Hail the Conquering Hero
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines and William Demarest, and featuring Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, Elizabeth Patterson, Bill Edwards and Freddie Steele.
| Hail the Conquering Hero | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Preston Sturges |
| Written by | Preston Sturges |
| Produced by | Preston Sturges Buddy G. DeSylva (uncredited) |
| Starring | Eddie Bracken Ella Raines William Demarest |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | Stuart Gilmore |
| Music by | Werner R. Heymann Victor Young Preston Sturges Frank Loesser Robert Emmett Dolan |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | August 9, 1944 |
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sturges was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for his screenplay. Many critics consider the film to be one of Sturges's best. It was the eighth film he made for Paramount Pictures, and also his last, although The Great Moment was released after it. Sturges later wrote about his departure, "I guess Paramount was glad to be rid of me eventually, as no one there ever understood a word I said."
In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".