IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Iris Adrian
- Mrs. Butterfly
- (scenes deleted)
Acquanetta
- Bar Girl
- (uncredited)
Matilda Caldwell
- Mrs. Hazard
- (uncredited)
Charlita
- Mexican Girl
- (uncredited)
John Close
- Military Policeman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt about 18 minutes into the film while Richard Widmark and Karl Malden's characters are shooting pool there is a sign on the wall that reads: Watch Your Language Single Men Present. A real "sign" of the times.
- GoofsWhen Ryan and Holt have the troops on a training exercise in the field, Ryan tells Holt to "get back to base." The Army doesn't refer to its facilities as bases. An actual soldier would have said "get back to the post."
- Quotes
Sgt. Thorne Ryan: This is your rifle, and not your gun; it's made for shooting, and not for fun!
- ConnectionsReferenced in Killer's Kiss (1955)
Featured review
An opening scene set in the Korean war combat zone leads us ,briefly , to expect a war movie but the picture is actually about the training of a new batch of army recruits at Fort Bliss ,Texas .The drill instructor is teak tough Sergeant Ryan ( Richard Widmark )who bullies , browbeats and cajoles the assorted recruits into effective soldiers.His methods ar harsh but effective and bring him into conflict with the somewhat more avuncular sergeant played by Karl Malden
The recruits are a mixed bag --the black ,poetry reading intellectual ,the farm boy ,a brash young kid ,a Native American etc .The army as melting pot , in other words ,coming together as a smoothly functioning machine.
It is pretty obviously an "approved " movie shot at an actual training camp and this is not the revisionist view of the military that was so prominent in the following decade but a picture that could well be designed as a recruitment vehicle. Elaine Stewart as the girl who comes between the two sergeants is the only major female star in an otherwise testosterone heavy picture heavy on male bonding and the military virtues .Widmark is as ever excellent ,and he is backed up by the always reliable Malden.
A strong genre piece and a reminder that military excellence is not achieved by accident.
The recruits are a mixed bag --the black ,poetry reading intellectual ,the farm boy ,a brash young kid ,a Native American etc .The army as melting pot , in other words ,coming together as a smoothly functioning machine.
It is pretty obviously an "approved " movie shot at an actual training camp and this is not the revisionist view of the military that was so prominent in the following decade but a picture that could well be designed as a recruitment vehicle. Elaine Stewart as the girl who comes between the two sergeants is the only major female star in an otherwise testosterone heavy picture heavy on male bonding and the military virtues .Widmark is as ever excellent ,and he is backed up by the always reliable Malden.
A strong genre piece and a reminder that military excellence is not achieved by accident.
- lorenellroy
- Jun 9, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Making of a Marine
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,166,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
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