The Private War Of Major Benson (1955)

A Major (Charlton Heston) in the U.S. Army is a tough martinet with a no nonsense "tell it like it is" way of talking. This upsets some of his superiors so as a punishment, he's sent to an all boys Catholic military school to shape up the ROTC cadets. This is the kind of family fare comedy one would expect from Walt Disney. Once Heston arrives at the military academy and his gruff insensitive ways clashes with the boys, we know where the movie is heading. By the end of the movie, he'll be humanized. One doesn't think of Charlton Heston and comedy and he plays the role as if he were doing a drama and it works for his performance and the film. The film overextends its welcome by about 20 minutes, it tends to go in circles after awhile. But its heart is in the right place and there's a sweetness to it that's hard to dismiss. Still, the Oscar nomination for its rather generic script is a head scratcher. Directed by Jerry Hopper. With Julie Adams, Sal Mineo, David Janssen,  William Demarest, Nana Bryant, Tim Considine, Milburn Stone and the most adorable of child actors, Tim Hovey.