Entry in Goofs is incorrect.
The character portrayed by Bob Hope is in the Marine Corp. They do have Sergeants and Privates in the USMC.
shareTrue enough, what you say. HOWEVER, the conquest of the Pacific was not exclusively a Marine campaign. The army landed on quite a few islands, but the Marines landed on many more and therefore correctly get the credit.
Also, since the Marines are a part of the Department of the Navy, you couldn't have too much antagonism between the services, whereas inter-service rivalry, especially Army-Navy is well-known and the oldest source of military comedies.
The jokes were old and stale, the hairstyles and clothing not period-correct; I get the feeling that everyone involved needed the money. Good to see just for the sake of seeing it, mainly because of the stars involved.
Semper fi!
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The character portrayed by Bob Hope is in the Marine Corp. They do have Sergeants and Privates in the USMC.
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NO. He is not in the Marine Corps, he is in the US Army. It is stated several times in the movie that there were both Army and Navy situated on the island.
At one point Lt Commander Snaveley of the US Navy says to O'Farrell, 'Is the good Sergeant telling me that without beer the Army is without morale?'