Navy Blue and Gold: Jimmy Stewart before he was Jimmy Stewart

If you're looking for a gritty, realistic take on military life, you should probably look elsewhere. Navy Blue and Gold is pure, polished studio-era charm. It’s for people who like their black-and-white dramas with a side of wholesome football pep-talks. If you hate earnest speeches and people standing at perfect attention for no reason, this will drive you up the wall.

James Stewart and Robert Young are in this, playing these classic archetypes of the "troubled kid" and the "rich kid." They both end up at the Naval Academy. The movie is basically 90 minutes of them learning that discipline is good and teamwork is better. It feels a lot like watching Gridiron Glory but with way more hats.

There is a scene in the locker room that goes on forever. I swear, the extras in the background have nothing to do but stare at the walls. It’s supposed to be high-stakes, but I just found myself watching a guy in the back row try to fix his tie for three straight minutes. It’s oddly distracting.

The football scenes are... well, they're fine. They clearly filmed them on a soundstage somewhere. You can see the shadows of the lights moving on the grass. It’s very 1937. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Apaches of Paris, though obviously with less fighting and more shouting about formations.

The Good Stuff

• Lionel Barrymore being grumpy. He is the glue holding this whole thing together.
• The uniforms are crisp enough to cut glass.
• Watching a young James Stewart try to hide his natural charm to be a tough guy. It doesn't really work, but it's fun to watch him try.

The dialogue is so fast. Sometimes they just start talking over each other like they're trying to win a bet. Nobody talks like that in real life, but in this movie, it feels like they're rushing to get to the next scene before the set falls over.

Is it a masterpiece? No. It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is and doesn't bother aiming any higher. You get the football, the romance, the honor code, and the ending you knew was coming from the first ten minutes. It’s comforting, in a way. Like eating a sandwich that you've had a thousand times before. 🥪

I wouldn't call this a must-watch, but if you're stuck on a rainy Sunday and you want to see actors from the golden age actually sweating under studio lights, it’s a decent way to kill an hour or so. Just don't go in expecting I, Claudius levels of depth.