What a waste of my time!!!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

. . . are words you seldom hear nowadays. But back in 1945, the U.S. Navy had a whole L.T.A. (lighter-than-air) fleet. These "blimp boys" primarily were engaged in anti-submarine warfare along the U.S. coasts, though they might dabble in other missions, as shown at the end of THIS MAN'S NAVY. Military comedies such as M*A*S*H, STRIPES, DR. STRANGEGLOVE, or TV's HOGAN'S HEROES, McHALE'S NAVY, and F-TROOP tend to pop up during peace time, long after the shooting stops. This was especially true during WWII (1942-45), when the American War Dept. cross-checked EVERY feature film Pre-release against a ten-point checklist to insure that each flick made appropriate advances against the Axis forces. THIS MAN'S NAVY is as close to comedy as the War Censors would allow, with blow-hard main character Ned Trumpet, and his comic foils. Ned bails out of L.T.A.'s over Lakehurst, N.J., and under Japanese fighter plane attack in Southeast Asia, with exactly the same air of light-hearted jauntiness. In Howard Hughes' HELL'S ANGELS, the German dirigible commander orders a dozen of his crewmen to lighten the airship's load by jumping out over enemy England WITHOUT PARACHUTES. The U.S. Blimpers, on the other hand, do not need to resort to such fatal measures to shed ballast: they simply are shown pitching out swivel chairs, filing cabinets, and mini-fridges. THIS MAN'S NAVY proves that the Axis is no match for a nation of Archie Bunkers, Forrest Gumps, and Don Knottses.

"This Man's Navy" is, as other comments have indicated, a rare and well-filmed look at Navy lighter than air (LTA) activities. The LTA crews were justly proud that the convoys they shadowed never lost a ship to submarine attack. And the filming at the various NAS locations give a valuable glimpse at a type of aviation that is long gone. However, the first half of the movie is all about Beery, his relationship with his service pals, and him meeting the Tom Drake character and his mother, and getting Drake's leg fixed. Only then does the second film start. The second film is mostly LTAs in action, taking on a surfaced sub, guys get killed and much damage is caused. The look is fairly gritty and realistic, I imagine. Then we shift to Southeast Asia. Did the Navy have LTAs there? Never mind, this part is really wild, with a blimp being used to extract some downed aircrew from the jungle. And the Japs are shooting like mad. Shades of Vietnam, except the getaway is oh, so leisurely. This is a blimp we're talking about. In the end, a feel-good WWII drama about a very unusual part of the war.

Wallace Beery (as Ned Trumpet) is a World War II blimp aviator; his unbelievable war stories have helped earn him the nickname "Old Gas Bag". Though he was never a husband or (presumably) father, Mr. Berry's stories include bragging about the exploits of his talented son; probably, this is to compete with bickering Navy man James Gleason (as Jimmy Shannon). In one of an unbelievable series of happenstances, Berry meets an fatherless young man, Tom Drake (as Jess Weaver), who makes an ideal son. Trouble is, Mr. Drake's character is unable to walk without crutches; so, the crippled man doesn't match the son in Berry's stories. While the film scores points for the inclusion of a disabled character; ultimately, it presents the condition as unworkable. Certainly, Mr. Drake's disability provided him with heroics enough too impress Berry and his Navy friends. The dramatics are highlighted by a couple of exciting battles involving Berry's war blimp; the Japanese submarine attack is particularly good. The best comic scenes are near the end; when, in India, Berry is reunited with a friendly old elephant. ***** This Man's Navy (1/4/45) William A. Wellman ~ Wallace Beery, Tom Drake, James Gleason

This film was very enjoyable because it deals with Naval Blimps and shows how they are launched and the methods used to secure them to the ground. Wallace Beery, (Ned Trumpet) plays the role of a Chief Petty Officer with plenty of service along with James Gleason who is his co-pilot. There is plenty of action with Japanese Planes attacking the blimp and also comedy and romance. Jan Clayton, (Dorothy Cortland) is introduced to Tom Drake, (Jese Weaver) which was arranged by Ned Trumpet who wanted his adopted son to meet an attractive young gal. Ned Trumpet had a bad habit of telling so many lies that all his friends were doubtful about anything he said. Wallace Berry & James Gleason both gave an outstanding performance and made this into a great film to watch and enjoy. William A Wellman the director was one of the first director's who was able to create classic airplane films dealing with actual stunt-men flying the planes. Enjoy.