The Girl He Left Behind

College student Andy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter) is the all-American football hero. He's avoiding the draft and lives carefree off his mother's money. His girlfriend Susan Daniels (Natalie Wood) is annoyed at his spoiled demeanor and wonders how he would support her if they are to be married. They have a fight and he joins the army. Boot camp is too hard and he refuses to fall in line.

Neither Andy nor Susan are appealing character. I'm watching this for Natalie Wood. I'm not impressed with Tab Hunter. He reminds me of Dolph Lundgren without the charisma. The character is annoying but the actor has no life. Honestly, they're not good as individuals and they're not good together. The mother is annoying although she has a hilarious section on the base. I'm not sure why anyone would be rooting for any of them. He could have been a Rebel without a Cause but he's not anywhere near that neighborhood. Even the big action scene makes little sense. It makes little sense that the men would go hide in the tank. Once there, they are safer inside the tank than running around outside. The change is abrupt and lacking in character growth. One minute, he's one character and another minute, he's the complete opposite. I guess this is a recruitment movie for the military who can straighten up your slacker sons. It's not good one.

First saw this movie in 1965 the night before marksmanship qualification at Parris Island, I suspect that the reason they showed it to us is so that we could react to the slogan on the sign at the 11th Infantry's Headquarters. Yes, it was "Semper Fidelis"! The whole theater erupted each time that was shown. We also enjoyed the Sergeant's "Your behinds are grass, and I'm the lawnmower" because it was one of our DI's favorites; although with more colorful mode of expression.

The movie itself was hilarious in its badness (except for Natalie Wood). We could not fathom anyone getting away with the crap that Tab Hunter's "Andy" was dishing; not even in the Army! The less said about Andy's 'heroics', the better.

As for the romantic aspects, it was clear to all of us that Hunter's interest was not in Wood. No one (especially an actor as bad as Tab Hunter) could be within a mile of Natalie Wood and pretend such indifference. Even a great actor could not be indifferent.

A nice piece of big studio fluff that is too bad to get made today.

Referred to by both its leading players as The Girl With The Left Behind this is by no means a great movie but one certainly better than its sullied reputation would lead you to believe.

A large part of that bad rep comes via its two stars, Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood. A large portion of their distaste for this and several of their other co-starring pictures is surely attributable to the fact that they were contract players at the time and handed one indifferent script after another until Natalie graduated to A level stardom and Tab left the studio.

The film itself is an innocuous trifle about a selfish spoiled young man who has a problem with authority and the pains he and the officers over him suffer when he's drafted. Hardly a new plot or revolutionarily enacted this is stuffed with excellent character actors all contributing fun performances. A few standouts are Jessie Royce Landis as Tab's addled mother, Murray Hamilton as his exasperated direct superior and Henry Jones as an amiable cohort. Natalie's disregard for the film is understandable though since she's handed one of the nothing girl parts she had to endure while toiling her way to the top.

An unremarkable studio product this is still an enjoyable picture.

.....then by all means let me know directly at the above e-mail address so that I may arrange for a copy for you. This winning military "dramedy" stars the never-lovelier Natalie Wood as the titular dish waiting back home for her college-flunkie boyfriend (and barracks brat) Tab Hunter to smarten up and get a life in the army. Among the many highlights are some meaty set-pieces pitting n'er-do-well Hunter against his superior officers, all played with gusto by Murray Hamilton, Jim Backus and David Janssen (while Henry Jones and Alan King deliver equally fine turns as Hunter's pals. Look for James Garner, too). Action, comedy and emotional resonance in equal measures in a true classic of its kind that unfortunately never got its due. Worth repeat viewings if only to behold Ms. Wood's unique incandescence at its peak.

A rich mummy's boy gets bad grades at college so is forced to enlist in the Infantry. This was supposed to be a comedy, though I found the humour lacking, probably because the lead actor, Tab Hunter, wasn't very good. Natalie Wood had a smaller role playing Tab Hunters girlfriend, and the future major of Amity Island in Jaws played a sergeant. Only watch is you are very bored.