''I Want You'' is a 1951 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Mark Robson taking place in America during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Gordon E. Sawyer was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Sound The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it should be awarde ...

Plot

In the "early summer of 1950", Martin Greer is the engineer for a small construction company, Greer and Sons, working with his father. An

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

for four years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he and wife Nancy have two young children. Employee George Kress asks Martin to write a letter to the

Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. Citizenship of the United States, citizens and o ...

stating that his son, George Jr., is "indispensable" for their company and thus exempt from

the draft Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

. Martin reluctantly refuses, and George Jr. joins the

at the beginning of the

. Martin's younger brother Jack is in love with college student Carrie Turner, daughter of a judge who is on the local draft board. Despite a trick knee that got him deferred once before, he is drafted. Jack suspects that her father, who feels his daughter can do better, is the reason. Jack and Martin's mother, who lost a son during the last war, asks Martin to write an "indispensable" letter for his brother; he seriously considers it, but does not do so, and Nancy criticizes Jack for his reluctance to serve. Jack joins the Army, where he briefly sees George Jr. before the latter goes to Korea. George Jr. is listed as missing in action, although his fate isn't revealed, and his father drunkenly blames Martin. Harvey Landrum, Martin's commander in World War II, reenlists and asks Martin to join him, as engineers who know how to build airstrips are scarce. Eligible for exemptions, he initially declines, then agrees, over his wife's objections. Jack and Carrie marry during a

furlough A furlough (; from , "leave of absence") is a temporary cessation of paid employment that is intended to address the special needs of a company or employer; these needs may be due to economic conditions that affect a specific employer, or to thos ...

before he also goes overseas.

Cast

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir and later in Western films. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigio ...

as Martin Greer *

Dorothy McGuire Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actr ...

as Nancy Greer *

Farley Granger Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor. Granger was first noticed in a small stage production in Hollywood by a Goldwyn casting director, and given a significant role in '' The North Star'' (1943), a co ...

as Jack Greer * Peggy Dow as Carrie Turner * Robert Keith as Thomas Greer (Martin and Jack's father, a World War I veteran) *

Mildred Dunnock Mildred Dorothy Dunnock (January 25, 1901 – July 5, 1991) was an American stage and screen actress. She was nominated twice for an Academy Award for her works in ''Death of a Salesman'' (1951) and '' Baby Doll'' (1956). Early life Born in B ...

as Sarah Greer (Martin and Jack's mother) *

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: '' Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and '' Adam-12'', which ...

as George Kress Jr. *

Jim Backus James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom ''Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in '' Rebel Without a Cause, ...

as Harvey Landrum * Ray Collins as Judge Turner * Marjorie Crossland as Mrs. Turner *

Walter Baldwin Walter Smith Baldwin Jr. (January 2, 1889 − January 27, 1977) was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades and 150 film and television roles, and numerous stage performances. Baldwin was born January 2, 1889, in Lima, O ...

as George Kress Sr. *

Walter Sande Walter Sande (July 9, 1906 – February 22, 1972) was an American character actor, known for numerous supporting film and television roles. Films Born in Denver, Colorado, he was one of those stern, heavyset character actors in Hollywood no pe ...

as Ned Iversen *

Peggy Maley Margaret June "Peggy" Maley (June 8, 1923 – October 1, 2007) was an American actress who appeared in film and television. In 1942, aged 18 or 19, she was crowned Miss Atlantic City. Career Film Maley delivered the feeder line to Marlon B ...

as Gladys (a woman George Jr. picks up while on leave) * Jerrilyn Flannery as Anne Greer (Martin's 4-year-old daughter) * Erik Nielsen as Tony Greer (Martin's son)

Reception

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gives the film three out of four stars, describing it as "Dated yet still touching Americana detailing effects of the Korean War on a small-town family. An artifact of its era, with fine performances all around." At the time of its release,

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

of ''The New York Times'' wrote: "All in all the running crisis of the 'cold war' has been absorbed in the cotton padding of sentiment. A straight recruiting poster would be more convincing and pack more dramatic appeal."

References

External links

* * * {{Samuel Goldwyn 1951 films 1951 drama films American black-and-white films American drama films Films directed by Mark Robson Films set in 1950 Korean War films Samuel Goldwyn Productions films Films scored by Leigh Harline Films with screenplays by Irwin Shaw 1950s English-language films 1950s American films RKO Pictures films