Women in the army. Image: TMDB
One criticism about old movies is they don’t age well.
That’s a fairly broad generalization; however, when any movie doesn’t age well, it really doesn’t age well.
Such is the case, in our opinion, with Never Wave at a WAC* (1953). Rosalind Russell stars as a wealthy, air-kissing D.C. socialite who decides to join the Women’s Air Corps (WAC) on a whim.
Russell’s character believes she can score some kind of highfalutin commission, e.g. a generalship, then fly to Paris to join her boyfriend, courtesy of the American government. This is the stratosphere in which she lives; the president (of the United States) is one of her chums.
Incredibly, despite her custom-designed uniforms, the army doesn’t share her Vision, and they designate her a lowly private. Even so, she slogs her way through this Humiliation and realizes the universe doesn’t revolve around herself.
Russell is a woman drawn to powerful males, but in Basic Training she begins to see the strength and resiliency in her fellow recruits and commanding officers – qualities she also discovers in herself.
Sounds marvellous, doesn’t it?
Alas, we’ve told you only half the story.
One of Russell’s new friends is a former, um, “model” (Marie Wilson), an attractive, but not intellectually gifted, woman. However, Wilson is kind, loyal, and determined. In fact, she joined the army to “get away from men” and be taken seriously.
But the men in the film refuse to let her do that, and one male recruit discovers her previous occupation and blackmails her into dating him.
It seems there’s never an opportunity when Wilson’s appearance isn’t remarked upon by male cast members, and this sends mixed signals. Did the studio want to celebrate military women, or make fun of them?
Here’s what we mean:
Military women in uniform.
Then there’s Russell’s ex-husband (Paul Douglas), a textile scientist with a military contract to develop outdoor gear for extremely cold weather.
The Russell-Douglas divorce was especially acrimonious, and now Douglas intends to (A) make Russell’s life miserable, while (B) teaching her a Lesson. This is meant to be funny, and Douglas’s character derives a lot of mean-spirited pleasure from it.
You already know where this is going. Spoiler! Douglas realizes he’s pushed Russell too far, and she realizes she still loves him. So all is Worth It in the end.
Just that it’s painful, sometimes. In a film with witty lines and the fab Russell playing a larger-than-life character, it’s too bad the audience is saddled with cringing male-female interactions, even by 1950s’ standards.
So long, suckers! Image: Alamy
The New York Times, trying a little too hard to be clever, said, “Life in the Army in these parlous times could be grim, but Rosalind Russell and a covey of cuties, to say nothing of a small posse of pursuing males, are fairly successful in proving that WACS can be wacky in ‘Never Wave at a WAC,’ which bounced into the Astor yesterday.”¹
And yet. Filmmakers never treat the corps itself with disrespect, even though Russell and Wilson seem like the most unlikely recruits of this or any other army.
Never Wave at a WAC was co-produced by Russell and her husband, Frederick Brisson. According to IMDb, Russell first produced this story on CBS television before investing in a feature film.
While this movie has its faults, stories focussing on women in the army weren’t (and still aren’t) overrun by filmmakers, although this film was remade in 1980 as Private Benjamin, starring Goldie Hawn.
Now, maybe you’ve seen Never Wave at a WAC and think we’re being too picky. Maybe we are. There are some very funny scenes here, as well as a refreshingly good portrayal of female friendship.
We hope we haven’t discouraged you from seeing this film, and if you do see it, we hope you enjoy.
Notes
*The title Never Wave at a WAC is a wordplay on WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) of the U.S. naval reserve and WAC (Women’s Air Corps).
¹The New York Times. (Retrieved April 23, 2020.) Never Wave at a WAC’ at Astor by A.W.
Never Wave at a WAC: starring Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas, Marie Wilson. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Written by Ken Englund. RKO Radio Pictures, 1953, B&W, 87 mins.
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While I have certainly enjoyed Rosalind Russell in some starring roles (e.g., His Girl Friday), I typically prefer her in smaller doses in supporting roles. She often seems to put too much into a role. I’m not sure if that’s the case with this film, as I haven’t seen it. But all honesty, with so many good movies to watch, I will likely pass on this one.
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I know what you mean. I was on the lookout for that, but Rosali does a pretty good job of dialing it down, I thought.
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Any movie with Roz and/or Paul Douglas is worth watching in my book. I’ve seen this one, and while it’s nothing special, I still enjoyed it.
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There are a lot of good lines in this one, aren’t there? I really like how women’s friendship is portrayed.
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Hey there. A Rosalind Russell movie that I wouldn’t mind seeing is Auntie Mame. It probably holds up pretty well.
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I do think that movie holds up pretty well. The wit is still sharp – and the costumes!! Fanulous! Have you read the book, by any chance?
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You know, I’m not sure. If I did, it was ages ago.
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I still feel that the level of talent in screenwriters was overall higher in the twentieth century. Nonetheless, you are absolutely right in that the films of old that haven’t aged well, *really* haven’t aged well. I think that applies to Blowup; the causal misogyny exhibited by the lead of that film firmly cements it as a product of its time in the worst possible sense.
It seems like comedies are especially susceptible to this phenomenon; I wonder if it’s because humor in general is tied more heavily to culture than other aspects. I can see some dated humor ironically holding up as audacious, albeit unintentional black comedy, but when the jokes don’t land as is what you seem to say about this film, it’s pretty cringeworthy.
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I’ve not been able to bring myself to see Blowup, and I don’t think I ever will, not even to satisfy any faint curiosity. So it’s great to rely on your impressions, and I am serious.
Agreed – I think screenwriters in the 20th Century displayed a higher level of talent overall. Sometimes they were very funny, but other times – as is the case in parts of this film – they weren’t. I suppose humour changes with the times, but that doesn’t mean you have to aim for the cheap seats. Thanks for dropping by!
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Probably for the best; it’s easily the worst Palme d’Or winner I’ve seen. I’ve seen some highly acclaimed films I didn’t care for, but that one is just flat-out bad. Even Herbie Hancock performing the music couldn’t save it.
On some level, I don’t like saying that because, on some level, it comes across as stodgy and conservative, but there’s no getting around that today’s filmmakers would be demolished if the generations before them were still around. Paul Schrader claimed there were more talented people working today than back in the 1970s while insisting that it was the audiences, not the filmmakers, who were better back then and letting everyone down, but that assessment comes across as a cocktail of a bruised ego, sour grapes, and an unwillingness to step up his game in the face of new competition.
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Yeah, Schrader’s comment about more talented filmmakers today than in the 1970s sounds pretty unfair.
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I have enjoyed Never Wave at a WAC a couple of times. The last time (admittedly a few years ago), I found myself being more annoyed with the guys than enjoying the interactions of the girls. So, I guess I stand looking at it from your POV and must relegate those fond memories to the past instead of trying to resurrect them..
You reminded me of a contretemps I got into on the old IMDb chat board (again, years ago). Someone derided Marie Wilson as a “Marilyn wannabe”. Goodness! Marie had been playing the dumb blonde since the 1930s. I shouldn’t be surprised if Marilyn was coached to be like Marie.
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Haha! Marie Wilson as a Marilyn Monroe wannabe. That’s good.
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I had never heard of this movie, but kind of want to see it 🙂 Maybe because my grandmother was a WAC so I’m always interested in stories about them, even if it sounds like there might be some eye-roll-worthy moments in this one haha.
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Oh wow – if your grandmorher was a WAC, then I really hope you do see it. Some of this film was shot at a WAC training facility in Fort Lee, Virginia.
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As bad as the misogyny here sounds, things haven’t changed much unfortunately. For every Hollywood film portraying a strong female character, there are dozens that portray women as sex objects etc… Excellent review though:-)
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Depressing, isn’t it?
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Dear Ruth,
I just nominated you for a Blogger Recognition Award: https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/the-blogger-recognition-award/. By the way, in this post I invited you and the other nominees to join my upcoming blogathon, the Joe Pasternak Blogathon (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2020/08/21/announcing-the-joe-pasternak-blogathon/) and my monthly guest series, What the Code Means to Me (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/what-the-code-means-to-me/). I would be honored if you would join one or both of these!
Yours Hopefully,
Tiffany Brannan
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Thanks, Tiffany! Ill take a look this evening. I am working on a Code Means to Me entry, which I hope to have ready in October.
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Dear Ruth,
Thank you so much! That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to read your post.
Yours Hopefully,
Tiffany Brannan
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I was wondering where the title came from. Thanks for explaining it. It’s a shame when a film doesn’t age well but it happens. Have you seen Twelve O Clock High btw?
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I have seen Twelve O Clock High, but it’s been a few years. I really enjoyed it when I saw it. What did you think of it?
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Barely anyone I know has seen it or even heard of it. I mentioned it when I saw you mentioned Private Benjamin as Twelve O Clock High is one of those films I could see as a remake.
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Yeah, I agree. Twelve O Clock High would be really interesting as a remake.
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I could totally see George Clooney in the main role
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Nope haven’t seen this one! Have to look it up, thank you!
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Rosalind Russell is fun in this movie , but don’t go in with high expectations if you do see it.
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Really nice excerpts!
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Thanks very much! 🙂
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