Destroyer (1943)

Edward G. Robinson plays Steve Boleslavski, a crusty old Navy man at odds with younger sailor Mickey Donohue (Glenn Ford) on a U.S. destroyer in World War II. Their conflict only escalates when Boleslavski’s single-minded toughness and outdated knowledge of Naval procedures gets him demoted and Donohue winds up his superior. But the whole crew will find themselves depending on the old salt when the ship is damaged by a Japanese submarine. Marguerite Chapman, Edgar Buchanan also star. 99 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Mr. Winkle Goes To War (1944)

Edward G. Robinson goes against type in this delightful comedy as a middle-aged, mild-mannered soul browbeaten by his wife (Ruth Warrick) for leaving his bank job and opening up his own fix-it shop. Fate intervenes with the unexpected arrival of a draft notice; he defies the odds by passing basic, gets sent overseas, and becomes a hero under the most unusual of circumstances. Robert Armstrong, Richard Lane co-star; keep an eye out for Robert Mitchum. 80 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.