Hay Foot (1942)

William Tracy is Dodo, the assistant to Army Officer James Gleason, a lovable old coot who wants to create closer ties between officers and the enlisted men. Sawyer's two rivals (Joe Sawyer and Noah Beery Jr.) try to outwit them in their efforts to get closer to Gleason's daughter (Elyse Knox) who is enamored of Sawyer's innocence. But don't underestimate Tracy. He's got the luck of the angels on his side and in just 45 minutes, continues to outwit his rivals and prove he's more than just a lucky guy who keeps getting a good break through no effort of his own.There's a lot of funny stuff here in one of Hal Roach's extremely long shorts (or extremely short features, depending on how you look at it), enough slapstick to fill one of Roach's earlier Laurel and Hardy gems, leaving little room for the viewer to catch their breath after continuously laughing. A very funny dinner party scene has Tracy keeping Sawyer and Beery in check by utilizing his dog as a gun guard which threatens to sink the two men's revolvers in a conveniently placed well just the day before an army shooting contest. This leads to the two vowing revenge and a very funny conclusion that may bring tears of hysterics to your eyes.

At "Camp Carver", intelligent but gun-shy Sergeant William Tracy (as Dorian "Dodo"' Doubleday) writes a morale-boosting speech for his Colonel James Gleason (as J.A. Barkley). During a firearms lecture, Mr. Tracy shows off his photographic memory in front of teacher Sergeant Joe Sawyer (as William Ames). But Tracy is really afraid of guns. He also likes Mr. Gleason's beautiful daughter Elyse Knox (as Betty), but so does fellow Sergeant Noah Berry Jr. (as Charlie Cobb). Lucky shots during a fishing trip give Tracy a sharp-shooting reputation. Later, a mix-up puts all three Sergeants on a date with Ms. Knox. "Hay Foot" is a likeably done situation comedy, but with material that is far from outstanding.***** Hay Foot (1/2/42) Fred Guiol ~ William Tracy, Joe Sawyer, James Gleason, Noah Beery Jr.

Hay Foot (1942) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Third film in Hal Roach's steamliner Doubleday series has Sgt. Doubleday (William Tracy) once again getting on the nerves of the brutish Sgt. Ames (Joe Sawyer). The adventure here is that a Colonel (James Gleason) thinks that Doubleday is an expert sharp shooter when in fact he's terrified of guns. If you've see any of the other films in the series then you should know what to expect. Whether you enjoy this series or not will depend on how much you can put up with the two leads but I personally find them mildly entertaining. Sure, they're not Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy but they don't have to be. Both Tracy and Sawyer are good in their roles, which they seemed born to play. THe real scene stealer here is James Gleason who delivers a fine performance as the Colonel and the father of a girl who Doubleday and Ames are after. The comedy is hit and mis throughout the film but there are enough small laughs to keep the film moving throughout its 47-minute running time.

I was very surprised a while back when I watched TANKS A MILLION. I really didn't expect to like this low-budget short comedy about the army, but it was surprisingly fresh and interesting. So much so that I have now seen about 6 or 8 of them. However, I've gotta admit that the quality of these films is quite variable. Some, like the first, are exceptional and some are pretty bad. This one, while not among the worst, sure is a huge disappointment--you'd expect better in a second film in the series.Part of the reason for not liking it as much is that Sgt. Doubleday is starting to come off, at times, like more of a know-it-all instead of a sweet guy. In the first section of the film, for once, I felt sorry for his perennial foe (Sgt. Ames), as Doubleday completely ruins a demonstration Ames is conducting--even though Ames is an extremely accomplished marksman with a pistol. Doubleday, though knowing the mechanics of the gun, is a complete novice. The scene where he shoots madly (practically killing everyone around him) illustrates this and made ME want to hit Doubleday! Aside from this poor section, the rest of the film is practically all the standard formula, though for once, there is another foe--a sergeant played by Noah Beery, Jr.. Overall, a pleasant time-passer, but the magic is starting to already look a bit thin.