This is a very strange film that was long thought to be forgotten. It's the story of two American Army buddies, William Boyd (aka "Hopalong Cassidy") and Louis Wolheim, and their adventures as they manage to escape from a German prison camp during WWI. However, as this is a comedy, the duo manage to make the most round about and stupid escape--accidentally boarding a train to Constantinople to be placed in a Turkish prisoner of war camp! On the way, they manage to escape once again and end up in quite the adventure--meeting sexy Mary Astor along the way.<br /><br />As far as the film goes, it was a rather funny script and despite being a silly plot, it worked rather well. The chemistry between Boyd and Wolheim worked and the film managed to be quite entertaining. Oddly, however, the film managed to beat out Harold Lloyd's film, SPEEDY, for an Oscar for Best Direction for a Comedy (a category no longer used)--as SPEEDY was a superior film in most ways (it's one of Lloyd's best films). Still, it's well worth a look--especially if you love silent films.<br /><br />By the way, director Milestone and Louis Walheim would team up just a few years later for another WWI picture, the great ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT--a film that is definitely NOT a comedy.