Les cadets de la mer

It's pleasant, even fun, but you pretty much know where it's going, almost from the beginning. It's a nice look at football and how it was played in the 1930s; it's a nice look at how the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis was run at that time, with some silly rules that are probably still in effect. But Hollywood turned out SO MANY movies in which a smart aleck who prefers to be just along for the ride, and a chance at the girl, gets turned around, turned into a credit to the team, to the regiment, to the ... So it's not new, but it is fun. I do recommend it and it's available at YouTube.

Three young men (James Stewart, Robert Young, Tom Brown) who enter the Naval Academy became fast friends. Each one is a different clichéd character. Brown's the naive kid, Young's the cynical tough guy, Stewart's the nice one with a mystery. Brown and Stewart play to type well but Young steals the show as the hard case with a hidden heart of gold. We follow the ups and downs of each of these men at the academy, leading up to the big Army-Navy football game that they all play in. There's nothing really new here, even for 1937, but it's undeniably enjoyable due to the generally upbeat tempo and likable leads. Nice supporting cast includes Lionel Barrymore, Billie Burke, Florence Rice, and Samuel S. Hinds. Dennis Morgan has a cute scene dancing with Burke. Sentimental, patriotic, and fun movie. Really hard to dislike this one.

This is a fun period piece for graduates, parents of current midshipmen or of Naval Academy graduates, or staff and faculty of the Naval Academy to get a look at the US Naval Academy of the 1930's. It's fun light piece which provides some interesting historical perspective on the USNA - to include the left hand salute to Tecumseh, the rooms in Bancroft Hall, the yard prior to much of the WW2 and post WW2 construction etc. The story is light but fun and is a reflection of the pre-WW2 America in which it was made. Also fun to see a very young Jimmy Stewart and Robert Young, and the "Good Witch" from the Wizard of Oz.