Stunts
Actual horse jumps that genuinely impressed 1938 audiences.
Costume
Immaculate cavalry uniforms that scream 'we're not at war YET'.
Acting
Donald Crisp playing stern dad for the thousandth time, still crushing it.
Director
B. Reeves Eason
Ronald Reagan
Pvt. Dennis Reilley
Mary Maguire
Miss Mary Lou Carruthers
Donald Crisp
Col. Todd Carruthers
Ben Hendricks Jr.
Cpl. Kane
Max Hoffman Jr.
Sergeant Connors
Emmett Vogan
Major Smythe
Edmund Cobb
Gruff's Adjutant
Janet Shaw
Joan Furse
Rosella Towne
Alice Valentine
Joan Valerie
Bess Merrill
Sam McDaniel
Henry H. Henry
William B. Davidson
Maj. Gruff (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ronald Reagan made six films in 1938 alone; this was his 'I need a paycheck' era before Warner Bros took him seriously.
Released months before WWII, the film's cheery military optimism feels like a time capsule of American isolationism about to shatter.
US
