Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) on Netflix
Woodrow Truesmith is discharged from the Marines for hay fever without seeing combat. A group of Marines invents a war-hero story, and he returns home to a hero's welcome.
- Netflix4.3/5
- IMDb7.6/105,603 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes95%
Trailer
Plot summary
Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith is discharged from the Marine Corps after one month because of chronic hay fever. His father, Hinky Dinky Truesmith, had been a Marine hero who died in World War I, so Woodrow fears disappointing his mother. He stays in San Diego, working in a shipyard and letting her believe he is fighting overseas. One night in a bar he buys drinks for six Marines just back from Guadalcanal, led by Sgt. Heffelfinger, who served with Woodrow's father. The Marines decide to phone Woodrow's mother and say he received a medical discharge. Then Heffelfinger gives Woodrow a coat covered with medals from the Pacific. When Woodrow steps off the train, the entire town greets him as a hero.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
- George Andersonas Bartender(uncredited)
- William Brandtas One of the Guardsmen(uncredited)
- James Damoreas Pfc. Jones(uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- After an unsuccessful New York City preview, producer Buddy G. DeSylva recut the film himself because Preston Sturges had already left Paramount; after a second bad preview and the hit release of The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, DeSylva accepted Sturges' offer to return unpaid and rewrite the script.
- Paramount wanted Ella Raines, who was playing Libby, replaced: executives felt she did not look like a small-town girl and did not have enough box-office draw. But filming had already started, and director Preston Sturges refused to replace her.
- Hail the Conquering Hero was the last film Preston Sturges made for Paramount Pictures: his contract ran out and he left the studio before the film was completely edited, after conflicts over editorial control and censorship on his previous films.
- Paramount balked at Preston Sturges reusing the same bit actors in most of his Paramount films, fearing audiences would tire of the same faces, and wanted him to use different actors. He refused, saying the players who had contributed to his first hits had a moral right to work in his later pictures.
- In 2015 the United States Library of Congress selected Hail the Conquering Hero for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
