The Midshipman (1925)

It maybe goes on too long, this - but it's still quite a fun opportunity for Ramon Novarro to ooze charisma as a young trainee at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. The plot offers us the usual fayre - he falls in love with a gal (Harriet Hammond) but must vie for her attentions with her wealthy fiancée "Basil" (Crauford Kent) who is not going to give up his flame lightly... What ensues includes some light-hearted manoeuvring between the two men and some good old fashioned envy over a dance card at a ball (featuring an all-to-vivid image of his pal "Ted" (Wesley Barry) in a frock!) - all as the gently comedic story flows along without effort. It really is a film for fans of the occasionally scantily clad Novarro - he even manages a bit of precisely staged fisticuffs! I could swear that I spotted a brief glimpse of Joan Crawford (she'd have been 21) but there is no sign of her name on screen in the credits. It's a flighty piece of star-driven cinema, but if you are fond of the star (and his looks) and some mindless romance with a tiny bit of testosterone thrown in, then there are tougher ways to spend 80 minutes...