As I watched "The Girl He Left Behind", I was very surprised. Considering that Tab Hunter was a hot property at the studio, you'd think Warner Brothers would have wanted to portray him as positively as possible. Additionally, Hollywood had a long history of portraying the US military very positively. But here in this film, Hunter plays a man that is easy to hate AND he is about as lousy a recruit you can find in a film! A strange film...that's for sure.

When the film begins, Andy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter) is a college student who is a bit of a mama's boy. In other words, he's spoiled. But while he's in college, he's immune to the peacetime draft. But after blowing a few exams, mostly because he is so spoiled, he flunks out...and is promptly drafted into the Army.

Now you'd THINK Andy would accept this and try to become a decent soldier. However, he's got a big mouth....and is a serious trouble-maker in the company. And, throughout his basic training, he's a complete jerk and the other recruits hate his guts. Will Andy ever straighten out or is he destined for court martial? Or, will his fellow soldiers kill him?!

As I already said, I am very surprised that the studio would allow Hunter to play such a despicable and unlikable character. But somehow it happened!! Apparently, Hunter was not pleased with the script either...so it's not just me complaining! Plus, as you watch you wonder WHY the military would put up with such repeated insubordination from a recruit. I'm no expert but assume in such a case he'd be in VERY serious trouble and the Army would not put up with him like they did in the film.

So despite this problem, is the film worth seeing? No! Even with the expected redemption at the end (much like in "Buck Privates"),Hunter plays such an unlikable, selfish and horrible person that it was tough even finishing the movie! They really should have tried to make his character likable in some way and not so worthless and awful. Yes, the guy he played really was THAT bad...to the detriment of the movie. Overall, a huge misfire for the studio and Hunter....despite a 'nice' ending that doesn't save the film but only serves to further accentuates how badly it was written.

College student Andy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter) is the all-American football hero. He's avoiding the draft and lives carefree off his mother's money. His girlfriend Susan Daniels (Natalie Wood) is annoyed at his spoiled demeanor and wonders how he would support her if they are to be married. They have a fight and he joins the army. Boot camp is too hard and he refuses to fall in line.

Neither Andy nor Susan are appealing character. I'm watching this for Natalie Wood. I'm not impressed with Tab Hunter. He reminds me of Dolph Lundgren without the charisma. The character is annoying but the actor has no life. Honestly, they're not good as individuals and they're not good together. The mother is annoying although she has a hilarious section on the base. I'm not sure why anyone would be rooting for any of them. He could have been a Rebel without a Cause but he's not anywhere near that neighborhood. Even the big action scene makes little sense. It makes little sense that the men would go hide in the tank. Once there, they are safer inside the tank than running around outside. The change is abrupt and lacking in character growth. One minute, he's one character and another minute, he's the complete opposite. I guess this is a recruitment movie for the military who can straighten up your slacker sons. It's not good one.

I am confused by the title and the synopses that say the protagonist wants out of the army to get back to the girl he left behind. That is not at all what is going on here.

First, this is just a weird film. The first third of it has a "Leave It To Beaver" like voice over complete with goofy light music talking about how easy youngsters have it in this period of peace and prosperity - the mid 1950s - and then the narrator says, let's go meet them. This voice-over and music continues until into the basic training part of the film and appropriately disappears.

Eventually we land upon Andy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter),the well off son of an attorney and a mother who just won't stop smothering Andy. Don't get me wrong, he seems to like being smothered! He is unbelievably "pinned" (pre-engaged back in the day) to Susan Daniels (Natalie Wood),who has a good work ethic. They are both college students. She asks Andy what he wants out of life. He says he wants to avoid the draft board, so he'll keep going to college until he is too old to be drafted, then let dad set him up in a cushy job. Surprisingly this shirker's attitude does not induce projectile vomiting in Susan, or at least a break up. What does start a fight is when he borrows her car, promises to pick her up so she can get to class, and then arrives as class is ending. Their fight causes him to fail a couple of examinations, and that gets him kicked out of college, and that gets him drafted.

So Andy is a guy in the service who would rather do something else. Well that describes about 90% of the fellows who got drafted from 1945-1975. He proceeds to be a real jerk, talking back to drill sergeants, getting into fights with the rest of the platoon, and writing a love letter to his girl when he is supposed to be looking out for civilians who might wander into the firing range. Now Andy Griffith as Will Stockdale in "No Time For Sergeants" and Gomer Pyle as a marine both were well meaning and enthusiastic screw ups. They wound up on latrine duty and singing with a bucket over their head, respectively. But for some reason the non comms in charge give this guy unrealistic pass after pass until finally he makes a mistake so bad that he is offered a discharge - a dishonorable one. He asks where does he sign, not caring that this is the same as a felony conviction on his record. How will all of this turn out? Watch and find out.

The only thing that makes this a 4 instead of a 2/10 are all of the supporting players who give outstanding performances. There is Jessie Roy Landis as Andy's mom who just can't get that Andrew has to let go of her breast and eat solid food sometime. There is Jim Backus and David Jannsen as officers, and most prominent is Murray Hamilton as Sgt. Clyde who gives Andy chance after chance. For some reason he believes in this guy. There is Henry Jones as Hanson, a WWII vet who has failed as a civilian and rejoined the service to try to straighten himself out, plus he missed the camaraderie of the army. Finally there is James Garner as just another soldier who still manages to impress. Natalie Wood looks cute here with her Italian cut, but I just don't believe it when she says she loves awful Andy.