Here Comes the Navy (1934) in Color — Starring James Cagney & Pat O’Brien

Here Comes the Navy (1934) — Buy This Classic in Color

Here Comes the Navy (1934) is a rousing Warner Bros. action-comedy starring James Cagney and Pat O’Brien in the first of their celebrated on-screen pairings, as a hothead riveter who joins the Navy to spite his rival and discovers that discipline and loyalty matter more than pride. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, this professionally colorized version brings the spectacular naval footage and rapid-fire comedy to vivid new life. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this high-energy classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Chesty O’Connor is a cocky, wisecracking shipyard worker who picks a fight with Navy CPO Biff Martin during Fleet Week and loses badly, suffering a humiliation that burns deep into his oversized ego. Burning for revenge and determined to prove himself the better man, Chesty enlists in the Navy — only to discover to his horror that Biff is his new commanding officer aboard a battleship. What follows is an escalating war of wills on the high seas, as the fiercely stubborn Chesty refuses to follow orders, bends every regulation he can find, and makes Biff’s life a living hell, while Biff refuses to cut him any slack and disciplines him at every opportunity, determined to break this insubordinate troublemaker or drive him out of the service. The classic movie alternates between explosive confrontations and genuine comedy, with Chesty’s cocky charm, quick wit, and undeniable courage gradually winning over his shipmates even as his constant insubordination drives Biff to the edge of his patience. When Chesty falls for Biff’s pretty sister Dorothy, the professional rivalry becomes deeply personal, with Biff furious at the idea of his sister involved with this undisciplined loudmouth and Chesty more determined than ever to prove his worth. It takes a genuinely dangerous crisis — a runaway dirigible that threatens to crash and kill dozens of men on the ground below — to force Chesty into an act of reckless, selfless heroism that finally proves his true worth as a sailor and as a man worthy of respect, transforming the bitter antagonism between the two men into a grudging but genuine mutual admiration.

Cast & Crew

Director: Lloyd Bacon

Stars: James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Gloria Stuart, Frank McHugh, Dorothy Tree, Maude Eburne

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of Here Comes the Navy transforms the spectacular naval sequences into visual spectacles of startling immediacy. The original black and white footage of battleships and dirigibles was impressive enough, but the professionally colorized restoration reveals the deep blue Pacific Ocean stretching endlessly beneath grey steel warships bristling with guns, the brilliant white dress uniforms contrasting against dark navy work clothes, the enormous silver dirigible gleaming against azure skies, the colorful signal flags snapping in the ocean wind, and the fiery, terrifying climax rendered in frame-by-frame detail that makes every action scene feel thrillingly immediate. The shipyard sequences gain gritty industrial texture, while the shore-leave scenes come alive with the bustle and warmth of 1930s San Diego. Now also available in colour.

Buy Here Comes the Navy in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Here Comes the Navy was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and launched one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen partnerships — Cagney and O’Brien would go on to make nine films together, including the immortal Angels with Dirty Faces. The classic film was shot with full Navy cooperation, featuring priceless authentic footage aboard the USS Arizona — the very battleship that would be tragically destroyed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor just seven years later, making this film an invaluable historical document preserving the great ship in her prime. The film also features extraordinary footage of the dirigible USS Macon, one of the last great American airships, which crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1935, just months after this film’s release. Gloria Stuart, decades before her Oscar-nominated role as the elderly Rose in James Cameron’s Titanic, provides the romantic spark as Biff’s sister. Cagney brings his trademark electric energy and physical dynamism to every scene, while O’Brien perfects the long-suffering authority figure role he would reprise many times. Director Lloyd Bacon kept the pace crackling at Warner Bros.’ signature breakneck speed. The restored colorized version allows modern audiences to watch this landmark action-comedy with renewed visual excitement and historical appreciation.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 86 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Was this really nominated for Best Picture?
A: Yes, Here Comes the Navy received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture at the 1935 ceremony — a testament to its enormous popularity and technical achievement.

Q: Is the USS Arizona footage historically significant?
A: Extremely. The film preserves footage of the Arizona in her prime, seven years before she was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, making it a priceless piece of American naval history.

Q: Is this the colorized version of the full film?
A: Yes, this is the complete 86-minute feature, professionally colorized frame-by-frame from the restored original.

Q: Was this the first Cagney-O’Brien pairing?
A: Yes, this was the first of nine films the two actors would make together. Their chemistry was so electric that Warner Bros. immediately began developing more projects for them as a team.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• The Long Voyage Home (1940)
• General Della Rovere (1959)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)
• Out of the Fog (1962)
• The Champ (1931)