Acting
Stepin Fetchit's controversial but landmark performance.
Direction
Ford experimenting with comedy before Westerns consumed him.
Production
Authentic Naval Academy locations at Annapolis.
Director
John Ford
George O'Brien
Cadet John Randall
Helen Chandler
Nancy Wayne
William Janney
Midshipman Paul Randall
Stepin Fetchit
Smoke Screen
Frank Albertson
Midshipman Albert Edward Price
Joyce Compton
Marian Wilson
David Butler
Navy Coach
Lumsden Hare
Rear Admiral John Randall
Clifford Dempsey
Major General Somers
Ward Bond
Midshipman Harold
Rex Bell
Cadet (uncredited)
John Breeden
Midshipman (uncredited)
Jack Pennick
Football Player (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook
Assistant Navy Coach (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of five films Ford made in 1929 alone—he was a studio workhorse before becoming an auteur.
The Army-Navy rivalry depicted here reflected real 1920s American military culture, with Annapolis cooperating fully for production.
US
