Gung Ho! (1943 film)
Encyclopedia
Gung Ho! is a 1943
war film
starring Randolph Scott
. The story is based on the real-life World War II
Makin Island raid
led by Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson
's 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.
is seeking volunteers for a hazardous mission and special unit. Sergeant "Transport" Anderof (Sam Levene
) meets the commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel
Thorwald (Randolph Scott
) who he has served with in the China Marines
. Thorwald explains that he left the Corps to serve with the Chinese guerrillas fighting the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War
to learn their methods and has decided to form a unit using the qualities of Gung Ho or "work together".
Amongst the volunteers for the unit are a hillbilly
(Rod Cameron
) who responds to the Marine Gunner's (Walter Sande
) question whether he can kill someone with the fact that he already has; specifically a romantic rival. Alan Curtis
is an ordained Minister keeping his vocation a secret. Robert Mitchum
is "Pig Iron"; a boxer from a background of poverty and hard work. Harold Landon is a young and small street kid who is initially rejected by Naish but wins him over as both worked as dishwashers on ships bound to the United States from Pireaus. Noah Beery Jr and David Bruce
are rivals for United States Navy Nurse Corps
Lt. Grace McDonald
. Volunteers with brief screen time include a Filipino wishing to revenge his sister raped and killed in Manila
who teaches the Raiders knife fighting, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
who sees the war as a continuation of the fight against Fascism
, and a Marine who honestly admits "I just don't like Japs".
The film moves rapidly in a documentary style with stock footage
of training narrated by Chet Huntley
. The survivors of the training are sent to Hawaii
for further jungle warfare
training where they witness the damage of the attack on Pearl Harbor
. In Hawaii they hear a radio bulletin of the announcement of the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Marines are ordered to board two submarines, the USS Nautilus
and the USS Argonaut destined for a commando
raid
on a Japanese held island.
After a claustrophobic voyage, the Raiders invade the island from rubber boats
. The Marine landing is met by fire from sniper
s hiding in palm trees. The Marines dispose of them, attack the Japanese headquarters, wipe out the Japanese garrison, destroy installations with explosives, then board the submarines for their return home.
acquired the rights of the Makin Island raid
and Lt W.S LeFrancois' story, the United States Navy
film liaision Lt Albert J Bolton insisted that neither Carlson nor his executive officer James Roosevelt
be singled out. The screenplay depicted a fictional Colonel Thorwald with no executive officer. The screenplay did include a character played by J. Carroll Naish a Raider Lieutenant of Greek extraction based on Marine Raider Lt. John Apergis, as well as Gunnery Sergeant
Victor "Transport" Maghikian who served in the raid and survived the war. Though many incidents in the film did not occur in the real Makin Island raid, Carlson wrote of his being pleased with the film to Wanger.
Like many other films about the United States Marine Corps
, the movie was filmed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
and Camp Pendleton with Marine extras and technical advisor
s. The Japanese were played by Chinese and Filipino extras.
and skills in marksmanship, combatives
, and knife fighting on an enemy who greatly outnumber them.
Thorwald/Carlson lectures throughout the film that the Japanese have no initiative and can not think for themselves or deviate from a plan; thus unexpected action pays off. This is demonstrated in several scenes in the film where a Marine defeats his opponent in unarmed combat by spitting tobacco in his opponent's eyes, a small but fast runner strips down to his trousers and quickly zig zag runs through enemy fire to deliver hand grenades, Marines destroy a Japanese pillbox and its occupants by squashing both with a road construction steamroller, and a speechless Robert Mitchum who has been shot in the throat and is unable to give warning kills a Japanese infiltrator attempting to kill the battalion surgeon (Milburn Stone
) by throwing his knife in the Japanese soldier's back. The climax of the film has the Raiders painting a giant American flag on the roof of a building, then luring the counterattacking Japanese to the area where their own air force bombs and strafes them.
In contrast to the Japanese and the rest of the American military, Thorwald orders that his officers wear no rank insignia and have no special privileges. He tells his Raiders "I will eat what you eat and sleep where you sleep" and participate in the same training. Thorwald's Marines participate in "Gung Ho Sessions" where they discuss the unit's plans and each man participates without regard to rank.
in a January 1944 review for The New York Times
praised the film, its performances and settings but said "the stabbings and stickings go on Gung Ho! is for folks with strong stomachs and a taste for the submachine gun".
The film was re-released in the early 1950s by Realart Pictures who gave Robert Mitchum
second billing on the posters.
The film has often been shown to recruits and Marines of the United States Marine Corps.
Many individuals who accuse the U.S. Marine Corps of deliberately recruiting murderers and criminals may have been inspired by Rod Cameron's role in the film.
In the early 1960s Louis Marx and Company
came out with a "Gung Ho Commando Outfit" for children.
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
starring Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
. The story is based on the real-life World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Makin Island raid
Makin Island raid
The Makin Island Raid was an attack by the United States Marine Corps on Japanese military forces on Makin Island in the Pacific Ocean...
led by Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson
Evans Carlson
Brigadier General Evans Fordyce Carlson was the famed U.S. Marine Corps leader of the World War II "Carlson's Raiders"...
's 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.
Plot
The film begins with a tough Greek Lieutenant (J. Carroll Naish) announcing that the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
is seeking volunteers for a hazardous mission and special unit. Sergeant "Transport" Anderof (Sam Levene
Sam Levene
Sam Levene was an American Broadway and film actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1927 with five lines in a play titled Wall Street, and over a span of nearly 50 years, appeared on Broadway in 37 Shows, of which 33 were the original Broadway Productions, many now considered legendary...
) meets the commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Thorwald (Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
) who he has served with in the China Marines
China Marines
The term China Marines originally referred to those United States Marines from the 4th Marine Regiment who were stationed in Shanghai, China during 1927 - 1941 to protect American citizens and their property in the Shanghai International Settlement during the Chinese Revolution and the Second...
. Thorwald explains that he left the Corps to serve with the Chinese guerrillas fighting the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
to learn their methods and has decided to form a unit using the qualities of Gung Ho or "work together".
Amongst the volunteers for the unit are a hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
(Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
) who responds to the Marine Gunner's (Walter Sande
Walter Sande
Walter Sande was an American actor, notable for film roles including Paul Revere in Walt Disney's Johnny Tremain....
) question whether he can kill someone with the fact that he already has; specifically a romantic rival. Alan Curtis
Alan Curtis (American actor)
Alan Curtis was an American film actor appearing in over 50 films.Born Harry Ueberroth in Chicago, Illinois, he began his career as a model before becoming an actor, appearing in local newspaper ads. His looks did not go unnoticed in Hollywood...
is an ordained Minister keeping his vocation a secret. Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
is "Pig Iron"; a boxer from a background of poverty and hard work. Harold Landon is a young and small street kid who is initially rejected by Naish but wins him over as both worked as dishwashers on ships bound to the United States from Pireaus. Noah Beery Jr and David Bruce
David Bruce (actor)
David Bruce was an American film actor, known for his chilling performance as Ted Allison in The Mad Ghoul....
are rivals for United States Navy Nurse Corps
United States Navy Nurse Corps
The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years.-Pre-1908:...
Lt. Grace McDonald
Grace McDonald
Grace McDonald Green was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the early 1940s, although most were B movies. She and her brother Ray had their Broadway debut in 1937 in Babes in Arms as part of the dance team, and singing I Wish I Were in Love Again. She made her screen debut...
. Volunteers with brief screen time include a Filipino wishing to revenge his sister raped and killed in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
who teaches the Raiders knife fighting, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
who sees the war as a continuation of the fight against Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, and a Marine who honestly admits "I just don't like Japs".
The film moves rapidly in a documentary style with stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
of training narrated by Chet Huntley
Chet Huntley
Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
. The survivors of the training are sent to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for further jungle warfare
Jungle warfare
Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain.It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including World War II and the...
training where they witness the damage of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. In Hawaii they hear a radio bulletin of the announcement of the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Marines are ordered to board two submarines, the USS Nautilus
USS Nautilus (SS-168)
USS Nautilus , a and one of the "V-boats", was the third ship of the United States Navy to officially bear that popular ship's name. She was originally named and designated V-6 , but was redesignated and given hull classification symbol SC-2 on 11 February 1925...
and the USS Argonaut destined for a commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
raid
Raid (military)
Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
on a Japanese held island.
After a claustrophobic voyage, the Raiders invade the island from rubber boats
LCRL
The LCRL or LCR was an inflatable boat which could carry ten men that was used by the USMC and US Army from 1938 to 1945. 10,125 LCRLs were made during World War II.-External links:* at ibiblio...
. The Marine landing is met by fire from sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
s hiding in palm trees. The Marines dispose of them, attack the Japanese headquarters, wipe out the Japanese garrison, destroy installations with explosives, then board the submarines for their return home.
Production
When producer Walter WangerWalter Wanger
Walter Wanger was an American film producer. An intellectual and a socially conscious movie executive who produced provocative message movies and glittering romantic melodramas, Wanger's career began at Paramount Pictures in the 1920s and led him to work at virtually every major studio as either a...
acquired the rights of the Makin Island raid
Makin Island raid
The Makin Island Raid was an attack by the United States Marine Corps on Japanese military forces on Makin Island in the Pacific Ocean...
and Lt W.S LeFrancois' story, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
film liaision Lt Albert J Bolton insisted that neither Carlson nor his executive officer James Roosevelt
James Roosevelt
James Roosevelt was the oldest son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a United States Congressman, an officer in the United States Marine Corps, an aide to his father, the official Secretary to the President, a Democratic Party activist, and a businessman.-Early life:Roosevelt was...
be singled out. The screenplay depicted a fictional Colonel Thorwald with no executive officer. The screenplay did include a character played by J. Carroll Naish a Raider Lieutenant of Greek extraction based on Marine Raider Lt. John Apergis, as well as Gunnery Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is a staff non-commissioned officer...
Victor "Transport" Maghikian who served in the raid and survived the war. Though many incidents in the film did not occur in the real Makin Island raid, Carlson wrote of his being pleased with the film to Wanger.
Like many other films about the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, the movie was filmed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego...
and Camp Pendleton with Marine extras and technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
s. The Japanese were played by Chinese and Filipino extras.
Themes
The fast moving film is a template for many war films and other adventure or western films where a group of professional killers and misfits in polite society are handpicked by an inspiring leader, trained to perfection, then use their initiativeInitiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
and skills in marksmanship, combatives
Combatives
Combatives is a United States Army term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques.-History:Militaries have long taught unarmed combat, both as physical conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat. Among the samurai of Japan, such combatives were known as Bujutsu...
, and knife fighting on an enemy who greatly outnumber them.
Thorwald/Carlson lectures throughout the film that the Japanese have no initiative and can not think for themselves or deviate from a plan; thus unexpected action pays off. This is demonstrated in several scenes in the film where a Marine defeats his opponent in unarmed combat by spitting tobacco in his opponent's eyes, a small but fast runner strips down to his trousers and quickly zig zag runs through enemy fire to deliver hand grenades, Marines destroy a Japanese pillbox and its occupants by squashing both with a road construction steamroller, and a speechless Robert Mitchum who has been shot in the throat and is unable to give warning kills a Japanese infiltrator attempting to kill the battalion surgeon (Milburn Stone
Milburn Stone
Milburn Stone was an American television actor, a nephew of Broadway comedian Fred Stone and the son of a shopkeeper, best known for his role as "Doc" on the CBS western series Gunsmoke. He also played a doctor, CDR Blake, in the 1943 film Gung Ho!.Stone was born in Burrton in Harvey County in...
) by throwing his knife in the Japanese soldier's back. The climax of the film has the Raiders painting a giant American flag on the roof of a building, then luring the counterattacking Japanese to the area where their own air force bombs and strafes them.
In contrast to the Japanese and the rest of the American military, Thorwald orders that his officers wear no rank insignia and have no special privileges. He tells his Raiders "I will eat what you eat and sleep where you sleep" and participate in the same training. Thorwald's Marines participate in "Gung Ho Sessions" where they discuss the unit's plans and each man participates without regard to rank.
Reception
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
in a January 1944 review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised the film, its performances and settings but said "the stabbings and stickings go on Gung Ho! is for folks with strong stomachs and a taste for the submachine gun".
The film was re-released in the early 1950s by Realart Pictures who gave Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
second billing on the posters.
The film has often been shown to recruits and Marines of the United States Marine Corps.
Influences in Popular Culture
The phrase Gung Ho entered the public lexicon from the film and the accounts of the actual Raiders.Many individuals who accuse the U.S. Marine Corps of deliberately recruiting murderers and criminals may have been inspired by Rod Cameron's role in the film.
In the early 1960s Louis Marx and Company
Louis Marx and Company
Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. Its boxes were often imprinted with the slogan, "One of the many Marx toys, have you all of them?"-Logo and Offerings:...
came out with a "Gung Ho Commando Outfit" for children.