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Marines, Let's Go
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Wikipedia article
'Marines, Let's Go' is a 1961 CinemaScope DeLuxe Color Korean War film about three Marine buddies (Tom Tryon, David Hedison and Tom Reese) on shore leave in Japan and at war in Korea. It was produced and directed by Raoul Walsh, who also wrote the story. Walsh had previously had successes with films about the U.S. Marine Corps in World War I ('What Price Glory?'), the 1920s ('The Cock-Eyed World' and 'Sadie Thompson'), and World War II ('Battle Cry'). This was the next-to-last film of Walsh's long directing career.
Plot summary
Four privates romp their way through occupied Japan while on leave, finding a little romance and some laughs. After it's over they head to the front lines of the Korean War where brutality and death are constant.
Cast
* Tom Tryon as Pfc. Roth
* David Hedison as Pfc. Chatfield
* Tom Reese as Pfc. McCaffrey
* Linda Hutchings as Grace
* Barbara Stuart as Ina
* David Brandon as Pvt. Newt Levels
* Steve Baylor as Pvt. Chase
* Peter Miller as Gunnery Sgt. Howard Hawkins
* Rachel Romen as Mrs. Ellen Hawkins (as Adoree Evans)
* Hideo Inamura as Pvt. Pete Kono
* Vince Williams as Hank Dyer (war correspondent)
* Fumiyo Fujimoto as Song Do (Chatfield's girl)
* Heihachir kawa as Yoshida (hotel manager)
Production
Walsh filmed the movie on location in Japan with extras from the US Marine Corps, who were pulled off filming due to the possibility of their being sent to Laos.[https://books.google.com/books?id=l5YPAAAAIAAJ&q=%22marines+let's+go%22+laos&dq=%22marines+let's+go%22+laos&lr=&cd=1 'American Cinematographer', Volume 42 (1961), p. 473.] The film was completed in Okinawa.
The Marine technical advisor of the film was Colonel Jacob G. Goldberg (19112008), who served 30 years in the Marine Corps.[http://www.marinechat.com/forums/showthread.php/18985-Col-Jacob-G-Goldberg-USMC-(ret)-96-Colorado-Springs-CO MarineChat.com]
Reception
When the White House was interested in Warner Bros. making a film on John F. Kennedy's exploits as the commander of PT 109, Jack L. Warner sent a print of 'Marines, Let's Go' to display Raoul Walsh's expertise for making the movie about Kennedy. The president hated the film,Suid, Lawrence H. 'Sailing on the Silver Screen: Hollywood and the U.S. Navy', Naval Institute Press, 1996, p. 153 however, and Warner Bros. had to choose a new director for 'PT 109'.
See also
* List of films featuring the United States Marine Corps
References
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