''Ambush Bay'' is a 1966 American

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Ron Winston and starring

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–1 ...

, Mickey Rooney and

James Mitchum James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941) is an American actor. Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembles) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he i ...

. It was filmed on location in the Philippines.

Plot

Prior to the 1944 American invasion of the Philippines a hand-picked team of U.S. Marine Corps

amphibious reconnaissance Amphibious reconnaissance is ground and naval reconnaissance in the littoral area bordering coastal or ocean areas. Initially, it is used for preliminary reconnaissance in collecting pertinent information about the beachhead in its permeabilit ...

scouts is landed by a

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

with the mission of contacting an

intelligence agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

who has crucial information. Each Marine is not only experienced but has a special skill with the exception of the radio operator, PFC Grenier (James Mitchum). Grenier, an air crew

radioman Radioman (RM) was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology. History of the rating The rating was created originally in 1921. In 1997, under the direction of Chi ...

with only six months in the Corps is taken off the PBY's air crew when the original radio operator suddenly became medically unfit for the mission. He is given the sick Marine's radio and

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

jacket to carry on his first ground combat mission. He serves as a narrator to the audience. After meeting up with their guide (Manual Amado), the patrol commander Captain Alonzo Davis ( Lieutenant Colonel Clement J. Stadler who had been awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

and who also acted as the film's

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a ...

) is killed while ambushing a small group of Japanese soldiers, and First Sergeant Corey (Hugh O'Brian, recognized as one of the youngest

Drill Instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Austr ...

s to have served in the USMC) takes command. Pvt. George George and Pfc. Henry Reynolds are killed while taking out a Japanese tank and patrol. Cpl. Stanley Parrish (Greg Amsterdam, the son of

Morey Amsterdam Moritz "Morey" Amsterdam (December 14, 1908 – October 28, 1996) was an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. He played Buddy Sorrell on CBS's ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' from 1961 to 1966. Early life Amsterdam was born in Chicago ...

) is killed by a guerrilla trap soon after. As they walk on, Amado is shot by a Japanese officer while scaling a small hill. The marines let him die to keep their presence secret. Grenier is eventually told by Gunnery Sergeant Wartell (Mickey Rooney) that they were sent to recover some important information from a contact in a tea house whose radio was destroyed, thus explaining the radio's importance to the mission. Grenier's inexperience and incompetence arouses anger amongst Corey and the other members of the patrol. His only friend is easy going but professional Gunnery Sergeant Wartell who acts as a mediator between the hard no nonsense 1st Sgt Corey and Grenier, explaining each one to the other and the audience. Rooney provides the only comedy relief in the film when his character is captured and interrogated by a group of careless Japanese soldiers. The surviving squad members eventually arrive at the tea house but, unfortunately, Amado was the one who was supposed to meet the contact as he was the only Filipino in the group. Desperate, Corey decides to meet the contact, Miyazaki a Japanese-American woman from Long Beach, California. While sneaking out of the camp with Miyazaki, Corey crashes into a waiter and the two run across a straw bridge then blow it up with a grenade, escaping from the soldiers. Meanwhile, a large skirmish with a Japanese patrol has killed Cpl. Alvin Ross and Platoon Sergeant William Maccone, shot the radio up beyond repair, and wounded Gunnery Sergeant Wartell. Wartell, knowing he will slow the survivors down, tells the reluctant Corey to leave him behind. When they leave, he plants grenades under himself and is captured by the Japanese soldiers. After toying with them a bit during his interrogation he sets off the grenades, taking them all out in the blast, and leaving Corey and Grenier the only surviving marines. The explosion is heard by the survivors and they sadly track on. Corey and Grenier learn from Miyazaki that the Japanese are expecting the invasion fleet and have placed a mine field powerful enough to destroy the entire fleet in the water around the invasion sites. Arriving at a friendly Filipino village, Corey and Grenier are able to escape a Japanese patrol by boat. But Miyazaki is killed by an officer she seduced to buy the guys some time. At last discovering the principles of mission accomplishment, altruism, and

self-sacrifice Self-sacrifice is the giving up of something that a person wants for themselves so that others can be helped or protected or so that other external value can be advanced or protected. See also * Altruism (unselfishness) * Altruistic suicide * Sacr ...

through observation, Grenier becomes a squared away Marine. He and his First Sergeant infiltrate the enemy base to remotely detonate the minefield with the Japanese radio transmitter. As Corey provides a one-man army diversion, Grenier is able to detonate the mines by radio control. Grenier then steals a radio and goes to tell Corey of their success, only to find Corey dead of blood loss from wounds he got while holding off the Japanese, leaving Grenier the sole survivor of the mission. Grenier escapes to the coast and radios for pick up. The movie ends with Grenier looking at the ocean while he listens to a speech by General MacArthur as he awaits pick up.

Cast

as Sgt. Steve Corey * Mickey Rooney as Sgt. Ernest Wartell *

as Pvt. James Grenier *

Peter Masterson Peter Masterson (born Carlos Bee Masterson Jr.; June 1, 1934 – December 18, 2018) was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Life and career Masterson often worked with his cousin, writer Horton Foote. Acting from the mid-1960s ...

as Sgt. William Maccone (as Pete Masterson) *

Harry Lauter Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990) was an American character actor. Early years Lauter was born in White Plains, New York. He worked as a model for a professional photographer and was a rodeo rider before m ...

as Cpl. Alvin Ross * Greg Amsterdam as Cpl. Stanley Parrish * Bruno Punzalan as Ramon *

Tisa Chang Tisa Chang (born April 5, 1941) is a Chinese-American actress and theatre director born in Chongqing. Her father, Ping-Hsun Chang, was a diplomat, and her family moved from China to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in thea ...

as Miyazaki * Buff Fernandez as L.t. Tokuzo * Joaquin Fajardo as Capt. Koyamatsu * Limbo Lagdameo as Man * Nonong Arceo as Soldier * Jim Anauo as Pvt. Henry Reynolds * Tony Smith as Pvt. George George * Clem Stadler as Capt. Alonzo * Amado Abello as Amado * Juris Sulit as Midori * Max Quismundo as Max

Production

Television director Ron Winston made his feature debut with the film. It was also the motion picture debuts of then 19‑year‑old Tisa Chang and

. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Clement J. Stadler also acted as a

for '' All the Young Men'', ''

Hell to Eternity ''Hell to Eternity'' is a 1960 American World War II film starring Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic Damone and Patricia Owens, directed by Phil Karlson. This film biopic is about the true experiences of Marine hero Pfc. Guy Gabaldon (played b ...

'', '' The Outsider'', and ''

The Lieutenant ''The Lieutenant'' is an American television series, the first created by Gene Roddenberry. It aired on NBC on Saturday evenings in the 1963–1964 television schedule. It was produced by Arena Productions, one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most ...

'' television series. A

novelisation A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...

of the film's screenplay was written by Jack Pearl. During filming, Mickey Rooney became ill with a fever. While he was hospitalized in Manila, his estranged wife Barbara Ann Thomason was killed by Milos Milos, her lover, in a murder-suicide.

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' remarked that the film was one that everyone had seen at least once in some form but was "a trim, muscular, pint-sized package as sensible as it is modest that makes a little count for a lot".

Notes

External links

* * * {{YouTube, siSiEsGQzlA, Original film trailer 1966 films 1966 directorial debut films 1960s English-language films 1960s war adventure films American war adventure films Films about the United States Marine Corps Films directed by Ron Winston Films scored by Richard LaSalle Films set in the Philippines Films shot in the Philippines Pacific War films United Artists films 1960s American films