Operation Mad Ball

Operation Mad Ball
Operation Mad Ball
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Quine
Written by	Arthur Carter (also play); Blake Edwards; Jed Harris
Produced by	Jed Harris
Starring	Jack Lemmon; Ernie Kovacs; Kathryn Grant; Mickey Rooney; Arthur O'Connell
Cinematography	Charles Lawton Jr.
Edited by	Charles Nelson
Music by	George Duning
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	August 17, 1957;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.85 million (US and Canadian rentals)

Operation Mad Ball is a 1957 American military comedy from Columbia Pictures, produced by Jed Harris, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Kathryn Grant, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is by Blake Edwards, Jed Harris, and Arthur Carter, based on an unproduced play by Carter.^[2]

Plot

Following World War II in 1945, at a U.S. Army hospital unit in France, Pvt. Hogan does not believe that a blue-stocking can ever be good-looking. Catching first sight of new arrival nurse Lt. Betty Bixby convinces him otherwise. He picks up her dropped cigarette lighter after putting aside his M-1 rifle. He is seen by security officer Capt. Paul Lock, who admonishes him for doing so while Hogan is standing night guard duty. Lock confines him to quarters preliminary to a court martial. The colonel in charge of the hospital, however, would prefer to keep everything "in the family" and avoid a court martial. He knows it would be bad for camp morale and discipline, their unit being close to being sent back to the U.S. for discharge from the service.

Hogan begins to organize a ball at an off-limits hotel before their unit disbands. This will be to benefit all the camp's nurse officers and his fellow enlisted soldiers (men being men and women being women), in spite of army regulations. Private Hogan temporarily appropriates one of x-ray officer (radiologist) Staff Sergeant Perkins' fluoroscopic images, one with an image of a duodenal ulcer. He brings it to Lieutenant Betty Bixby's attention, unofficially; asking her to treat it surreptitiously, instead of ordering him to sick call, whom he wants to take to the ball. Lieutenant Bixby orders Private Hogan to report to her every two hours, to drink a cup of milk and cream (half and half), to prevent a perforated ulcer. Later, she discovers how Private Hogan falsified having an ulcer, then loses faith in him.

Hogan and Cpl. Bohun go through all sorts of mishaps to make sure that the plan for the secret ball goes ahead. It snowballs into constant wheeling-and-dealing and complex maneuvering by Hogan and soon others of his fellow camp soldiers. As the various details surrounding the ball grow larger and ever more complex, their efforts evolve into a "Mad Ball" that no one will likely ever forget ... if Hogan and his men can carry it off. On their heels every minute, however, is security officer Lock, always sniffing around and on the lookout for the slightest breach of what constitutes his ideas of strict army regulations and military discipline. Along the way, Hogan and his men jump through many hoops to distract Lock. Hogan finally sidelines Lock just before their blowout event happens.

The night of the ball, each soldier is paired with a nurse, except Hogan. He waits for Bixby, hoping that she has forgiven him, but he ends up disappointed, going to the ball without her. When he arrives at the hotel, he sees Bixby sitting with the camp's commanding officer, who has sworn to everyone at the ball to say nothing about what is going on that evening. When Bixby sees Hogan, she takes off her long military coat to reveal a pretty dress, and she shares a first dance with Hogan.

Cast

Jack Lemmon as Private Hogan
Ernie Kovacs as Captain Paul Lock
Kathryn Grant as Lieutenant Betty Bixby
Arthur O'Connell as Colonel Rousch
Mickey Rooney as Sergeant Yancy Skibo
Dick York as Corporal Bohun
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 Sergeant Pringle
William Hickey as Private Sampson
Stacy Graham as Lieutenant Rosedale
Bebe Allen as Lieutenant Johnson
Sheridan Comerate as Sergeant Wilson
Dick Crockett as Sergeant McCloskey
Betsy Jones-Moreland as Lieutenant Bushey
Mary Tyler Moore as nurse (uncredited)

Cast notes

This film marks the first time that Jack Lemmon received top billing in a film, the first major screen role for Ernie Kovacs,^[2]^[3] and was also the first screen role for Mary Tyler Moore.^[4]^[5]

Soundtrack

The title song, 'Mad Ball' was written by Fred Karger and Richard Quine. The opening credits are accompanied by the song being performed by Sammy Davis Junior. Richard Quine was also the director of the film, and some of the song was contributed to by the performer, Mr. Sammy Davis Junior.

The song was recorded May 15, 1957 by Sammy Davis Junior, and released as a single by Decca Records - 930441, in the United States, in 1957, with the B side being 'Cool Credo'^[6] and on Brunswick Records – 12118, with the B side being The Birth of the Blues in Germany, and in the United Kingdom – 05717, as the B side of The Nearness of You.^[7]^[8] A Long Playing Record was also released, titled 'Music for a Mad Ball' by Tops Records, as L-1610 TOPS, with the cover notes description of the plot, cast and notes, also the cover depicting photos of the cast; without music on the album from the movie itself.^[9]

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