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Synopsis:
A former railroad employee (James Stewart) is hired by his old boss (Jac C. Flippen) to ensure the most recent payroll for his employees isn’t stolen by gang members Whitey (Dan Duryea), the Utica Kid (Audie Murphy), and their compatriots. During his job, Stewart rescues a boy (Brandon De Wilde) from a man (Robert J. Wilke) abusing him, and De Wilde helps Stewart by hiding the money; but when Flippen’s wife (Elaine Stewart) is kidnapped and held hostage, the situation gets even more complicated.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Audie Murphy Films
• Dan Duryea Films
• James Stewart Films
• Thieves and Criminals
• Westerns

Review:
After starring in five fine westerns with director Anthony Mann — Winchester ’73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954), and The Man from Laramie (1955) — Jimmy Stewart took the lead in this Technirama western with plenty of color, but decidedly less narrative depth (Mann declined to direct). Stewart purportedly really wanted a chance to sing and play the accordion, which he does:

… though it’s not really clear how he makes a viable living this way; and you’ll be seriously irritated by the repetitive songs that pop up again and again (“You Can’t Get Far Without a Railroad” and “Follow the River”). Meanwhile, real life WWII-hero Audie Murphy doesn’t make much of an impression as a (sort of) baddie with a surprising twist to his background:

… and other supporting characters are either shallowly limned (i.e., where exactly did De Wilde’s character come from?):

… and/or annoying (i.e., Ellen Corby’s shrewish housewife and Dan Duryea’s whiny outlaw):

You can skip this one unless you’re curious.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• William Daniels’ Technirama cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No; only Jimmy Stewart fans need to check this one out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review
• DVD Talk Review

Synopsis:
On a Japanese-held island in the Pacific during World War II, a migraine-suffering lieutenant (Richard Widmark) relies on a corpsman (Karl Malden) to supply him with pain meds as he leads a group of Marines — including his former student (Richard Hylton), handsome Private Coffman (Robert Wagner), disturbed Private ‘Pretty Boy’ (Skip Homeier), alcohol-loving Private Slattery (Bert Freed), Sergeant Zelenko (Neville Brand), young Private Whitney (Martin Milner), Pigeon Lane (Jack Palance), and a Japanese-speaking British linguist (Reginald Gardiner) — on a mission with a journalist (Jack Webb) to discover where Japanese rockets are stashed.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Jack Palance Films
• Jack Webb Films
• Karl Malden Films
• Lewis Milestone Films
• Neville Brand Films
• Richard Boone Films
• Richard Widmark Films
• Robert Wagner Films
• Soldiers
• World War II

Review:
Twenty-one years after helming All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) — and six years after making A Walk in the Sun (1945), set in WWII-era Italy — Lewis Milestone directed this Technicolor homage to both the bravery of U.S. Marines and (once again) the insanity of war. Because this particular company is tasked by their Lt. Colonel (Richard Boone) to take Japanese prisoners rather than kill them, we get to see a slightly different approach to their attack — one which includes interrogating Japanese soldiers who possess diametrically different ideas about the value of life and death.

Widmark is well-cast as a no-nonsense yet caring leader who suffers in private, but keeps going, while British character actor Gardiner gives perhaps the most nuanced supporting performance as a keep-calm-under-all-circumstances translator who plays a pivotal role in the proceedings (and won’t give up his fancy cigarette holder, thank you very much):

Meanwhile, we see many other familiar Hollywood faces showing up, including handsome Wagner in his first credited film role (albeit only for a short while):

… Brand playing a tough sergeant (but not a bad guy):

… and Palance playing (no kidding!) a nice guy who faces a sincerely tough dilemma:

Made with extensive cooperation from the U.S. Marine Corps (and purportedly used as a recruitment tool), the film looks as authentic as can be, with California’s Camp Pendleton turned into a convincing simulation of a tunnel-ridden island in the Pacific:

Less successful are the flashback sequences littering the film’s first half-hour:

… though these thankfully come to an end, thus allowing us to become fully immersed in the exciting action at hand.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Richard Widmark as Lieutenant Anderson
  
• Reginald Gardiner as Sgt. Randolph Johnson
  
• Fine Technicolor cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review (scroll down to third review)
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Major Caton (Brian Donlevy) arrives at the Pacific atoll of Wake Island ready to command his forces. On the island, he finds a pair of trouble-making privates — Doyle (Robert Preston) and Randall (William Bendix) — with Randall eager to head home. However, Japanese aggression quickly ensues, and it’s up to everyone on the island — including a fighter pilot (Macdonald Carey) whose wife was killed on Pearl Harbor, and a grumpy military contractor (Albert Dekker) — to pitch in and help.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Brian Donlevy Films
• Military
• Robert Preston Films
• William Bendix Films
• World War II

Review:
John Farrow directed this harrowing but inspirational look at the events that transpired on tiny Wake Island just as the U.S. formally entered World War II. With the first draft of the screenplay completed before we knew what the ultimate outcome was, this film remains an impressive attempt to show what Americans early in the war effort were up against. As described in TV Guide’s review:

The heroic but doomed defense of Wake Island against the Japanese in the opening days of WWII provided the basis for this slightly fictionalized, immensely popular flag-waver that garnered several Academy Award nominations. A perfect example of Hollywood’s contribution to the war effort, the film demonstrated that even in defeat there was victory, and provided needed inspiration for a nation reeling from loss after loss at the hands of the Japanese.

The fictionalized characters bear enough resemblance to who and what was actually on the island — a garrison of 449 Marines, a handful of sailors, a few Wildcat fighter planes, and 1,221 civilian construction workers — to make the narrative feel plausible, and the cinematography and battle sequences are impressive. This one isn’t must-see, but remains worth a look for its historical relevance as a morale booster.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Brian Donlevy as Major Caton
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  
• Powerful fighting sequences
  
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time look and of course is must-see for fans of WWII-era battle films.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• History on Film
• TV Guide Review
• Trailers From Hell Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Two British officers (Curt Jurgens and Richard Burton) with differing skill sets are assigned to co-lead an incognito mission to retrieve Nazi papers from Rommel’s headquarters in Benghazi — but tensions quickly arise when Jurgens learns that his wife (Ruth Roman) was Burton’s former lover.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Christopher Lee Films
• Curt Jurgens Films
• Deserts
• Love Triangle
• Machismo
• Military
• Nicholas Ray Films
• Richard Burton Films
• Ruth Roman Films
• World War II Films

Review:
Nicholas Ray directed this adaptation of a novel by French writer René Hardy, set in Northern Africa during World War II and centered on bitter conflict between the two male leads — both of whom (for unexplained reasons) adore Roman. Indeed, the miscasting of butch Roman (luminous Moira Shearer was the original choice):

… is second only to the confusion of having a German-born-and-accented actor (Jurgens) playing a British Major (the lame excuse given in the screenplay is that he’s a Boer). The narrative begins to pick up steam once we see the deadly extent to which the two men allow their neuroses and rivalries to play out in the hot desert sun.

… with a particularly harrowing sequence showing Burton being forced, as he puts it, to “kill the living and save the dead”:

Other tension-filled desert-survival scenes include a potentially tainted water source:

… and a deadly scorpion:

Meanwhile, the black-and-white cinematography — much of it shot on location in Libya — is gorgeous, making it all the more frustrating that the overall storyline doesn’t quite deliver.

Note: Watch for Christopher Lee in a minor supporting role as an accompanying soldier.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Richard Burton as Captain Leith
  
• Curd Jurgens as Major Brand
  
• Fine b&w CinemaScope cinematography and location shooting
  
  
  
• Raymond Pellegrin as Mekrane
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Chicago Reader Essay
• TV Guide Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When a strict Major (John Wayne) takes charge of a Marine Corps aviators unit on Guadalcanal, he tries to instill a sense of stern resolve in his first officer (Robert Ryan).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Airplanes and Pilots
• John Wayne Films
• Nicholas Ray Films
• Robert Ryan Films
• World War II

Review:
Howard Hughes produced and Nicholas Ray directed this by-the-books wartime flick about the need to privilege logic over emotion when it comes to challenging leadership decisions.

Having just watched Guadalcanal Diary (1943), I was eager to see another movie taking place during this specific period of World War II-era history — but sadly, I didn’t learn a whole lot of new information. This film seems primarily made to show off aerial footage in Technicolor, particularly of Marine aviators fighting Kamikaze flyers.

As DVD Savant points out, “This particular movie is so generic it could have been directed by the focus-puller. There’s nothing for Ray to sink his teeth into here — it’s not exactly personal auteur material.” With that said, Savant points out that at least it’s “a downright sane Howard Hughes film compared to some of his other productions” — i.e., Jet Pilot (1957).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine Technicolor cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re an aviation film buff.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A cashiered army captain (Humphrey Bogart) books a ticket on a steamer headed to Japan, where he meets a beautiful woman (Mary Astor) and a rotund, Japanophilic sociology professor dressed in white (Sydney Greenstreet). Soon it turns out that few of these characters are who they appear to be, and Bogart is caught up in a dangerous mission to prevent sabotage.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• At Sea
• Humphrey Bogart Films
• John Huston Films
• Mary Astor Films
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Spies
• Sydney Greenstreet Films

Review:
Following the success of The Maltese Falcon (1941), director John Huston was reteamed with three of that film’s stars (Bogart, Astor, and Greenstreet) for what was originally hoped to be a sequel, but instead turned into this atmospheric albeit less memorable espionage thriller.

Interestingly, it was one of the few films of the time whose narrative was shifted to be less similar to current day events, as the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which occurred during pre-production) hit way too close to home with the source material (a story published in The Saturday Evening Post called “Aloha Means Goodbye”). The original movie title was retained despite the location being shifted far away from the Pacific (!), perhaps because the primary focus is still on individuals (Japanese) from the Pacific arena. To that end, unfortunate racist stereotypes abound, with one character in particular — hipster Nisei Joe Totsuiko, with coke bottle glasses — mouthing line after line of intentionally “I’M REALLY AMERICAN” dialogue.

His first full sentence is, “I’m sure glad there’s someone around that speaks my language,” followed later by jargon-filled comments like these:

“I’m rooming with a dope.”
“He’s got his lip buttoned up for good, as far as I can figure out.”
“Say, I wonder if those Panamanian mamas are all they’re cracked up to be.”
“Take me for instance, kid. I’m a live wire.”
“Anybody wanna play shuffleboard?”
“Boy, let me at them pasteboards.”

It’s impossible not to guess something is up with this awkwardly speaking dude. Meanwhile, Bogart and Astor have plenty of fun banter together:

… and Arthur Edeson’s cinematography is as atmospheric as all get out:

However, the mistaken-identity storyline ultimately isn’t as compelling as one might hope, making this a curiosity rather than a must-see. It will likely always be viewed as the film “between” The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942), especially given that Bogart’s character in both this and the latter is named Rick.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Arthur Edeson’s cinematography
  
• Some clever dialogue: “Patience is a game one plays only out of boredom.”

Must See?
No, though of course John Huston fans will be curious to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review (scroll down)
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) marries his sweetheart (Olivia de Havilland) after graduating from West Point Academy, and is assigned by General Winfield Scott (Sydney Greenstreet) to join the 2nd U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War, where he takes command at Gettysburg and becomes a hero. He brokers peace with Sioux leader Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn), but tensions arise when his former West Point rival (Arthur Kennedy) collaborates with corrupt politicians to break their treaty, and Custer ends up leading the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anthony Quinn Films
• Arthur Kennedy Films
• Biopics
• Cavalry
• Civil War
• Errol Flynn Films
• Native Americans
• Olivia de Havilland Films
• Raoul Walsh Films
• Sydney Greenstreet Films
• Westerns

Review:
Raoul Walsh directed this highly historically inaccurate “biopic” about General George Armstrong Custer, who died during the Battle of Little Big Horn (a.k.a. “Custer’s Last Stand”) in 1876. As DVD Savant describes it:

“Flynn’s Custer effortlessly contains a ridiculous number of inconsistencies. He’s a born glory-hound but a man of honor who won’t sell out to corruption in business or government. He gladly battles Indians but constantly champions their nobility and injust treatment. He’s a drunkard [in real life he didn’t drink] forever closing the bars … and would rather eat onions than drink anyway. They Died With Their Boots On probably gives historians heart attacks and makes Native American activists spit blood. The charismatic Flynn makes their protests seem beside the point.”

Quinn is suitably noble-looking as Crazy Horse, but is given minimal screen-time and only speaks a few broken lines, such as the following: “Crazy Horse, war chief Sioux, speak with Long Hair, war chief Great White Father.”

Kennedy’s sneering role as a corrupt profiteer is equally thankless:

… and Charley Grapewin as “California Joe” merely serves as comedic relief:

Meanwhile, this was Flynn and de Havilland’s eighth and final romantic pairing together — after co-starring in Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Four’s a Crowd (1938) [not listed in GFTFF], Dodge City (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), and Santa Fe Trail (1940) — and their chemistry is as sure as ever:

What’s most impressive about this film, however, are the battle sequences, which were so harrowing they caused three real-life deaths and at least 80 injuries.

Note: For a Native American perspective on the Battle of Little Big Horn, click here to listen to a revealing interview with Sitting Bull’s great-grandson.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Bert Glennon’s cinematography
  
  
• The impressive final battle sequence
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look. Listed as a film with Historical Importance, a Cult Movie, and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant’s Review (scroll down)
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
After landing on the seemingly deserted island of Guadalcanal, members of a Marine division — including Father Donnelly (Preston Foster), Sergeant Malone (Lloyd Nolan), Captain Davis (Richard Conte), Jesus Alvarez (Anthony Quinn), Corporal Potts (William Bendix), Sergeant Butch (Lionel Stander), and a young private nicknamed ‘Chicken’ (Richard Jaeckel) — quickly realize they will be facing deadly, unfamiliar combat against hidden Japanese soldiers.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anthony Quinn Films
• Preston Foster Films
• Richard Conte Films
• Richard Jaeckel Films
• Soldiers
• William Bendix Films
• World War II

Review:
Based on a memoir by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis, this depiction of the Marines’ early engagement on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands features exactly what you’d expect in a movie of its kind, which was designed to reassure audiences that our troops were carrying out noble and necessary warfare, and to recruit additional volunteers for the effort. A particularly heart-breaking scene occurs near the beginning, as we see all but one Marine shot to death during an attempted foray into the village of Matanikau:

Prominent in this sequence is Quinn, who — despite being just one among a handful of ensemble actors — stands out as notably dedicated and fearless, making comments like, “It isn’t so much dying; it’s having to sit here and take it!”

Unfortunately Bendix and Stander’s “comedic relief” is quickly tiresome:

… and it’s clear that super-young Jaeckel (in his debut role) doesn’t have a lick of acting experience behind him (though he sure is a cutie!):

Overall, however, the film comes across as a reasonably effective, action-filled war flick showing the types of challenging scenarios our boys faced in the Pacific arena.

Note: Be forewarned that Japanese soldiers are referred to in various derogatory terms of the time, and shown to be sneaky and relentless in their efforts.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Anthony Quinn as “Soose”
  
• Effective sets and cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though of course it will be of interest to fans of this genre. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Responding to a favor from Police Captain Pat Chambers (Scott Peters), private eye Mike Hammer (Mickey Spillane) sobers up long enough to interrogate a dying sailor (Murray Kash) shot by the same gun used to kill a senator whose sexy widow (Shirley Eaton) seduces Hammer.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cold War
• Detectives and Private Eyes

Review:
American pulp crime author Mickey Spillane got to star as his own fictional creation in this adaptation of his 1962 novel. Spillane’s lack of acting chops is obvious, but doesn’t get in the way of him fully inhabiting his alter ago. As Craig Butler writes in his review for All Movie Guide, Spillane “is an ideal choice for Hammer. He can’t act, and his attempts can be excruciating… But Spillane doesn’t care; he believes that he is Hammer, and that unshakeable belief makes his performance work, despite how bad it is.”

Butler’s review is worth citing at greater length, given his apt description of this truly odd cinematic outing:

The Girl Hunters is a strange, often bizarre, film, one that some will find fascinating and others will find ludicrous, and they will both be right. What both camps are responding to is the intensity of the film, which is undeniable… It’s a film driven by an almost unrelieved combination of adrenaline and testosterone, and as such, it has little room for niceties like good acting, believable dialogue, or coherent plotting.

Indeed, you’ll find it challenging to follow exactly what’s going on, other than knowing Hammer is looking for his missing secretary Verna (presumed dead), and that Cold War spies are somehow involved. Unfortunately, Philip Green’s intrusive score doesn’t fit, and is often distracting; however, Eaton — a year before her iconic role in Goldfinger (1964) — is perfectly cast as a seductive widow:

… Lloyd Nolan is excellent as a federal agent supporting Hammer:

… and good use is made of location shooting in NYC.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Kenneth Talbot’s cinematography
  
  
• Plenty of pulpy dialogue:
  

  “I’ve been shot before.”
  “Yeah, but you haven’t been dead before.”

  “We covered that angle like a tent.”

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look as a curio, and obviously must-see for Spillane fans. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Guide Review
• TV Guide Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
After being released from prison, Charlie “Pretty Boy” Floyd (John Ericson) leaves his part-time boxing gig when his promoter learns he’s having an affair with his wife (Casey Peyson), and soon Charlie is back to a life of crime, working with his friend Curly (Carl York) and his former manager (Barry Newman), and rooming with a woman (Effie Afton) whose boarder (Joan Harvey) falls hard for Charlie.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Ex-Cons
• Gangsters
• Peter Falk Films

Review:
This fictionalized biopic about notorious bank robber “Pretty Boy” Floyd (so-called because he liked to dress in fancy suits, though he apparently despised the nickname) perpetuates the myth that Floyd was a Robin Hood to the Okies, as memorialized in Woody Guthrie’s ballad:

… many a starvin’ farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little homes.

Others tell you ’bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
Underneath his napkin
Left a thousand-dollar bill.

As noted in History on Film’s article, “The script follows the basic chronology of Floyd’s life but tosses in generous helpings of fiction” — i.e., opening the film by showing him boxing (which he never did):

The primary interest here seems to be glamorizing Floyd’s exploits, presenting him as a handsome man who was irresistible to beautiful women:

Actually, there’s not a whole lot notable about Floyd’s story, which culminated in his purported involvement in the Kansas City Massacre:

… and ultimately his death in a corn field:

Watch for Peter Falk in a small role as Floyd’s accomplice:

… and Al Lewis of “The Munsters” fame as “Machine Gun Manny”:

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• History on Film Review
• Spinning Image Review