war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
John Derek
John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and photographer.John Drew Barrymore
John Drew Barrymore (born John Blyth Barrymore Jr.; June 4, 1932 – November 29, 2004) was an American film actor and member of the Barrymore family of actors, which included his father, John Barrymore, and his father's siblings, Lionel and E ...
,
Mona Freeman
Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter.
Early years
Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pelham, New York. A lumberman's daughter, she was a model while in hig ...
,
Gene Evans
Eugene Barton Evans (July 11, 1922 – April 1, 1998) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, television films, and feature films between 1947 and 1989.
Background
Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona and raised i ...
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
.
Plot
Close friends Gil Hackett and Tom McCreary both love and leave the same girl, Mary Caldwell, after they are called up to the
Oklahoma National Guard
The Oklahoma National Guard, a division of the Oklahoma Military Department, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It comprises both Army (OKARNG) and Air (OKANG) National Guard components. The Governo ...
and then on to the Army for wartime duty in 1940.
A tough, stoic sergeant named Logan keeps an eye on them as the unit ships out to Europe following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Tom speaks of his father, who supposedly died a hero's death in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, but another soldier claims he's heard that Tom's father was disgraced and dishonorably discharged.
Mary reveals that Tom is the one she loves. Gil finds solace in meeting Lt. Ellen Henderson, a nurse. The fighting continues in Italy and Sicily and when Tom ends up missing, Logan will not permit a search. Logan later heroically reports a movement of German tanks just before being shot.
With the invasion of Southern France at hand, it is learned that Logan had been court-martialed during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
for authorizing a search party that led to the death of more soldiers. He reenlisted under a false name to prove himself again, particularly to Tom, who is actually his son.
Cast
*
John Derek
John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and photographer.John Barrymore Jr. as Pvt. Tom McCreery (as John Barrymore Jr.)
*
Mona Freeman
Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter.
Early years
Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pelham, New York. A lumberman's daughter, she was a model while in hig ...
as Ft Ellen Henderson
*
Gene Evans
Eugene Barton Evans (July 11, 1922 – April 1, 1998) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, television films, and feature films between 1947 and 1989.
Background
Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona and raised i ...
as Sgt. Mike Braggart
* Eileen Christy as Marry Caldwell
* Ward Bond as Lt. John McCreery
*
Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...
as Sgt. Durkee
*
Wally Cassell
Wally Cassell (born Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilini Rolando Vincenza Castellano; March 3, 1912 – April 2, 2015) was an Italian-born American character actor and businessman.
Early years
Wally Cassell was born as Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilin ...
as Pfc. Sam Jacobs
*
Ben Cooper
Ben Cooper (September 30, 1933 – February 24, 2020) was an American actor of film and television, who won a Golden Boot Award in 2005 for his work in westerns.
Stage
Cooper appeared on Broadway in '' Life With Father'' (1939). He debuted in ...
as Calvin Jones
* Scott Elliott as Keith Watson (as Robert Neil)
*
Slim Pickens
Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (June 29, 1919 – December 8, 1983), better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens transitioned to acting and appeared in dozens of movies and ...
as Pvt. Wes Shelby
*
Armando Silvestre
Armando Silvestre Carrascosa (born January 28, 1926) is a Mexican-American actor.
Life and career
Silvestre was born on January 28, 1926 in San Diego, California, but he is originally from Tijuana, Mexico. He dropped out of college in order to ...
as Cpl. Ralph Mogay
*
Norman Budd
Norman Budd (1914–2006) was a British-born actor in American films and television.Martin p.470 He also acted on stage.
Selected filmography
* ''The Cave Dwellers'' (1940)
* '' The Gamblers'' (1949)
* '' The Judge'' (1949)
* '' The Red Menace' ...
as Pvt. Lou Radtke
*
Mae Clarke
Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in ''Frankenstein'', and for being o ...
as Mrs. Jones
*
Sammy McKim
Sammy McKim (December 20, 1924 – July 9, 2004) was a Canadian film actor and artist. He graduated from Los Angeles Art Center with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He died in Burbank, California from ...
as Cpl. Ray Hanford (as Sam McKim)
*
Allene Roberts
Emma Allene Roberts (September 1, 1928 – May 9, 2019) was an American actress.
Early years
Born in Fairfield, Alabama, Roberts was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Roberts. In 1941, she won the "America's Most Charming Child" contest ...
as Margie Hanford
*
Richard Simmons
Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (born July 12, 1948) is an American fitness personality and public figure, known for his eccentric, flamboyant, and energetic personality. He has promoted weight-loss programs, most prominently through his ''Swe ...
as Capt. Norton
*
Walter Reed
Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species rather than ...
Barbara Pepper
Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''.
Early life and career
Marion Pepper ...
as Mrs. Louise Braggart
*
Pepe Hern
José Hernández Bethencourt (June 6, 1927 – February 28, 2009), better known as Pepe Hern, was an American supporting actor, who usually played Spanish and Latino (primarily Mexican) roles throughout his career.Victor Millan
Joseph Brown (August 1, 1920 – April 3, 2009), known professionally as Victor Millan, was an American actor, academic and former dean of the theatre arts department at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. Victor Millan was Brown's ...