The Marines Are Coming (1934)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

In the late silent and early talking picture era, William Haines was one of MGM's top stars. While his films were EXTREMELY formulaic (they invariably involved a very accomplished blowhard finally screwing up and then making good by the end of the film), they were super- popular and he was money in the bank. But by the time he made "The Marines Are Coming", he was a has-been--starring in films by third-rate studios and this one is from tiny little Mascot. Some blame this on Louis B. Mayer's hatred of Haines, some blame it on the new Production Code and the code's dislike of anything hinting at gay but I honestly think most of the problem was because Haines just wasn't pretty any more and there was a serious sameness to his film. He'd put on a few pounds, his hair starting receding and he looked more like an accountant than a handsome leading man by 1934. Whatever the reason, after finishing this film he changed careers and became an interior decorator to the stars...and a very successful one.This film finds Haines a Lieutenant in the Marines and is a bit of a bad boy. After causing all sorts of problems involving two ladies, he is forced to resign in disgrace but per the usual Haines formula, he makes good by the end of the film. He rejoins as a lowly private and ends up earning back his self-respect after he tangles with a low- life named 'The Torch'.Overall, there's nothing new but nothing objectionable about this one. Worth seeing if you are a Haines fan, otherwise it's just an agreeable time passer.

The life of William Haines has been shrouded in controversy, but thanks to Turner Classic Movies, his career as a fun- loving poster boy for the late Roaring 20's and the early sound era has received a lot of attention. His dismissal from MGM for refusal to change his life style is plot enough for a movie od its own. In retaliation, he went over to the lowly Mascot Studios for this comedy adventure which may not be a classic but isn't a disaster, either.Once again playing a fun loving rogue, he is a prankster and womanizer who makes the life of his best friend miserable by stealing the girl he loves and causing all sorts of trouble for him in the marines as well. Haines isn't exactly the type of guy you can depend on in a jam, so he does make for a good hero. However, it is difficult not to be amused by his antics. Conrad Nagel is the straight laced best friend, even willing to be best man at Haines' wedding to his ex love (Esther Ralston) while the hot tempered Armidda goes in and out of her accent as a Kupe Velrz style Latin spitfire. Edgar Kennedy offers some laughs as Haines' other companion. It's all a mixed bag, not totally without entertainment but something easy to take yet easy to forget.

William Haines stars with fellow silent stars, Conrad Nagel and Esther Ralston, in this rehash of several of Haines' big hits from the 1920s.He plays a brash Marine officer, a rival with Nagel for the hand of Ralston, who sails through life with a smart comment for everybody. But after he goes too far and is drummed out of the corps, he signs up as an enlisted man, goes through boot camp, and returns to plague Nagel and Ralston until the guys get trapped in a "banana republic" uprising and Haines come through.The Haines formula from the 20s usually cast him as a smart-aleck in a military or sports setting, but the basic plot was the same: in the end Haines "grows up" and learns a big lesson as he wins the girl.After Haines bailed from MGM where he ranked as a major star for about 5 or 6 years, he returned for a couple of cheapie films at Mascot. Neither one was a hit and Haines disappeared from the screen.Production values here are about what you'd expect from Mascot. The story is unbelievable, but Haines is still a master comic and breezes through the proceedings. Nagel is stalwart, Ralston is pretty. Along for the ride are Edgar Kennedy, Hale Hamilton, and the very annoying Armida.The Haines legacy will always cast him as a gay icon, the man who quit MGM rather than give in to L.B. Mayer, and a major star of his time in films with the likes of Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Marie Dressler, Eleanor Boardman, Anita Page, Jack Pickford, Ben Lyon, and Madge Evans.Haines' final film is worth a look.

A sad end to a popular star's career. William Haines tries hard to recapture his former glory in this comedy/drama that also features silent star Conrad Nagel. But this grade Z production just can't do it. You can tell that Haines had no real illusions about regaining his stardom. Using the formula that was so successful in the late 20 and early 30s--a formula that had made Haines a top-5 box office star--the storyline just seems tired.