''Tell It to the Marines'' is a 1926

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

starring

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

and

Eleanor Boardman Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Early life and career Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam ...

, and directed by George W. Hill. The film follows a Marine recruit and the sergeant who trains him. It was the biggest box office success of Chaney's career and the second biggest moneymaker of 1926/1927. In April 2012 the film became available on DVD from the Warner Archive collection.

Plot

In 1924, "Skeet" Burns applies to join the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, but only to get a free train ride to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. When he arrives, he escapes from veteran Marine Sergeant O'Hara and boards another train to "Tia Juana",

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

for the horse races. However, upon his return, he enlists after all and comes under O'Hara's charge. At the base, Skeet spots Norma Dale, an attractive Navy nurse. He tries to become better acquainted with her, but his unsubtle, overconfident approach meets with a cold reception. He also discovers that O'Hara is smitten with Norma as well. It becomes clear to O'Hara that Norma does like Skeet when she asks him to take Skeet along on a sea training cruise despite his unsatisfactory performance and attitude. She finds he has already done so. On board ship, Skeet picks a fight with a "gob", a sailor, unaware that his intended victim is actually the Navy heavyweight champion. O'Hara and his men are assigned to Tondo Island, a dreary naval station described as being "six miles this side of Hell". There, he is tempted by Zaya, a pretty native who is attracted to him. Before things get too serious however, he changes his mind. When she tries to hold onto him, he has to untangle himself from her. This results in a brawl with the outraged locals in which O'Hara has to rescue Skeet. Hearing unflattering gossip about the affair, Norma writes Skeet a letter breaking off their relationship. Skeet mistakenly believes O'Hara told her about the incident in order to improve his own romantic chances with Norma. The Marines are relieved and are sent to join the

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...

, stationed at

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China. O'Hara and Skeet find Norma there where is she is serving on a Navy

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

; she greets the sergeant warmly, but refuses to give Skeet a second chance. She and other nurses are then sent to Hangchow to deal with an

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

. When news arrives that a bandit army is threatening the city, the Marines are ordered to the rescue. During the tense evacuation, O'Hara and his men are chosen to be the

rear guard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

at a bridge. Fierce fighting breaks out. When O'Hara is wounded, he orders Skeet to rejoin the column, but Skeet refuses to obey. The detachment is saved by the timely arrival of an aerial squadron. After his four-year enlistment ends, Skeet and Norma buy a ranch, in which Skeet offers O'Hara a partnership. However, the old veteran declines, saying that he and the Marine Corps are made for each other.

Cast

as Sergeant O'Hara *

as Private George Robert "Skeet" Burns *

as Nurse Norma Dale *

Eddie Gribbon Eddie Gribbon (January 3, 1890 – September 29, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films from the 1910s to the 1950s. Gribbon began working in Mack Sennett films in 1916 and continued through the 1920s. He usuall ...

as Corporal Madden, Skeet's friend * Carmel Myers as Zaya *

Warner Oland Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund; October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American ...

as Chinese bandit leader * Mitchell Lewis as Native starting fight *

Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22, 1928) was an American film and stage actor and director of the silent era. Career Similar to Theodore Roberts, Kate Lester, Ida Waterman, and William H. Crane, Currier had a long and succe ...

as General Wilcox
He shares a train compartment with Skeet at the beginning of the film and is unamused by Skeet's reason for "enlisting" *Maurice E. Kains as Harry (as Maurice Kains)

Background

The film premiered in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on December 23, 1926. MGM brought in General

Smedley D. Butler Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881June 21, 1940), nicknamed the "Maverick Marine", was a senior United States Marine Corps officer who fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution and W ...

, commander of the Marine base in San Diego and subsequently the author of the anti-war book ''

War Is a Racket ''War Is a Racket'' is a speech and a 1935 short book by Smedley D. Butler, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General and two-time Medal of Honor recipient. Based on his career military experience, Butler discusses how business interest ...

'', for technical consultation on the film. Lon Chaney formed a close friendship with the Marine Corps general which lasted for the rest of Chaney's life. A writer in ''

Leatherneck Magazine ''Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines'' (or simply ''Leatherneck'') is a magazine for United States Marines. History and profile ''The Quantico Leatherneck'' was started by off-duty US Marines, and in large part by the post printer, Sgt. Smith, ...

'' wrote that "few of us who observed Chaney's portrayal of his role were not carried away to the memory of some sergeant we had known whose behavior matched that of the actor in every minute detail ..." For his role in the film, Chaney became the first film star chosen to be an

honorary Marine Honorary Marine is a title that has been given to various people by the United States Marine Corps. Current official program (1992–present) The distinction is currently bestowed solely by the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps to ...

. The studio was also allowed to shoot on the

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) 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 th ...

which made ''Tell It to the Marines'' the first motion picture made with the full cooperation of the U.S. Marine Corps. Battleship (later involved in the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

on December 7, 1941) was used for the scenes at sea and the final sequence of the film, where the Marines rescue the hostages, was filmed at Iverson Ranch in

Chatsworth, California Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area was home to Native Americans, some of whom left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish b ...

, the location for such films as '' Fort Apache'' and ''

The Good Earth ''The Good Earth'' is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a Chinese village in the early 20th century. It is the first book in her ''House of Earth'' trilogy, continued in ''Sons'' (1932) ...

''. The film was shot concurrently with Pathé's

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

The Fighting Marine ''The Fighting Marine'' is a 1926 American drama film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, and featured the only screen performance by the boxing heavyweight champion, Gene Tunney. Cast Preservation ''The Fighting Marine'' is now cons ...

'' with Gene Tunney and Fox's '' What Price Glory?'' leading MGM and Fox to bicker over which studio had rights to use the name of the U.S. Marine Corps.Blake, Michael Francis '' A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney's Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures'' Vestal Press 1995 The films began a genre of films depicting the Marines fighting putting down insurrections around the world until

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

's ''

The Marines Fly High ''The Marines Fly High'' is a 1940 action film, starring Richard Dix, Chester Morris and Lucille Ball and directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and Benjamin Stoloff from a story by A.C. Edington. Plot In 1940, the Central American cocoa plantation ow ...

'' (1940) when World War II exploits became the norm.

Box office

The film was a major commercial success. In North America alone, the film earned $1,250,000 in domestic rentals.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tell It To The Marines (Film) 1926 films Films set in 1924 Films set in San Diego Films set in Shanghai Films set in Hangzhou American romantic comedy-drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by George Hill Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Military humor in film Films about the United States Marine Corps 1920s war adventure films 1920s romantic comedy-drama films Surviving American silent films American war adventure films 1920s American films Silent comedy-drama films Silent romantic comedy films Silent romantic drama films Silent adventure films Silent war films Silent American drama films Silent American comedy films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer