JLRMovieReviews Lana Turner gets the idea to enlist as a WAC in order to inherit some money, because the trust stipulates that she gets nothing in the event that she has been throwing her life away on mindless pursuits and would most likely squander the money.Laraine Day, daughter of an officer, also becomes a WAC and almost immediately takes an instant dislike to Lana and her fast ways and her too easy life.Susan Peters, whose husband has gone off to serve, decides what's good for him is good enough for her, too. So she gives her all for WAC life and winds up being the referee between Lana and Laraine's fights.What makes up for an otherwise ordinary picture about WACs is their very earnest and capable acting. The viewer doesn't usually see Laraine Day as a heavy. But she is chillingly believable as a cold, by-the-books WAC, and Lana is great as a spoiled brat who grows up. Susan Peters, who would later be involved in a tragic accident that would leave her paralyzed, is especially good as the simple girl who only wants her man and to be happy. Its satisfying ending and overall pleasantness with a job well done makes me lean towards a 7, but on the whole it tends to feel like a grade B movie.(A little irony for those interested: It has been said by Laraine Day that roles once offered to her began going to Lana. They had been in "Calling Dr. Kildare" together where Laraine was Nurse Mary Lamont, the female lead, and Lana was a supporting player. But, Lana's star would rise pretty quickly so that by now, in this movie, Lana was the big name is this film over Laraine.)Costarring June Lockhart, Lee Patrick, Agnes Moorehead, and Natalie Schafer ("Mrs. Howell" from "Gilligan's Island") as Lana's society friend who's afraid of having her own cushy life disturbed, "Keep Your Powder Dry" may not offer anything new, but it does show the stars giving their all as women who serve their country.

dafyddabhugh -- but Natalie Schafer plays a wealthy, mindless socialite!If the ending doesn't draw at least a couple tears from your eye, especially these days, then you're heartless. Bah.If you like this sort of movie (as do I), you will definitely enjoy this particular example of it. Very well done.My only regret is that they didn't show enough of the training. Having gone through OCS myself, it's such an overwhelming, life-changing experience (though I don't know about the WACs' OCS) that it was a bit of a cheat that we didn't get to see how it changed the girls, only that it did. I suspect the writer was more concerned about the dynamic between the three main characters, rather than the interaction between each of them and the demands of officer candidate school.Dafydd ab Hugh

Neil Doyle The unlikely prospect of anyone who looks like Lana Turner giving up her comfy civilian life to wear an army uniform is the hardest thing to swallow about this service film about three women from different walks of life who learn to become army buddies. Turner, of course, is given the glamour treatment and must have made hundreds of girls think they would look terrific in khaki.Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable enough item sparked by some very competent performances by the mostly female cast. It's the feminine prototype of countless serviceman films produced during the war years of World War II, given non-serious treatment with a story centering on three new WAC recruits. Laraine Day plays an army brat, a girl who constantly flaunts her superiority over the other recruits and for most of the film engages in a tug of war with Turner. While Turner was given the full glamour treatment, Laraine Day succeeded in playing her unsympathetic role to the hilt, for the first time showing a harder edge to her screen personality. The film is enjoyable fluff, with good work by Susan Peters and Agnes Moorehead.My article on Laraine Day appears in the Spring 2001 issue of FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE--and one on Lana Turner is due for publication at a later date.

cricket-14 It is meant to be a comedy, but is only mildly amusing.It gives a glimpse of Natalie Schafer who later played Mrs Howell on Gilligan's Island - for those who interested.