Corrected entry: As the troops are marching out at the end of "Yip Yip Yaphank", Alan Hale Sr. gives the order to "column right, MARCH", but George Tobias starts the turn BEFORE Hale says "MARCH". Anybody who's spent any time in the military knows that you NEVER start executing a drill command until the drill instructor or equivalent gives the "execute word" (e.g. "MARCH"). This may seem a small thing, but it's crazy making to anybody who knows better. (00:17:45)
This Is the Army (1943)
1 corrected entry
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Joan Leslie, Alan Hale, George Tobias, George Murphy
Deliberate mistake: During the early rehearsals for "Yip Yip Yaphank", a group of men are around the piano singing "God Bless America", and we hear the following lyrics: "Stand beside her/And guide her/TO THE RIGHT/With a light from above". This is NOT an error; I'm guessing that those were the actual lyrics of the rough draft, with the capitalized line above changed to the present "Through the night/With a light." at a later date. (00:14:50)
Eddie Dibble: What'll we call the show?
Maxie Twardofsky: Yip! Yip! Yaphank! the second.
Jerry Jones: No, no, Max. That's no good. It's a new war, a new show. We've got to have a new name.
Maj. John B. Davidson: Well, why not state the simple fact, This is the Army.
Jerry Jones: What do you think fellas? That's it, This is the Army.
Trivia: Even though George Murphy plays Ronald Reagan's father in the movie, he was only 9 years older than Reagan.
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Correction: This was called "anticipating the command", i.e., executing the command before it is given. It happened often and was a no win situation. We'd get yelled at for anticipating the command (starting the turn before MARCH), or when the command for column right was given on the LEFT foot, we were yelled at for NOT anticipating the command. It's just real life. Not every single unit out there is part of 3rd Infantry that does nothing but practice D&C all day long.
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