Operation Mad Ball

Operation Mad Ball
Directed by	Richard Quine
Produced by	Jed Harris
Written by	Arthur Carter (play) Blake Edwards Jed Harris
Starring	Jack Lemmon Kathryn Grant Ernie Kovacs Mickey Rooney Dick York Arthur O'Connell
Music by	George Duning
Cinematography	Charles Lawton Jr.
Editing by	Charles Nelson
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 17, 1957
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Operation Mad Ball is a 1957 military comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Kathryn Grant, Ernie Kovacs, Dick York, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney and directed by Richard Quine. The screenplay by Blake Edwards and Jed Harris is based on an unproduced play by Arthur Carter.^[1]

Plot

In a hospital unit in the U.S. Army in Europe after World War II, Private Hogan (Jack Lemmon) does not believe that a blue-stocking can be good-looking, but the first sight of dietetic nurse Lieutenant Betty Bixby (Kathryn Grant) sets him straight. When he picks her cigarette lighter up and puts his weapon aside, he is surprísed by security officer Paul Locke (Ernie Kovacs) who admonishes him for putting down his weapon while on guard duty and confines him to quarters preliminary to a court martial. The Colonel in charge of the unit (Arthur O'Connell), however, would prefer to keep everything "in the family" and avoid a court martial.

Soon, Hogan plans to organise a ball at an off-limits hotel with all the prettiest nurses and his fellow soldiers. Hogan and Cpl. Bohun (Dick York) go to through all sorts of mishaps to make sure that the secret Mad Ball goes ahead. Hogan uses a General's X-ray and pretends it belongs to him to win the sympathy of Lt. Bixby, whom he wants to take to the ball. Hogan claims to be suffering from heartburn and an ulcer, and Bixby recommends dietetic changes. When Betty finds out that the X-ray doesn't belong to Hogan, she falls out with him, leaving both Betty and Hogan secretly sad to have lost each other.

On the night of the ball, each soldier has been paired with a pretty nurse, except Hogan. He waits for Bixby, hoping that she has forgiven him, but he ends up going to the ball on his own. When he arrives, he sees Betty with the Colonel. She takes off her long coat to reveal a pretty dress. At the end, she shares the last dance with Hogan.

Cast

Jack Lemmon as Private Hogan Kathryn Grant as Lt. Betty Bixby Ernie Kovacs as Captain Locke Dick York as Cpl. Bohun Arthur O'Connell as Col. Rousch Mickey Rooney as Sergeant Yancy Skibo            Jeanne Manet as Madame LaFour James Darren as Private Widowskas Roger Smith as Corporal Berryman Marilyn Hanold as Lieutenant Tweedy

L.Q. Jones as Ozark William Leslie as Private Grimes David McMahon as Sgt. Pringle William Hickey as Private Sampson Stacy Graham as Lt. Rosedale Bebe Allen as Lt. Johnson Sheridan Comerate as Sergeant Wilson Dick Crockett as Sgt. McCloskey Betsy Jones-Moreland as Lt. Bushey

Cast notes

• This film marks the first time that Jack Lemmon received top billing in a film, and was also the first major screen role for Ernie Kovacs.^[2][1]

Awards and honors

• 1958 Golden Laurel Award - 2nd place - Top Male Comedy Performance - Jack Lemmon
• 1958 WGA Award (Screen) - Nominated - Best Written American Comedy - Arthur Carter, Jed Harris, Blake Edwards

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Miller, John M. "Operation Mad Ball" on TCM.com
2. ^ "Notes" on TCM.com

External links

• Operation Mad Ball at the Internet Movie Database
• Operation Mad Ball at the TCM Movie Database
• Operation Mad Ball at AllRovi
• Operation Mad Ball Trailer-1957-Internet Archive