A 14-year-old boy lies about his age and enlists in the United State Marine Corps without his family's consent or knowledge. He is sent into battle in the Pacific war-zone, decorated, and spotted in a newsreel by his family. The family asks the War Department to discharge him and send him home.
Acting
Conrad Janis sells impossible teen Marine energy with chaotic commitment.
Production
Genuine 1945 Pacific footage woven into pure fiction.
Director
Jack Moss
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title 'SNAFU' was already military slang by 1945, making this a rare Hollywood film that winked at soldiers' actual cynicism while still selling the war effort.
Director Jack Moss was primarily a talent agent; this was his only feature directorial credit, possibly explaining the film's chaotic 'let's just shoot it' energy.
US
