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Preston Sturges burned bright in the 1940s. No other writer-director-producer could touch him when it came to satirizing American culture and crafting films that are delicious desserts with tart notes quite like him. The Lady Eve, Sullivanās Travels and Unfaithfully Yours prove his genius. Hail the Conquering Hero reminds us of it.
Hometown glory and patriotism run amuck in Americana are the main courses in his consistently smart, acerbic and wildly funny script. Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith, what a name!, is the nerdy son of an acclaimed war hero. Woodrow is a man who has eternally lived in his fatherās shadow, growing up with the oft retold stories of his fatherās heroism and daring. So, naturally, when World War II breaks out, he goes about enlisting.
The problem is that heās unfit for service ā his allergies being one of the main reasons that this nerdy schlub canāt cut in any branch of military service. Disgraced by his poor constitution, he hides out and writes letters back home to his mother about his adventures in combat. Isnāt it better to lie than go home and tell her the truth about how heāll never be his fatherās son? While drinking away his guilt and depression one night he meets a group of Marine Corps returning home. They take pity on him (and his plight), and concoct an elaborate story to tell him mother about all of the adventures and heroic deeds heās done while serving overseas.
From this basic premise itās not hard to see where and when the satirical humor will come to the surface. And Sturges doesnāt disappoint. The shell-shocked, slightly crazed group of veterans works as a Greek chorus, encouraging the lie(s) not just for Woodrowās sake but for the comfort it gives his mother and the town at large. Conquering Hero takes our cultureās tendency to exalt returning soldiers to the level of demi-god status and flips the script in a smart way. The value of honesty in this film is all purely relative. Sure Woodrow isnāt really a hero, but look at the comfort, pride and love it gives his mother to know that her son did something.
And in true Sturges fashion, he brilliantly casts the leads with character actors and minor stars that could never be properly utilized by anybody else. Eddie Bracken delivers a great comedic performance as a man who seems his moral compassion becomes entangled as he tries valiantly to remember what story is true and which is not. Brackenās neurotic decay throughout the film as he wins back his old girlfriend, becomes the townās mayoral candidate and sees his stock rise in the townās eyes is filled with a kind of manic energy that can dip into overacting so easily. But Bracken manages to keep his character grounded and knows when to reign in the goofy faces and limb flailing. And William Demarest gets the juiciest role in the whole film as the leader of the Marines who leads the charge for the whole charade. He works as an inverse Jiminy Cricket and his cracked moralizing is both hilarious and stingingly true. If the legend brings people together and makes them feel better, whatās the harm in it?
Given that this film was released at the height of the Production Codeās strict rule enforcement it comes as a large surprise how much anti-hero worship that Sturges managed to get passed through. The way the film takes on the uncritical masses that hear a story, believe it and elevate someone to the platform of demi-god is pretty remarkable. It runs as smooth as clockwork, complete with his trademark overlapping dialog and insanely fast pacing. While I think the ending is a little soft, it doesnāt mar Hail the Conquering Hero in any way. And if you want proof of Sturges greatness, consider this: in 1944 he was nominated against himself (for this film and The Miracle at Morganās Creek) for the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. Not many people can claim that bit of trivia.
