Construction boss Wayne and Navy lieutenant Dennis O'Keefe try to convince the Navy that wartime construction workers need to be armed. Meanwhile the two men vie for Susan Hayward. Good WW2 John Wayne movie about the formation of the seabees (CBs = construction battalion). Wayne is heroic in this one but also kind of a bullheaded reckless sort of guy who endangers his men. I was kind of surprised to see O'Keefe get to be the white knight here. He even gets the girl. Hayward offers little except to look pretty and be torn between two men. The supporting cast is good. The action is exciting. The highlight of the film, though, is seeing John Wayne dance the jitterbug with a blonde.

Like all these ww2 propaganda films it was rubbish. Full of overblown heroics and racist name calling. I see lots of reviews saying movies like this were a product of their time. Well so were the propaganda movies the Nazis and the Japanese were putting out but I don't see anyone say what good films they were. Propaganda isn't just to bolster moral it's also supposed to engender hatred and demonize the enemy. It's OK to kill them because they are hateful and inhuman. Their soldiers don't have loved ones like ours they're just meat bags who deserve to die. We have wars today but nobody in their right mind would try to portray them as movies like this one and others of it's ilk does. People are far too sophisticated to buy this "war is glorious" rubbish. If it proves anything it's that people back then must have been pretty gullible to buy such nonsense as the true face of war.

A fine John Wayne movie and no WWII movie collector should be without it. This movie's great patriotic musical score is also a fine example of strong & very well-written harmonies for male chorus; the score sounds like the U.S. Navy Band's men's chorus (an astounding group of music professionals by the way) and is a dramatic performance that supports this very positive story of the Seabees. With some added drama along the way, this movie demonstrates some of the work done by the SeaBees - building facilities & runways on remote islands during WWII; massive runway construction with PSP grid materials, bulldozing, & hut construction, which were all representative of the basics that needed accomplishing during this campaign. This was a refreshing viewing experience in that the then media was supportive of the American fighting man, and while this may make some in today's culture wince, that's their problem. Today's warriors and sailors are just as honorable & deserving of the kind of support that surrounds this kind of movie, and watching this production reminds you of that fact. Very dramatic, perhaps over-acted at times, but a great story about our fine Seabees! If you are a patriot, I believe you'll enjoy this movie.

Saying this film is "propaganda" is not an insult. No, it was deliberately crafted to encourage Americans that we can and will win the war if we stand firm. And what better image of this than the ever-vigilant John Wayne--the embodiment of the Hollywood image of heroism.This film reminds me a lot of The Flying Tigers, though the plot isn't so melodramatic. It's about a crew of civilian engineers sent overseas to do construction for our troops (such as building runways and other projects). BUT, the evil Japanese in the movie take advantage of the fact that these are unarmed civilians and butcher them at every opportunity. So, what is The Duke and his trusted pals to do? Take up arms and use their own equipment when necessary to beat the stuffing out of the Japs! Yes, guys with bulldozers and clubs NEVER could have inflicted the casualties you witness in the movie, but man if it isn't entertaining to watch--particularly the explosive ending.