The D.I. (1957)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jack Webb

Writer:

James Lee Barrett (writer)

Release Date:

28 March 1958 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Nobody knew he had a girl--not even the girl!

Plot:

Technical Sergeant Jim Moore is one of the toughest Drill Instructors on Parris Island. But he's got a thorn in his side: Pvt...

Plot Keywords:

Drill Instructor | Sergeant | Acronym In Title | Military | Boot Camp

Cast

Jack Webb	...	Sgt. Jim Moore
Don Dubbins	...	Pvt. Owens
Jackie Loughery	...	Annie
Lin McCarthy	...	Capt. Anderson
Monica Lewis	...	Burt (as Matt Davis)
Virginia Gregg	...	Mrs. Owens
Jeannie Beacham	...	Hostess
Lou Tobin	...	Bartender at Cotton Club
Earle Hodgins	...	Guard
Jeanne Baird	...	Mother at Woman's Store
Barbara Pepper	...	Woman
Melody Gale	...	Little Girl at Woman's Store
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John T. Ahern	...	Pvt. Casto
Charles M. Golden	...	Pvt. Labarsky
Joseph C. Holmes	...	Pvt. Madison
Charles A. Love	...	Pvt. Hillbilly
Peter J. O'Neill	...	Pvt. Rodriguez
Paul E. Prutzman	...	Sgt. Braver
Gordon L. Seiple	...	Pvt. Carver
William E. Smith	...	Pvt. Douglas McKinley
Douglas E. Wilson	...	Pvt. Franklin
Laurence C. Windsor Jr.	...	Pvt. Severeign

Also Known As:

The Drill Instructor (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA

Company:

Mark VII Ltd.

Trivia:

Many real-life Marines are extras in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Plot Summary for this film incorrectly states that Moore's rank is Technical Sergeant. Since the movie takes place in the 1950's, his actual rank is Gunnery Sergeant. The rank of Tech Sgt was abolished by the Marine Corps in 1946, immediately after World War II.

Quotes:

TSgt Moore: If you were completely surrounded by an enemy force of five hundred men, what would you do?
Recruit: Kill 'em, sir!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "JAG: Boot (#1.10)" (1996)

no one has done it better

I had the good fortune to be at Perris Island in the fall of 1959. The DI showed one evening at the outdoor theater directly in front of our barracks, Plt 162, B Co, 1st Bn, 1st ITR.

Although we hadn't been there long enough to even think about seeing a movie, we could hear those that were laughing. It's one of the many indelible memories of my thirteen weeks at PI.

At some later date, I got to actually see it in a theater. I'm still convinced that, to date, it remains the most realistic portrayal of the experience in the late 1950's ever done. No one has done it better than Jack Webb...