''Sergeant Ryker'' is a 1963

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

– war film directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Lee Marvin and

Bradford Dillman Bradford Dillman (April 14, 1930 – January 16, 2018) was an American actor and author. Early life Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930, in San Francisco, the son of Dean Dillman, a stockbroker, and Josephine (née Moore). Bradford's pa ...

that was initially run on television but released theatrically five years later in 1968. The film was originally broadcast on television as "The Case Against Paul Ryker", a 1963 two-part episode of ''

Kraft Suspense Theatre The ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's ''Kraft Mu ...

''. It was released as a feature film in 1968 to capitalize on Marvin's popularity from ''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...

''. Its second run paired it as a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with ''

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

'' (1968) starring

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

Plot

Sgt. Ryker (Lee Marvin) is an American soldier charged with treason during the Korean War, he is court-martialed and prosecuted by Capt. David Young (Bradford Dillman) and convicted and sentenced to death. Ryker's wife, Ann (

Vera Miles Vera June Miles (née Ralston, born August 23, 1929) is an American retired actress who worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock, most notably as Lila Crane in the classic 1960 film '' Psycho'', reprising the role in the 1983 sequel '' Psycho II''. ...

), insists that her husband received an inadequate defense. She believes his story that he had been on a secret mission, assigned by a superior officer who has since died and can no longer vouch for him. Capt. Young believes Ryker is guilty, but he, too, thinks Ryker received an inadequate legal defense. He persuades the commanding general to give Ryker a new trial. The general reluctantly does so, but he insists that this time Young must serve as Ryker's defense counsel. Ryker has already resigned himself to his fate, and has to be persuaded to go along with the retrial. As it unfolds, all the evidence is damning to Ryker, the best Young can do is establish that Ryker's version of events is not impossible. The defense is also undermined by several of Ryker's lies and omissions, which are exposed during testimony at the trial, and also by Ryker's occasional fits of temper. A further complication ensues when a romantic attachment develops between Young and Ryker's wife. Ryker is furious when he realizes it has happened, and the general on hearing about it tells Young he will be court-martialed as soon as Ryker's trial is over. The prosecutor, Maj. Whitaker, unearths new evidence damning to the defendant's case, and all seems lost. At the last minute, however, Young learns some information from a Sergeant Winkler, which verifies some aspects of Ryker's claim, and which when followed up on by Young, is enough to compel that Ryker be set free.

Cast

* Lee Marvin as Sgt. Paul Ryker *

as Capt. David Young * Peter Graves as Maj. Whitaker *

as Ann Ryker *

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. Bi ...

as Gen. Amos Bailey *

Murray Hamilton Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor who appeared in such films as ''Anatomy of a Murder'', ''The Hustler'', ''The Graduate'', ''Jaws'' and ''The Amityville Hor ...

as Capt. Appleton * Norman Fell as Sgt. Max Winkler * Walter Brooke as Col. Arthur Merriam *

Francis DeSales Francis A. DeSales (March 23, 1912 – September 25, 1988) was an American actor known for playing Harold Faller in '' The Big Story'', Sheriff Maddox in ''Two Faces West'', and Ralph Dobson in ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. Born ...

as President of the Court * Don Marshall as Cpl. Jenks * Charles Aidman as Maj. Kitchener

References

External links

* 1963 American television episodes 1968 films 1960s war drama films American war drama films Films scored by John Williams Films directed by Buzz Kulik Korean War films Military courtroom films Universal Pictures films Films edited from television programs 1968 drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films {{Korea-War-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links