No Time for Sergeants

1958

No Time for Sergeants (1958)

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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

81%

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Movie Info

Mac Hyman's hilarious barracks novel No Time for Sergeants was adapted for TV by Ira Levin in 1955, with newcomer Andy Griffith as bumptious Air Force draftee Will Stockdale. This TV version was soon afterward transformed into a Broadway play, and then a movie, again with Griffith in the lead. Brought to the Air Force base in handcuffs because his farmer father has been hiding his draft notices, good-natured Will becomes the target of ridicule for the other transcripts. Especially nasty is Private Irvin (Murray Hamilton), but Will is able to forgive him because he knows that Irvin is suffering from some mysterious disease called ROTC. Will's best pal is hot-headed private Ben (Nick Adams), who wants to be transferred to the Infantry and convinces Will to try for the same goal. Slowly becoming aware that the trusting, naïve Will may prove to be a troublemaker, career sergeant King (Myron McCormick), who wants nothing more out of life than a little peace and quiet, tries to keep Stockdale out of mischief by appointing him "PLO" -- Permanent Latrine Orderly, a dubious distinction in which Will takes enormous pride. Later on, King tries to pull strings to get Will transferred, succeeding only in losing his sergeant's stripes. The story goes off on a zany tangent when Will and Ben find themselves on a crippled plane in flight. They manage to escape with their lives, but all evidence suggests that they've been killed in the plane's crash. Imagine the dismay of newly reinstated Sergeant King when Will and Ben show up in his office -- just as the entire base is gathered for a memorial service for the two "fallen heroes." Featured in a minor role as a "coordination officer" is Griffth's future TV cohort Don Knotts, while Sammy Jackson, who played Stockdale in a 1964 sitcom version of No Time for Sergeants, shows up in an unbilled bit.
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Mervyn LeRoy
  • Written By:
    John Lee Mahin
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Warner Home Video

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Cast

Andy Griffith
as Will Stockdale (Narrator)
Myron McCormick
as Sgt. King
Nick Adams
as Ben Whitledge
Will Hutchins
as Lt. Bridges
Howard I. Smith
as Gen. Bush
Murray Hamilton
as Irvin Blanchard
Howard Smith
as Gen. Bush
Sydney Smith
as Gen. Pollard
James Millhollin
as Psychiatrist
Don Knotts
as Manual Dexterity Corporal
Jean Willes
as WAF Captain
Bartlett Robinson
as Captain
Henry McCann
as Lt. Cover
Dub Taylor
as Draft Board Man
William Fawcett
as Pa Stockdale
Raymond Bailey
as Colonel
Ed Begley Sr.
Jamie Farr
as Lt. Gardella
Bob Stratton
as Lt. Kendall
Jack Mower
as Sheriff
Malcolm Atterbury
as Man with Applications
Peggy Hallack
as Rosabelle
Sammy Jackson
as Inductee
Rad Fulton
as Inductee
Dan Barton
as Tiger
Ben Baker
as Abel
Francis De Sales
as Supervising Sergeant
Robert Sherman
as Oculist
Dick Wessel
as Infantryman
Thomas Browne Henry
as Senator
Tom McKee
as Charles the Aide
George N. Neise
as Baker
Benny Baker
as Abel
Fred Coby
as Sentry
Tom Browne Henry
as Senator
John Close
as MP
Charles Lane
as Dave (draft board driver)
Mary Scott
as Cigarette Girl
Verne Smith
as Announcer
Margaret Mason
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News & Interviews for No Time for Sergeants

Three Great Character Actors Gone in One Sad Weekend
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Critic Reviews for No Time for Sergeants

All Critics (3)

Even today, more than 50 years after No Time for Sergeants was made, the film works as a comedy. Bottom line, it made me laugh.

Jul 22, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…
7M Pictures

...a lamentably uneven piece of work that's rarely as compelling as its star's magnetic performance.

Dec 2, 2010 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…
Reel Film Reviews

No Time For Sergeants is ripe for re-discovery by a new generation, and ripe for re-visiting by those who remember it fondly.

May 18, 2010 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
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Audience Reviews for No Time for Sergeants

½

Andy Griffith made a career playing country guys who, even if ignorant, always got over on smart-ass city slicker types and it sort of began with this Army tale of a good hearted if dim oaf who befuddles career soldiers. Nick Adams is good as his little buddy with big Army dreams. Myron McCormick maintains exasperation solidly fo the length of the piece.

Kevin M. Williams
Kevin M. Williams

Super Reviewer

½

Silly little comedy walks a fine line between charm and idiocy. What puts it over is the performances and the script full of humourous lines. Myron McCormick is wonderfully flustered as Sgt.King and Andy Griffith plays the simpleton Will Stockdale with just the right amount of innocence so he does't come across as a buffoon just a not very clever, naive but good hearted bumpkin. Nick Adams is also highly enjoyable as Andy frustrated buddy. Don Knotts only has one scene but he steals it.

jay nixon
jay nixon

Super Reviewer

½

Hysterically funny.

Anthony Valletta
Anthony Valletta

Super Reviewer

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