Reginald Denny was a dandy British actor...and the epitome of sophistication in films. Vince Barnett was an American supporting actor....and the epitome of a boob or jerk. In style, they were about as different as different can be. So why did the producers of "We're In the Legion Now" put these two guys in a film and make them buddies? It's certainly strange...and reason enough to give the film a view.
In this comedy, the pair are both crooks--rich ex-bootleggers living it up in Europe. Dan (Denny) and Spike (Barnett) play exactly the sort of characters you'd expect...sophisticated and dopey, uncouth comic relief, though Dan is supposed to be an American! Things are getting rather hot for the duo and so to hide out they come up with an insane idea...to hide in the Foreign Legion! So, for the next five years, they'll be completely incognito in North Africa! In many ways, the film actually plays a bit like an Abbott & Costello or a Laurel & Hardy movie (both did Foreign Legion pics). In other words, they're insubordinate idiots who are constantly in trouble with their commanding officers. And, being crooks, they also aren't above offering bribes or shooting their way out of tricky situations. Eventually, all this catches up to them and they are sentenced to prison. Can they STILL manage to somehow make good?
While I wouldn't consider this a great or especially memorable film, it also was never intended as anything much more than a cheap B-movie--running only 56 minutes. Oddly, however, the picture was originally in color--something you'd never expect for a B. The version I watched on YouTube, however, was in black & white....and not an especially great print as well. As far as the plot goes, it's not especially memorable (though it has its moments) nor offensive and the biggest strength of the film is its strangeness. In other words, you might just want to see it because the two leads are so incredibly mismatched.
