They Were Expendable (1945)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

John Ford
(more)

Writers:

William L. White (book)
Frank Wead (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

A Spine-Tingling Thundering Saga Of The Sea!

Plot:

A dramatized account of the role of the American PT Boats in the defense of the Philippines in World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Philippines | Corregidor | Claim In Title | WWII | Bataan

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Robert Montgomery	...	Lt. John Brickley (as Robert Montgomery Comdr. U.S.N.R.)
John Wayne	...	Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
Donna Reed	...	Lt. Sandy Davyss
Jack Holt	...	General Martin
Ward Bond	...	'Boats' Mulcahey C.B.M.
Marshall Thompson	...	Ens. 'Snake' Gardner
Paul Langton	...	Ens. 'Andy' Andrews
Leon Ames	...	Major James Morton
Arthur Walsh	...	Seaman Jones
Donald Curtis	...	Lt. (J.G.) 'Shorty' Long
Cameron Mitchell	...	Ens. George Cross
Jeff York	...	Ens. Tony Aiken
Murray Alper	...	'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c
Harry Tenbrook	...	'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c
Jack Pennick	...	'Doc'
Alex Havier	...	'Benny' Lecoco ST 3c
Charles Trowbridge	...	Admiral Blackwell
Robert Barrat	...	The General
Bruce Kellogg	...	Elder Tompkins M.M. 2c
Tim Murdock	...	Ens. Brant
Louis Jean Heydt	...	'Ohio'
Russell Simpson	...	'Dad' Knowland
Vernon Steele	...	Army Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Priest (scenes deleted)
Philip Ahn	...	Army Orderly (uncredited)
Steve Barclay	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Bill Barnum	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Betty Blythe	...	Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Danny Borzage	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Lieutenant Colonel (uncredited)
George Bruggeman	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Charles Calhoun	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
James Carlisle	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
John Carlyle	...	Lt. James (uncredited)
Jack Carrington	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Bruce Carruthers	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Tony Carson	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Jack Cheatham	...	Commander (uncredited)
Fred Coby	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Roger Cole	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jane Crowley	...	Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Henry H. Daniels Jr.	...	Sailor (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Marjorie Davies	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Patrick Davis	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Gary Delmar	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Larry Dods	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Ernest Dominguez	...	Filipino Boy (uncredited)
Frank Donahue	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
William 'Red' Donahue	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
George Economides	...	Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Michael Economides	...	Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Blake Edwards	...	Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Frank Eldredge	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
John Epper	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	(uncredited)
Charles Ferguson	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Leonard Fisher	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo	...	Asian Bartender (uncredited)
Wallace Ford	...	(uncredited)
Art Foster	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Almeda Fowler	...	Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Mary Jane French	...	Lost Nurse (uncredited)
Jon Gilbreath	...	Submarine Commander (uncredited)
Duke Green	...	PT-41 Boat Starboard Torpedoman (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Marine Major (uncredited)
Del Hill	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Bartender at Manila Hotel (uncredited)
Vincent Isla	...	Filipino Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Dick Karl	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Michael Kirby	...	Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Michael Kostrick	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Stubby Kruger	...	Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Jack Lee	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Donald S. Lewis	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jack Lorenz	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Leota Lorraine	...	Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Trina Lowe	...	Gardner's Girlfriend (uncredited)
Jack Luden	...	Naval Air Captain (uncredited)
Ted Lundigan	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
James Magill	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Eve March	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard	...	Airport Officer (uncredited)
Merrill McCormick	...	Wounded Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Frank McGrath	...	Slim Bearded CPO (uncredited)
Leonard Mellin	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Karl Miller	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Henry Mirelez	...	Filipino Boy (uncredited)
Margaret Morton	...	Bartender's Wife (uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Officer (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Navy Captain (uncredited)
Charles Murray Jr.	...	Jeep Driver (uncredited)
Bill Neff	...	Submarine Skipper / Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Bill Nind	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Silver Dollar Bartender (uncredited)
Max Ong	...	Mayor of Cebu (uncredited)
Franklin Parker	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Frank Pershing	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Nino Pipitone Jr.	...	Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Dan Quigg	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Robert Shelby Randall	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Clifford Rathjen	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
William McKeever Riley	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Jack Ross	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
John Roy	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Harold Schlickenmayer	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Ernest Seftig	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Jack Semple	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Brent Shugar	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Sam Simone	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Reginald Simpson	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley	...	Marine Orderly (uncredited)
Ralph Soncuya	...	Filipino Orderly (uncredited)
Leonard Stanford	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Sammy Stein	...	Sammy - Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Robert Strong	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Roy Thomas	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Bob Thom	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Dick Thorne	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Pacita Tod-Tod	...	Nightclub Singer (uncredited)
Brad Towne	...	Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Jack Trent	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Tom Tyler	...	Captain at Airport (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Naval Doctor (uncredited)
Eleanore Vogel	...	Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Hansel Warner	...	Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Billy Wilkerson	...	Sgt. Smith (uncredited)
Roque Ybarra Jr.	...	Bartender's Child (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford		(as John Ford Captain U.S.N.R.)
Robert Montgomery		(uncredited)

Writing credits
William L. White		(book)
Frank Wead		(screenplay) (as Frank Wead Comdr. U.S.N. [Ret])

Produced by
Cliff Reid	....	associate producer
John Ford	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by
Joseph H. August		(director of photography) (as Joseph H. August Lt. Comdr. U.S.N.R.)

Film Editing by
Douglass Biggs
Frank E. Hull

Art Direction by
Malcolm Brown
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Yvonne Wood		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Curtis Havens	....	second unit director (as James C. Havens Captain U.S.M.C.R.)
Edward O'Fearna	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ralph S. Hurst	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Michael Steinore	....	sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Donald Jahraus	....	special effects (uncredited)
R.A. MacDonald	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Jack Stoney	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Harold Byrns	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Alberto Colombo	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Eric Zeisl	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Montgomery	....	director: rear projection plates (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (UK) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1949) (France) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• United States Navy, The  appreciation
• U.S. Army  appreciation
• United States Coast Guard  appreciation
• Office of Strategic Services (OSS)  appreciation

Runtime:

135 min | West Germany:107 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 (1964) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #11113)

Filming Locations:

Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The real-life Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II was equipped with six 77-foot Elco PT boats, all either lost in combat or destroyed to prevent capture. In the film, the Squadron 3 boats are represented by two 80-foot Elco and four 78-foot Huckins PT boats.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Both American aircraft shown in the film (a Piper J5A observation plane and a Douglas C-47 transport) carry the national insignia markings of a white star in a blue roundel, which was authorized on August 18, 1942. This is incorrect for the period depicted in the film (early December 1941 through late April 1942), when U.S. insignia was a white star inside a blue roundel with a red ball in the middle of the white star.

Quotes:

'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c: Mr. Ryan, this has gone far enough! That 41 boat is always havin' the good jobs, sir.
Seaman Jones: We'll get all the soaking we need on our way up to hit the Japs, sir.
'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c: What are we gonna do, sit around on our duffs till they get back, sir?
Ens. 'Snake' Gardner: 41 can't handle this job alone... sir.
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: How about it, sir?
Lt. John Brickley: Okay. But if she starts taking water, turn back. Sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mister Roberts (1955)

Memorable, slow-paced World War II film with fine performances from Robert Montgomery, John Wayne and Donna Reed with excellent direction by John Ford.

This is a memorable war film. Unlike other war films which depict glamorous battles, brutal campaigns and heroic exploits, this film focuses on average sailors who are merely doing a job. This often touching story is sandwiched around the real life escape of General and Mrs. McArthur from Corregidor at the beginning of World War II. The film does a good job portraying the collapse of American and Fillipino resistance in late 1941 and early 1942. The war is going badly, and this film does not try to sugar coat it. General Martin's character (played by Jack Holt) articulates this well at the end of the film. "The end is near here", he says.

John Wayne plays Rusty, a somewhat disgruntled officer who is unhappy about serving on a patrol torpedo (PT) boat. "Plywood dreams", he calls them in one scene. The fortunes of war intervene and Rusty and his comrades must fight the invading Japanese. Wayne's performance is memorable here, because it is uncharacteristic of his work. Wayne is not the macho heroic fighter that we see in most of his other war films. Here he is a professional sailor doing his job the best he knows how. At the end he predictably tries to be a hero, but star Robert Montgomery polites reminds him that there are other priorities. "Who are you fighting for", he asks. Wayne's character has depth. Uncharacteristically for Wayne he is even a little unsure of himself at times. This is particularly evident in his relationship with the young nurse played by Donna Reed. This is a different Wayne.

Robert Montgomery's performance as the commander of the squadron is also first rate. Like Wayne he is a professional who wants to do his job. The burden of command falls on him as he begs, cajoles and even blackmails fellow sailors to put his PT's in the war. Montgomery's performance is understated, credible and moving. It may be his best work.

This film is a collection of images. The destruction at Subic Bay in a Japanese air strike comes the closest to graphic violence of any scene in the movie. Instead of bodies, we see fires, smoke, debris and the faces of dazed servicemen and civilians. In another scene Wayne and Montgomery stand on a long dock stretching out into an empty inlet. "Are you looking for the Arizona, too," Rusty asks. The scenes depicting the escape of the McArthur's are well staged and realistic. The scenes of the defeated American army retreating on Mindanao show graphically that the war is not going well. The last image in the film with the last American plane to leave the Phillipines flying over a tropical beach at sunset is one of the most memorable in any war film. The words "I shall return" which appear on the screen are trite and unnecessary. Director John Ford has created a collage of memorable images here.

This film is slow paced for a war film, but it works. There is sufficient action, but there are interludes of peace and tranquility. There is a candlelight dinner for Rusty and his girl. There are a few moments near the end in a bar. In another scene Wayne visits with an elderly shipwright. The journey with the McArthurs provides another appropriate interlude in the middle of the film. There are even light moments interspersed. In one of these Marshal Thompson is inspecting the galley and asks derisively "What kind of soup is this?" When told it's not soup but dishwater he goes quickly to his next stop.

This is a simple story of fighting men doing a job that isn't considered particularly important. John Ford's excellent direction turns these mundane moments into one of the most memorable war films ever. Star Robert Montgomery even had a chance to direct in this film when Ford was injured in a fall. I liked this film and would recommend it without reservations.