‘Gung Ho!’: The Story of Carlson’s Makin Island Raiders ** (1943, Randolph Scott, Alan Curtis, Noah Beery Jr, J Carrol Naish, David Bruce, Robert Mitchum) – Classic Movie Review 9715

Director Ray Enright’s 1943 war movie Gung Ho! stars Randolph Scott as Colonel Thorwald, who leads a tough patriotic wartime propaganda action adventure about US Marines in the Pacific, based on the experiences of Lieutenant W S LeFrançois.

Gung Ho! was no doubt fine for its day in the middle of World War Two, particularly at its release time of 20 December 1943 when moral really needed boosting in the US, but the extent of the jingoistic gung ho flag-waving looks worrying now. Good performances from the top cast, careful direction and the powerful battle scenes help.

The film describes the training of the Second Marine Raider Battalion ready for the 1942 raid to reclaim Makin Island from the Japanese and destroy their garrison there seven weeks after Pearl Harbor.

The screenplay is by Lucien Hubbard, based on the factual story Gung Ho by Lieutenant LeFrançois U.S.M.C, with additional dialogue by Joseph Hoffman.

The movie was used as a training film by the US Marine Corps.

Also in the cast are Noah Beery Jr, Alan Curtis, Grace McDonald, J Carrol Naish, David Bruce, Robert Mitchum, Rod Cameron, Sam Levene, Richard Lane, Walter Sande, Louis Jean Heydt, Milburn Stone, Peter Coe and Harold Landon.

Gung Ho! [‘Gung Ho!’: The Story of Carlson’s Makin Island Raiders] is directed by Ray Enright, runs 88 minutes, is made by Walter Wanger Productions, is released by Universal, is written by Lucien Hubbard, based on the factual story Gung Ho by Lieutenant LeFrançois U.S.M.C, with additional dialogue by Joseph Hoffman, is shot in black and white by Milton H Krasner, is produced by Walter Wanger and is scored by Frank Skinner.

 © Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9715

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