Grade: D+
Synopsis: During the Korean War, a womanizing surgeon (Humphrey Bogart) and an idealistic nurse (June Allyson) find romance while working in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
Battle Circus is a very formulaic melodrama hampered by the miscasting of June Allyson.
Bogart is fine as a war-weary, womanizing surgeon. He looks the part and carries the film well. Allyson, on the other hand, seems totally out of place in the wartime setting. She looks and sounds more like a sitcom mom than an Army nurse, and this is a huge problem, because Battle Circus is more of a melodrama than a war picture, and the lack of chemistry between Allyson and Bogart sinks the film.
It’s a shame, mostly because of the wasted potential of Bogart’s character, but also because of the good production values and strong supporting cast that could have made this a pretty good movie.
Bottom Line: A miscast of monumental proportions, June Allyson simply doesn’t work in this picture, and even Bogart can’t fix that.
