Cry 'Havoc' (1943)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Allan Kenward (play)
Paul Osborn (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

AMERICAN WOMEN OF TODAY (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

The Army nurses on Bataan need help badly, but when it arrives, it sure isn't what they expected. A motley crew...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Cook | Malaria | Romantic Rivalry | Plane Crash

Cast

Margaret Sullavan	...	Lt. Mary Smith
Ann Sothern	...	Pat Conlin
Joan Blondell	...	Grace Lambert
Fay Bainter	...	Capt. Alice Marsh
Marsha Hunt	...	Flo Norris
Ella Raines	...	Connie Booth
Frances Gifford	...	Helen Domeret
Diana Lewis	...	Nydia Joyce
Heather Angel	...	Andra West
Dorothy Morris	...	Sue West
Connie Gilchrist	...	Sadie - Cook
Gloria Grafton	...	Steve Polden
Fely Franquelli	...	Luisita Esperito

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #9538) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Pico, Montebello, California, USA

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

Although Karl Freund is credited on screen as director of photography, Hal Rosher is listed for this job in all Hollywood Reporter production charts.

Quotes:

Sadie - Cook: Horse meat, mule meat, monkey meat. What's the difference?

Soundtrack:

Where Do We Go From Here?

Nurses struggle with battle conditions on Philippines during WWII...

CRY HAVOC follows in the tradition of films like SO PROUDLY WE HAIL by dealing exclusively with nurses in the Philippines on active duty during WWII. MARGARET SULLAVAN is the lieutenant in charge of a group of gals including ANN SOTHERN, ELLA RAINES, FRANCES GIFFORD and JOAN BLONDELL, all of whom are inexperienced but have to learn the ropes fast during wartime bombardments.

Based on a play, it barely shows its stage origins and presents a gritty story of nurses under stress doing the best they can under dire circumstances. MARGARET SULLAVAN and FAY BAINTER fret over having to deal with "wet-nosed kids" (as Sullavan calls them), all of them eventually becoming battle hardened after working conditions continually put them in harm's way. Watch for ROBERT MITCHUM in a brief unbilled bit as a dying soldier.

Sullavan and Sothern argue over Sothern's infatuation for a man Sullavan loves and there's some trite dialog among the all-female cast when they get to exchange stories--but it's still an above average melodrama of women nurses during war.

Summing up: Worth it for the gritty wartime bombardments and interesting cast, but don't expect anything great. Richard Thorpe's direction keeps the pace steadfast without too many lulls until the downbeat ending.