The Private War of Major Benson (1955)

From the ranks of the U.S. Army comes the story of a veteran Korean War officer who believes, soldiers made of iron, can be molded from the ranks of the very young. Charlton Heston plays Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson a hard bitten officer who has been brought to the brink of his career, by publishing his personal motto in Newsweek magazine. Repremanded by his commanding officer, Maj. Gen Wilton Ramsey (Milburn Stone,) he is given a choice, either he can resign his commission or accept an assignment at a Catholic ROTC school. Having little choice, he accepts his new assignment where he meets school doctor Kay Lambert (Julie Adams). The school has a failing score and it's his task to train the students to pass their next inspection. With William Demarest as John, Tim Hovey as Flaherty, Tim Considine as Hibler and Sal Mineo as Cadet Col. Sylvester Dusik, the school accepts their new commander, but weather he stays long remains to be seen. This comedy with Heston playing a straight lace is one which belongs in your private library as it's not too often he accepts humorous roles. The result of director Jerry Hopper, story written by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher is the creation of a fine family movie and one which easily makes it a Classic. ****

The first of Heston's two comedies (The Pigeon That Took Rome followed in 1962) and the best of the pair.Understanding his gift perfectly, Heston chased a comedy role that didn't actually require him to be funny. The pay-off is this little film that has no room for self-indulgence or ego.The success of Benson led to Heston doing The Pigeon That Took Rome. That one isn't bad (and way ahead of some of the "comedies" that get greenlit today), but this one doesn't hit an off-key note.Far, FAR superior to the truly dire remake (Major Payne) with Damon Wayans.

Before CHARLTON HESTON parted the Red Sea as Moses, he took time out to work on a delightfully original little comedy called THE PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON, nicely photographed at St. Catherine's Military Academy in Anaheim, California, and giving Heston one of his rare comedy roles.He's a good sport about doing this sort of thing, a step down from the heavy dramatics usually assigned him, but he's no Cary Grant or James Stewart when it comes to comedy finesse. You can see him struggling to put some comic charm into certain moments, but he's only half successful.Others around him have a surer way with this kind of material. JULIA ADAMS is attractive, warm and easy in a role that involves a romance with Heston after a few squabbles over just how tough he should or shouldn't be with the young cadets.TIM HOVEY is a little scene-stealer as the youngest, who tries to win Adams' attention all the time by making numerous trips to the infirmary where she's the head doctor. And NANA BRYANT as Mother Superior and WILLIAM DEMAREST as a crusty handyman, add their professionalism to the pleasant cast, as does SAL MINEO as one of the more earnest cadets.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay, it's a predictable yarn but the writing is well crafted (the authors wrote "Leave It To Beaver" for TV), and the story is fresh and interesting even though the happy ending is telegraphed long before the final credits.Summing up: Enjoyable and fun to watch Heston tackle a comedy role so earnestly, if not with the ease of a Grant or Stewart. At times, it's like watching the bull in a china shop.

Before Charlton Heston became a Biblical era plaything, before Milburn Stone tended to the sick as Doc Adams in Gunsmoke, before Tim Considine became a fixture in the productions of Walter Elias Disney, and most of all, before Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher told us to Leave it to Beaver and later meet The Munsters, they all participated in this unforgettable gem of a movie set at a Catholic military school. Oh yes, let us not forget some other significant players, William Demarest, who later played Uncle Charlie on My Three Sons, David Janssen, who later played Richard Diamond and then The Fugitive, and that unforgettable teen idol, Sal Mineo, who starred in Rebel Without a Cause.Have I mentioned all of the springboard players?Moving right along, one will never really know the star potential of child performer Tim Hovey. I understand that Mr. Hovey took his own life in later years.Anyway, The Private War of Major Benson is a charming vehicle that should never be forgotten nearly 50 years after its initial release.