The Real Glory
Encyclopedia
The Real Glory is a 1939 Samuel Goldwyn Company
action film starring Gary Cooper
, David Niven
, and Broderick Crawford
released by United Artists
in the weeks immediately following Nazi Germany
's invasion
of Poland. Based on a 1937 novel of the same name by Charles L. Clifford and directed by Henry Hathaway
, the film is set against the backdrop of the Moro Rebellion
during the American occupation of the Philippines at the beginning of the twentieth century.
) and his Muslim Moro
guerrillas are terrorizing the people of the Philippine island of Mindanao
, raiding villages, killing the men, and carrying off the women and children for slaves. Instead of maintaining garrisons indefinitely to protect the Filipinos, the U.S. army tests out a new tactic at Fort Mysang. The army detachment is replaced by a handful of officers - Colonel Hatch (Roy Gordon), Captains Manning (Russell Hicks) and Hartley (Reginald Owen
), and Lieutenants McCool (David Niven
) and Larsen (Broderick Crawford
) - who are to train the native Philippine Constabulary
to take over the burden. Army doctor Lieutenant Canavan (Gary Cooper
) is sent along to keep them healthy. They are welcomed by a skeptical Padre Rafael (Charles Waldron
).
Alipang starts sending fanatical juramentado
s to assassinate the officers to goad them into attacking before they are ready and on his terms. Hatch is the first victim, leaving Manning to take command. Manning's wife (Kay Johnson
) and Hartley's daughter Linda (Andrea Leeds
) arrive for a visit at the worst possible time; a horrified Mrs. Manning witnesses her husband's murder. Hartley takes charge, but Canavan disagrees with his by-the-book, overly-cautious approach. Disobeying orders, Canavan sets out for Alipang's camp guided by Miguel (Benny Inocencio), a young Moro boy he has befriended. "Mike" (as Canavan calls him) infiltrates the camp and learns that Alipang has sent another assassin, this time for Hartley. Canavan and Mike intercept the man and take him back a prisoner.
Linda and Canavan fall in love, much to the disappointment of McCool and Larsen. When Hartley insists she leave Mysang with Mrs. Manning, she refuses and helps out at the hospital.
Alipang then dams the river on which the villagers depend. Hartley refuses to send a detachment into the jungle to blow it up (he is concealing the fact that he is slowly going blind from an old head wound). The people have to rely on an old well, but the contaminated water causes a cholera
epidemic. Finally, Hartley has no choice but to send Larsen and some men to destroy the dam. They do not return.
The Datu
(Vladimir Sokoloff
), a supposedly friendly Moro leader, offers to guide Hartley and his men to the dam, but he is actually leading them into an ambush. Canavan learns of the Datu's treachery from Mike, the sole survivor of Larsen's detachment, and races to warn Hartley. Canavan forces the Datu to take him to the dam. The Datu is killed in a booby trap, but Canavan manages to dynamite the dam anyway. Then, he and the men raft back to the village, which is under attack by Alipang's men.
McCool is killed leading the defense, but Canavan and the rest return in time to turn the tide. Alipang is killed by Filipino Lieutenant Yabo (Rudy Robles
). Their mission accomplished, the Hartleys and Canavan depart, leaving the village in Yabo's care.
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1979.-Background:...
action film starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
, David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
, and Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
released by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in the weeks immediately following Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's invasion
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of Poland. Based on a 1937 novel of the same name by Charles L. Clifford and directed by Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
, the film is set against the backdrop of the Moro Rebellion
Moro Rebellion
The Moro Rebellion was an armed military conflict between Moro revolutionary groups in the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan and the United States military which took place in the Philippines as early as between 1899 to 1913, following the Spanish-American War in 1898...
during the American occupation of the Philippines at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Plot
In 1906, Alipang (Tetsu KomaiTetsu Komai
Tetsu Komai was a minor Hollywood actor born in Kumamoto, Japan who died in Gardena, California of congestive heart failure. Tetsu had small parts in over 50 films from the 1920s until the mid 1960s. In his early films, Tetsu was often described with derogatory terms such as Chinaman, although he...
) and his Muslim Moro
Moro
- Events :* Moro Crater massacre, an engagement in the Philippine-American War* Battle of the Moro, a World War II battle between mainly Canadian and German forces on the Moro river in Italy in 1943...
guerrillas are terrorizing the people of the Philippine island of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, raiding villages, killing the men, and carrying off the women and children for slaves. Instead of maintaining garrisons indefinitely to protect the Filipinos, the U.S. army tests out a new tactic at Fort Mysang. The army detachment is replaced by a handful of officers - Colonel Hatch (Roy Gordon), Captains Manning (Russell Hicks) and Hartley (Reginald Owen
Reginald Owen
John Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
), and Lieutenants McCool (David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
) and Larsen (Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
) - who are to train the native Philippine Constabulary
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary ' was the oldest of four service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was a gendarmerie type para-military police force of the Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority replacing the Guardia Civil...
to take over the burden. Army doctor Lieutenant Canavan (Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
) is sent along to keep them healthy. They are welcomed by a skeptical Padre Rafael (Charles Waldron
Charles Waldron
Charles Waldron , sometimes credited as Charles Waldron Sr., Chas. Waldron Sr., Charles D. Waldron or Mr. Waldron, was an American film and theatre actor.-Film:...
).
Alipang starts sending fanatical juramentado
Juramentado
Juramentado, in Philippine history, refers to a male Moro swordsman who attacked and killed targeted Christian police and soldiers, expecting to be killed himself, the martyrdom undertaken as an unorthodox form of personal jihad...
s to assassinate the officers to goad them into attacking before they are ready and on his terms. Hatch is the first victim, leaving Manning to take command. Manning's wife (Kay Johnson
Kay Johnson
Kay Johnson was an American actress who performed on the stage and in Hollywood films.-Family:Catherine Townsend Johnson was born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1904. Her father was architect Thomas R. Johnson who designed several noteworthy buildings in the New York City...
) and Hartley's daughter Linda (Andrea Leeds
Andrea Leeds
Andrea Leeds was an American film actress. A popular supporting player of the late 1930s, Leeds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Stage Door...
) arrive for a visit at the worst possible time; a horrified Mrs. Manning witnesses her husband's murder. Hartley takes charge, but Canavan disagrees with his by-the-book, overly-cautious approach. Disobeying orders, Canavan sets out for Alipang's camp guided by Miguel (Benny Inocencio), a young Moro boy he has befriended. "Mike" (as Canavan calls him) infiltrates the camp and learns that Alipang has sent another assassin, this time for Hartley. Canavan and Mike intercept the man and take him back a prisoner.
Linda and Canavan fall in love, much to the disappointment of McCool and Larsen. When Hartley insists she leave Mysang with Mrs. Manning, she refuses and helps out at the hospital.
Alipang then dams the river on which the villagers depend. Hartley refuses to send a detachment into the jungle to blow it up (he is concealing the fact that he is slowly going blind from an old head wound). The people have to rely on an old well, but the contaminated water causes a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic. Finally, Hartley has no choice but to send Larsen and some men to destroy the dam. They do not return.
The Datu
Datu
Datu is the title for tribal chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions of the Philippines. Together with Lakan , Apo in Central and Northern Luzon, Sultan and Rajah, they are titles used for native royalty, and are still currently used in the Philippines...
(Vladimir Sokoloff
Vladimir Sokoloff
-Biography:Sokoloff was born in Moscow, Russia. He became an actor and assistant director with the Moscow Art Theatre, before emigrating to Berlin in 1923...
), a supposedly friendly Moro leader, offers to guide Hartley and his men to the dam, but he is actually leading them into an ambush. Canavan learns of the Datu's treachery from Mike, the sole survivor of Larsen's detachment, and races to warn Hartley. Canavan forces the Datu to take him to the dam. The Datu is killed in a booby trap, but Canavan manages to dynamite the dam anyway. Then, he and the men raft back to the village, which is under attack by Alipang's men.
McCool is killed leading the defense, but Canavan and the rest return in time to turn the tide. Alipang is killed by Filipino Lieutenant Yabo (Rudy Robles
Rudy Robles
Rudy Robles was a Filipino actor and one of the first Filipino actors to appear in Hollywood movies. His credits include pre- and post-World War II films, as Lt. Yabo in The Real Glory and he played a Filipino Assassin in the 1942 film Across the Pacific. One of his last appearances was playing a...
). Their mission accomplished, the Hartleys and Canavan depart, leaving the village in Yabo's care.
Cast
- Gary CooperGary CooperFrank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
as Dr. Bill Carnahan - David NivenDavid NivenJames David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
as Lieutenant Terence McCool - Andrea LeedsAndrea LeedsAndrea Leeds was an American film actress. A popular supporting player of the late 1930s, Leeds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Stage Door...
as Linda Hartley - Reginald OwenReginald OwenJohn Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
as Captain Steve Hartley - Broderick CrawfordBroderick CrawfordBroderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Larsen. Crawford was cast against type as a good-natured orchid fancier. - Kay JohnsonKay JohnsonKay Johnson was an American actress who performed on the stage and in Hollywood films.-Family:Catherine Townsend Johnson was born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1904. Her father was architect Thomas R. Johnson who designed several noteworthy buildings in the New York City...
as Mrs. Mabel Manning - Russell Hicks as Captain George Manning
- Vladimir SokoloffVladimir Sokoloff-Biography:Sokoloff was born in Moscow, Russia. He became an actor and assistant director with the Moscow Art Theatre, before emigrating to Berlin in 1923...
as The Datu - Benny Inocencio as Miguel (Mike)
- Charles WaldronCharles WaldronCharles Waldron , sometimes credited as Charles Waldron Sr., Chas. Waldron Sr., Charles D. Waldron or Mr. Waldron, was an American film and theatre actor.-Film:...
as Padre Rafael - Rudy RoblesRudy RoblesRudy Robles was a Filipino actor and one of the first Filipino actors to appear in Hollywood movies. His credits include pre- and post-World War II films, as Lt. Yabo in The Real Glory and he played a Filipino Assassin in the 1942 film Across the Pacific. One of his last appearances was playing a...
as Lieutenant Yabo - Tetsu KomaiTetsu KomaiTetsu Komai was a minor Hollywood actor born in Kumamoto, Japan who died in Gardena, California of congestive heart failure. Tetsu had small parts in over 50 films from the 1920s until the mid 1960s. In his early films, Tetsu was often described with derogatory terms such as Chinaman, although he...
as Alipang - Roy Gordon as Colonel Hatch
- Henry KolkerHenry KolkerHenry Kolker was an American stage and film actor and director...
as The General