actor. Robert Taylor....handsome as ever and good as the "go to" type of guy. The rest of the roles are filled with good characterizations.

This film starts very strong with Robert Taylor playing a Ivy League-trained Reserve Navy Officer who so far during WWII has become accustomed to serving duty in an assignment on the fringe of the war as an Admiral's aide where he enjoys plenty of hobnobbing with females at Washington DC social events. His commitment is put to the test when his boss assigns him as Executive Officer of a rusty WWI Tin Can that he must now man and ready for deployment.Brian Donlevy is solid as always as the Tin Can's skipper and given our current Middle East military call-ups, the film points to some interesting issues regarding the Reservist Taylor serving on active duty in wartime. A film worth watching, but ultimately, however, it saps itself too deep in corny WWII patriotic sentimentality, thereby missing an opportunity to become one of the better war films.

The description of the movie was correct with one exception. The Japanese ship that was sunk by torpedoes was a Battleship, not a destroyer. While this may seem to be only a slight detail, it is most important in the significance of our hero saving the entire convoy from eminent destruction. This movie was typical of the war era movies in that heroic Americans always overcame overwhelming odds. A real moral builder. The movie was broadcast on TCM cable channel, on May 27th as part of its salute to Memorial Day. I was glad to Robert Taylor, who I met during World War II, in Dallas when he was in the Navy. He was in is Navy uniform and looked every bit the person he played in "Stand by for Action"