Operation Mad Ball is a middling armed services farce with a cast that deserves better. While Operation deserves credit for elevating the gifted farceur Jack Lemmon into leading player status, the fact is that Operation needs Lemmon much more than Lemmon needs Operation. The screenplay is one of those heavily plotted affairs in which something is happening every minute and yet nothing very much really happens. It's all improbable, if not impossible, and incredibly contrived. In the right hands, none of this has to matter; if the dialogue is snappy and peppy and the characters have spark and originality, the audience will be willing to put up with mechanical plotting. Unfortunately, Operation's dialogue too often falls flat, and the characters, while quirky, really come alive only because of the excellent cast. Lemmon, of course, is aces, pouring boundless energy and imagination into a role that requires it but doesn't deserve it. Ernie Kovacs practically pushes anyone onscreen with him out of the picture, and Mickey Rooney gives one of his better mid-career performances here. Richard Quine's direction is obvious, but he does keep things moving, which is crucial. Catch Operation Mad Ball for its cast.