Service with the Colors (1940)

There is a scene towards the start of this feature that sees a young man, dressed in his civvies, who pauses by a recruitment board on a city street. He reads the text, shakes his head in a sort of "I've nothing better to do" fashion, and then goes on into the building to join up. He is but one example of the variety of young men from the far flung corners of their United States who have answered the call to arms. Arriving at their boot camp, many find themselves facing quite a culture shock as haircuts beckon, uniforms must be worn and they all find themselves under the disciplined leadership of "Sgt. Clicker" (Robert Armstrong) and his "Col. Nelson" (Henry O'Neill). Naturally, each of them takes to this new environment in differing fashions but there's no real jeopardy as to how it is all going to turn out in the end. The soldier's characters are made up of some some unremarkable acting talent selected, I expect, on the basis of their All-American, eye-candy, good looks designed to make their gals gush, their parents proud, and to get the government the required number of enthusiastic new recruits from amongst a young male population who perhaps hadn't massive opportunities waiting for them elsewhere. It's all soft-focus stuff that avoids any references to the ghastliness of war and has little to recommend it if I'm honest.