In The Admiral Was a Lady, a post-World War II comedy, Wanda Hendrix (Prince of Foxes) stars as Jean Madison, a former WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) ensign taken under the wings of a rowdy group of former airmen, who affectionately dub her the “Admiral.” Handily directed by veteran filmmaker Albert S. Rogell (Li’l Abner), the film is bolstered by the crackling chemistry between Hendrix and her co-star, Oscar winner Edmond O’Brien (The Barefoot Contessa).
The Admiral Was a Lady (1950) starring Wanda Hendrix, Edmond O’Brien, Rudy Vallee
In short, The Admiral Was a Lady is a quirky, enjoyable comedy. It features a lot of interesting characters, portrayed by good actors. It’s a romantic comedy, and it’s frankly enjoyable. It’s good, but not great. My wife and I enjoyed it, and I hope you do as well. I rate it:
Product Description
Stateside life after World War II poses a challenge for pretty ex-WAVE Jean Madison (Wanda Hendrix). Jilted and jobless, she is taken under the collective wings of four ex-airmen who show her the ways of the non-working world. Master scroungers, led by their old bomber captain Jimmie Stevens (Edmond O’Brien), the boys have a big brother feeling for the girl, though Jimmie is feeling much more than brotherly. Jean holds them, and especially Steve, at arms length, hoping that her no-show cad of a lover will come to her rescue. But Jimmie has plans of his own that lead to a bout in the boxing ring in a crazy effort to prove his love to Jean.
An off-beat post-war romantic comedy, The Admiral Was A Lady features strong comedic performances from the appealing cast. Edmond O’Brien made another movie in 1950 that was a career landmark, the critically acclaimed noir classic, D.O.A. Wanda Hendrix was working through a very short, very troubled 7-month marriage to war hero Audie Murphy while shooting this film, but her game performance betrays none of her private turmoil. Rudy Vallee does a perfect supporting turn as a stodgy millionaire with a trick “sacroiliac”.
Cast of characters
- Edmond O’Brien (A Girl a Guy and a Gob) … Jimmy Stevens. Head of the former bomber crew during World War II. He blames himself for their crash, and takes responsibility for them. He’s living a lifestyle without responsibility — seemingly. But he’s actually trying to give his former crew a chance to recover.
- Wanda Hendrix (Prince of Foxes) … Jean Madison. The Admiral of the title — a nickname that Jimmy gives her when they first meet at the bank. A nice young lady, engaged to the enigmatic Henry. She likes the entire crew — especially Jimmy. But the affection between the two grows slowly, with setbacks along the way.
- Rudy Vallee (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) … Peter Pedigrew. A business tycoon, “the jukebox king”, who’s desperate to reunite with his ex-wife, Shirley. For that to happen, he has to prevent her from marrying Henry!
- Johnny Sands (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer) … Eddie Hoff. The crew member who makes their furniture out of recycled wear surplus. A talented designer, who’s afraid to connect with his fiancee. She thinks he died in the crash. And Jimmy’s trying to give him the space he needs to reconnect with her.
- Steve Brodie (Donovan’s Brain) … Mike O’Halloran. The former boxer, who doesn’t dare fight, since a single head blow could kill him, after the accident. But he’s willing to go into the ring to raise money for Eddie anyway
- Richard Erdman (Stalag 17) … Ollie Bonelli. A former taxi driver, who drives them around in a sound truck from a local music store in exchange for providing advertising over a loudspeaker.
- Hillary Brooke (Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd) … Shirley Pedigrew. Peter’s former wife, who hold most of his money after divorcing, and remarrying, him multiple times. She thinks she’s interested in Henry, until she finds out how fastidious he is.
Additional cast
- Richard Lane (Take Me Out to the Ball Game) … Marty Gruber.The fight promoter, who insists that somebody will be in the ring! To save Mike’s life, it’s jimmy!
- Garry Owen (Arsenic and Old Lace) … Watson Jones. Peter’s private detective, who’s trailing Jean.
- Fred Essler … Benny. The pawnbroker, who cheerfully takes the gang’s piggy banks to resell.