Hay Foot

Characters that were introduced by Hal Roach in Tanks A Million come back here and the film is an exercise in oneupsmanship. William Tracy is back again as new recruit Dodo Doubleday who is the tormentor of old sergeant Joe Sawyer and his friend Noah Beery, Jr. Doubleday is blessed with a photographic memory and two right feet, bad for the military because you start on your left and that confuses Tracy.

I can understand Sawyer's frustration. He's a career soldier who earned his rank and because the brass was so impressed with Tracy memorizing the army's book of rules and regulations they make him a sergeant. Of course that couldn't happen in real life, but it's still funny.

In this film Tracy having memorized the book can assemble and disassemble a weapon sight unseen on the first try. Actually firing the weapon is another matter.

The key to these films is no matter what Sawyer does to trip up Tracy it always redounds to Tracy's advantage. Sawyer does a marvelous slow burn, he could have understudied Edgar Kennedy. Especially with Tracy becoming Colonel James Gleason's fairhaired boy. Gleason is no mean scene stealer himself.

Funniest of all is the entire sequence at Gleason's house where all three sergeants come calling on his daughter Elyse Knox. Can't describe it, you have to see how Tracy keeps Sawyer and Beery at bay.

Very funny film from the laugh master Hal Roach.