Cry Havoc Reviews

During WW II there were any number of all-male pictures, but this is one of the rare all-female pictures ever made. There are a couple of brief appearances by men, but it's the women who have all the lines. Nine nurses are gathered from the Manila evacuation and put to work at a field hospital. As it is with many stage dramas (and make no mistake, this was originally a play, and it shows in almost every frame), the characters are from different backgrounds. Joan Blondell is a former burlesque queen who gave up the G-string in favor of the stethoscope, Ann Sothern was a waitress, etc. They wind up together in a bomb shelter on Bataan, discussing life, men and war while awaiting the advance of Japanese soldiers who are about to take over. Just about the same time, MGM was making BATAAN with Robert Taylor, George Murphy, and several others. One can only presume that these may have been the same sets used for both films. The play was not very good and the picture was not much better.