IMDb > They Were Expendable (1945)
They Were Expendable
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They Were Expendable (1945) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   2,587 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Ford
(more)
Writers:
William L. White (book)
Frank Wead (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for They Were Expendable on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1945 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | War more
Tagline:
A Spine-Tingling Thundering Saga Of The Sea! more
Plot:
A dramatized account of the role of the American PT Boats in the defense of the Philippines in World War II. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
Directors We Love: John Ford
 (From Cinematical. 16 September 2009, 8:15 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Geography Made Them Expendable more (59 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
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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  (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)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
135 min | West Germany:107 min (cut version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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 more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the shooting of this movie, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of heaping insults on Wayne's head, costar Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery's benefit (Montgomery had served in the war), that he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During the aircraft strafing scenes when LTjg Ryan is injured, the planes are attacking from astern of the boats. The bullet strikes on the boat start from the starboard bow and go across the boat to the port side, indicating a frontal attack. more
Quotes:
Lt. John Brickley: Oh, Snuffy... how about getting some torpedoes from you?
Submarine commander: For those cracker boxes of yours? No telling when we'll see a mother ship again.
Lt. John Brickley: How long have you been on patrol?
Submarine commander: Since the day the war started.
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: What did you get?
Submarine commander: Two small freighters. We had hard luck.
Lt. John Brickley: Well, while you've been cruising around the Pacific, those 'cracker boxes' have sunk two converted cruisers, an auxiliary aircraft carrier, a 10,000-ton tanker, a large freighter, a flock of barges and numerous sons of Nippon!
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And also in our brief career, we've carried more messages than Western Union!
Submarine commander: Well, if...
Lt. John Brickley: Snuffy... who played the leading lady in "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" in 1932 at the Academy?
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Mister Roberts (1955) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
31 out of 35 people found the following comment useful.
Geography Made Them Expendable, 13 March 2006
8/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

They Were Expendable is John Ford's first Hollywood feature since his discharge from the U.S. Navy and the same can be said for Robert Montgomery. Both had served in the Navy and Montgomery in fact on P.T. Boats. From the last presidential election we now know them as Swift Boats.

It's an unusual John Ford film because the usual heavy comedic monkeyshines are rather subdued here. I'm thinking that John Ford wisely decided that World War II being recently over, the country's mood was joyous, but somber in terms of the heavy human cost.

They Were Expendable has the benefit though of the American audience knowing the ultimate victory. The story begins in the Phillipines in 1941 with Robert Montgomery as real life naval hero John Bulkeley, renamed Brickley for the film, trying to convince the brass of the usefulness of the P.T. Boat in combat, not just for scouting and courier duty. Of course that experiment is cut short and the P.T. Boats and their crews are rushed into some on the job experience.

During the film MacArthur, you might recall Gregory Peck saying that he was going to be evacuated from Corregidor by "one of Johnny Bulkeley's torpedo boats." That scene is dramatized as a wordless Robert Barrat plays MacArthur traveling on the boat commanded by John Wayne.

Wayne is Montgomery's second in command of the P.T. boat squadron who is not thrilled to be there. He'd like to be on at least a destroyer. He gradually comes around though. He also gets a fling in the romance department with Navy nurse Donna Reed.

During that interlude John Ford had some of the crew outside singing Dear Old Girl in a comic vein. Ford was never one to not let a good bit of business die with one film. You might remember in Fort Apache and Rio Grande there was some serenading done. And Donna Reed got serenaded on her "Hawaiian" honeymoon with James Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life with Ward Bond once again being one of the serenaders. I'm sure Frank Capra would have conceded he stole that from Ford.

The story is first and foremost about some very desperate American armed forces who after Pearl Harbor were at the Japanese mercy. Pearl Harbor had totalled our Pacific fleet and no supplies could get through. Still the troops there fought on bravely, they were in fact by geography expendable.

Wayne and Montgomery give good but subdued performances. No do or die heroics here, just a sobering reminder of a terrible beginning for the Americans in the Pacific theater of World War II.

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