Advance to the Rear [Company of Cowards] *** (1964, Glenn Ford, Melvyn Douglas, Stella Stevens) – Classic Movie Review 12,500

The nifty, vivacious and amusing 1964 spoof Western film Advance to the Rear [Company of Cowards] stars Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens and Melvyn Douglas.

Director George Marshall’s 1964 film Advance to the Rear [Company of Cowards] is a nifty, vivacious and amusing spoof Western about Colonel Claude Brackenbury (Melvyn Douglas)’s and Captain Jared Heath (Glenn Ford)’s Unionist band of blunderers, who surprise everybody by nabbing beautiful Southern spy traitor Martha Lou Williams (Stella Stevens), who has been posing as a hooker, and saving a consignment of bullion.

Although originally released as just a B-picture, the good-value acting, nimble screenplay and fast-moving direction combine to make it all surprisingly enjoyable. You can see why the title was changed in Britain to Company of Cowards.

The screenplay by Samuel A Peeples and William Bowers is loosely based on the 1957 novel Company of Cowards by Jack Schaefer, inspired by an article by William Chamberlain, published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1956 telling the Civil War stories of the Company Q unit of coward soldiers given a second chance to show bravery. The film adds the comedic elements to the novel and keeps only its basic idea of a unit formed of men court-martialled for cowardice and sent out West, as well as some of its character names.

The very nice cast are Glenn Ford as Captain Jared Heath, Stella Stevens as Martha Lou Williams, Melvyn Douglas as Colonel Claude Brackenbury, Jim Backus as General Willoughby, Joan Blondell as Easy Jenny, Andrew Prine as Private Owen Selous, Jesse Pearson as Corporal Silas Geary, Alan Hale Jr as Sergeant Beauregard Davis, James Griffith as Hugo Zattig, Whit Bissell as Captain Queeg, Michael Pate as Thin Elk, Preston Foster as General Bateman, Eddie Quillan as Sergeant Smitty, Britt Ekland as Greta,  Yvonne Craig, Chuck Robertson, Bill Troy, and Frank Mitchell.

The score is composed by Randy Sparks, with songs sung by The New Christy Minstrels and orchestral music arranged and conducted by Hugo Montenegro. The hit song ‘Today’ is composed (words and music) by Randy Sparks of The New Christy Minstrels.

The film also features the songs ‘Company of Cowards’ and ‘Riverboat’.

Jesse Pearson, who plays Corporal Silas Geary, was heard by composer Charles Strouse, who recommended him for the national tour of the stage show Bye Bye Birdie. Pearson took over the role of Conrad Birdie when Dick Gautier, the actor playing him, fell ill, and was then cast in the 1963 movie version Bye Bye Birdie.

But after Advance to the Rear, Pearson had no more film offers and turned to TV. He wrote two adult films, Pro-Ball Cheerleader (1979) and The Legend of Lady Blue (1978), which he also directed, both under the name A Fabritzio. He died of cancer  at age 49 on 5 December 1979.

George Marshall directed the classic 1939 comedy Western Destry Rides Again.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,500

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