Director Phil Karlson (1908-82) is a curious figure in the annals of American cinema. A failed song-and-dance man who was strong-armed by his father into studying law, Karlsen took a job at Universal Studios “washing toilets and dishes and whatever the hell they gave me.” He went on to work as an assistant director on pictures of varying merit before being pegged by comedian Lou Costello to helm “A Wave, a Wac and a Marine” (1944). To the extent that this musical comedy is remembered at all it is chiefly as a trivia point: This was the cinematic debut of the king of the one-liners, Henny Youngman.