"Battle Circus" starring Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson

Tonight's movie was called "Battle Circus" (1953), starring Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson as the head surgeon and nurse in a Korean War M.A.S.H Unit. I found it in a library database search for "Warner Archive" dvd releases, and yet again - just when you think you've seen all the available Bogie movies......and I have more coming, too. The search turned up several previously unseen Bogart flicks, which should begin arriving at the Libe in the next week or so.

"Battle Circus" was made during the final stages of Bogart's career, near the end of his life. He is only 53 in the movie but looks a little time worn. Like many Hollywood Stars of the era (and even actors who were not well known), he smoked and drank to excess, and probably pounded steaks and got little to no exercise. It is little wonder that so many actors lived what we now consider to be short lives. Humphrey Bogart would live four more years, to the age of 57 (two years younger then I am now, and fourteen years younger than Todd Rundgren, who I wrote about last night and who seems to have discovered the fountain of youth).....

But though Bogie looks a little beat up in "Battle Circus", he's still giving it his all, and it's a pretty good though not great war movie. I think it is certain that the original "M.A.S.H." movie was directly influenced by "Battle Circus", as the latter has all the wise cracks among the doctors and the sexual tension between the doctors and nurses that would eventually become part of the style of the "M.A.S.H." tv show. The M.A.S.H units were the only places in stressful combat zones where men and women worked together. The high stress level of non-stop emergency surgery on combat soldiers was relieved during lulls by bouts of drinking and uninhibited sexual advances by the men.

Bogart's character hits on June Allyson almost from the moment she arrives and he does so in a heavy handed way, with his paws all over her, that would never pass muster in our MeToo world. But even back then in the 1950s, this is shown to be not acceptable. Allyson thwarts his advances decisively, but then - because this is a 1950s pre-MeToo movie - she ends up falling in love with him.

It's fairly believable, because Bogie's really an alright guy. He works 'round the clock near the front lines of the war to save the lives of wounded soldiers and even a little Korean boy who has been hit by shrapnel. The problem is - for me at least - that the movie spent too much time on the romance, which felt a little contrived because of stilted dialogue, and not enough time on the jobs and daily war experiences of the doctors and nurses in the M.A.S.H. unit. To be sure, director Richard Brooks never lets you forget they are in a war zone, right next to the combat. You never know when a sniper will be shooting into the medical tents or a MiG fighter will swoop in to attack. There is plenty of action in the film, which results in the unit having to pack up and leave at a moment's notice. The logistics of these instantaneous relocations are daunting because they have to move their patients as well, most of whom are recovering from grievous wounds. The depictions of all of these consequences of battle are as realistic as was possible for a movie of this era. The members of the M.A.S.H. unit are shown to be the toughest and most dedicated soldiers in the military, because they are still saving lives while under bombardment and heavy fire, and they can't even fight back because they are a medical unit, but they don't flinch.

All of this toughness is shown in the movie, as are the perils faced by the unit when they are under attack. In this respect, "Battle Circus" is an excellent war movie featuring some spectacular (and scary) stock footage of MiG fighter strafing.

I just thought that overall, less time should've been spent on the romance between Bogie and June Allyson. Now, you know me, and you know that I am a sucker for romance. It's just that this one didn't work as well as it might've if Humphrey Bogart had been younger, and if June Allyson wasn't known for being a slightly daffy comedienne. The romance between the two did not wreck the film, and in the end it played out pretty well. But director Brooks should have placed the thematic focus on the M.A.S.H unit's exploits and in this case made the romance a secondary concern.

Only pump up the romance when you've got a Serious Romance to pump up. That's all I'm sayin'.

Still, I am gonna give "Battle Circus" Two Regular Thumbs Up, because the great MiG footage and general battle tension throughout redeems the picture. There is a great scene involving June Allyson as the head nurse and her attempt to calm down a Korean prisoner that is, for me, the centerpiece of the movie. That scene is reason enough to award Two Thumbs.

So, a flawed film overall because of the undue focus on a somewhat forced Hollywood Romance, but still undeniably excellent as a war movie, with high tension scenes showing the horrendous nature of what the personnel of the M.A.S.H. units experienced.

Recommended for Humphrey Bogart completists especially. ////

I'm fighting fatigue these days, folks, and I know I didn't finish my Todd Rundgren review last night, but please go to setlist.fm and search Todd at The Wiltern on May 10 2019 to see the complete setlist for that show. If you are a Todd fan, you will see what I mean when I say that he threw in everything but the kitchen sink, and played things like "Born To Synthesize" which as I said last night, would not even seem to be reproducible in concert. Man oh man oh man oh man what a show it was.  :):)

I will try to do better in the coming blogs, but man I have been super duper tired because of my job.

I have church in the morn, which means an additional lack of sleep, but I guarantee the singing will be good. See you there, much love til morning.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)