''The Fighting 69th'' is a 1940 American

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

, and

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included ''Jezebel'' and ''Dark Victory ...

. The plot is based upon the actual exploits of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

's 69th Infantry Regiment during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The regiment was given that nickname when opposing General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Real people portrayed in ''The Fighting 69th'' include Father Francis P. Duffy, the

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

; battalion commander and future OSS leader "Wild Bill" Donovan; Lt. Oliver Ames, a platoon commander; and then-Sgt.

Joyce Kilmer Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in 1914. Though a prolific poet who ...

(

Jeffrey Lynn Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...

), a famous poet, who was killed in battle on July 30, 1918. Most of ''The Fighting 69th'' was filmed at Warner Brothers' Calabasas Ranch location, which served as

Camp Mills Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September 1 ...

, the regiment's training base, various French villages, and numerous battlefields.

Plot

The plot centers on misfit Jerry Plunkett (

), a tough-talking New Yorker who displays a mixture of bravado and disrespect for officers. Caught up in patriotic fervor when the United States enters WWI, he joins the 69th with aim of winning medals by singlehandedly defeating the Germans. However, Plunkett's inexperience and disrespect for command lead to him making errors in battle and eventually show him to be a coward. The

, Father Francis P. Duffy (

) believes there to be something more in the young man and begs the 69th's commanding officer Major "Wild Bill" Donovan (

) to give Plunkett one more chance. Donovan reluctantly agrees and when the 69th is ordered to send a squad into no man's land to capture German soldiers for intel, Donovan orders Plunkett to join them. Plunkett's inexperience and nervousness lead to him accidentally disclosing the squad's position and leads to the deaths of two well respected soldiers Lieutenant "Long John" Wynn (

Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jers ...

) and Private Timothy "Timmy" Wynn (

William Lundigan William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include ''Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), ''Dishonored Lady'' ...

). Donovan is outraged and ultimately orders Plunkett to be

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed. However, while he is awaiting execution, Fr Duffy approaches Plunkett in one last attempt to save him spiritually. Plunkett begs the priest to release him so he can desert the army and escape the war. Fr Duffy declines his request and when his jail cell is destroyed by a German shell and he is freed, Plunkett witnesses Father Duffy ministering to several wounded troops, urging them to keep their faith and have courage. Shamed and inspired by Donovan's forbearance and courage, Plunkett decides to rejoin his unit at the front and support their advance. However, when he catches up with the 69th he spots that the battalion has been stopped by a fierce German bombardment. Coming across a mortar whose crew have almost all been killed, he finds Sgt. "Big Mike" Wynn and implores the older man to tell him how to operate the mortar. Sgt. Wynn initially refuses as he recalls how Plunkett had caused the death of his two brothers in an earlier encounter with the enemy. Plunkett though perseveres and starts to use the mortar to counter the German bombardment and allow the 69th to push ahead with the advance. The Germans though counter and throw a grenade into the trench where Plunkett and Sgt. Wynn are. In one desperate act of heroism he sacrifices his life by diving on the grenade in a bid to protect "Big Mike". Plunkett is mortally wounded and succumbs to his wounds leaving Major Donovan and Sgt Wynn in shock at the young man's true bravery. While Jerry Plunkett was a fictional character, Father Duffy, Major Donovan, Lt. Ames, and poet

were all real members of the 69th. Many of the events depicted (training at

, the Mud March, dugout collapse at

Rouge Bouquet Rouge Bouquet is a part of the Forêt de Parroy near the village of Baccarat, France. It was the site of a German artillery bombardment of American trench positions on 7 March 1918 at 15:20 on the Chausailles sector of the Western Front during ...

, crossing the

Ourcq River The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of Aisne, Oise, and Seine-et-Marne. It flows southwest through the towns of ...

, Victory Parade, etc.) actually happened.

Cast

as Private Jerry Plunkett *

as Father Francis P. Duffy *

as Major "Wild Bill" Donovan *

as Sergeant Joyce Kilmer *

Alan Hale, Sr. Alan Hale Sr. (born Rufus Edward Mackahan; February 10, 1892 – January 22, 1950) was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as f ...

as Sergeant "Big Mike" Wynn *

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A. ...

as Terence "Crepe-Hanger" Burke *

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one obi ...

as Lieutenant Oliver Ames *

as Lieutenant "Long John" Wynn *

as Private Timothy "Timmy" Wynn *

Guinn Williams Guinn Terrell Williams (April 22, 1871 – January 9, 1948) was an American banker and politician. A Democrat, he served in the Texas State Senate, and is most notable for his service in the U.S. representative from Texas. His son was the actor ...

as Paddy Dolan *

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Career ...

as The Colonel *

John Litel John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor. Early life Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...

as Captain Mangan *

Sammy Cohen Sammy Cohen (1902–1981) was an American film actor and comedian. He was one of several popular Jewish comedians acting in films during the late 1920s.Erens p. 91-92 Selected filmography * '' What Price Glory?'' (1926) * '' The Return of Peter ...

as "Mike Murphy" * Harvey Stephens as Major Alex Anderson *

William Hopper William DeWolf Hopper Jr. (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in predominantly minor ro ...

as Private Turner * Tom Dugan as Private McManus *

Frank Wilcox Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays. Background Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...

as Lieutenant John Norman *

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

as Jack O'Keefe * Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Jimmy *

Herbert Anderson Herbert Anderson (March 30, 1917 – June 11, 1994) was an American character actor from Oakland, California, probably best remembered for his role as Henry Mitchell, the father, on the CBS television sitcom '' Dennis the Menace.'' Backg ...

as Casey * Richard Clayton as Tierney *

Eddie Dew Eddie Dew (January 29, 1909 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is best remembered for his starring roles in B movie western films during the 1940s. In the 1950s he became active in ...

as Regan *

Frank Mayo Frank Mayo may refer to: * Frank M. Mayo (1839–1896), American actor and comedian * Frank Mayo (actor) Frank Lorimer Mayo (June 28, 1889 – July 9, 1963) was an American actor. He appeared in 310 films between 1911 and 1949. Biograp ...

as Capt. Bootz (uncredited) *

Roland Varno Roland Varno (March 15, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American character actor from Utrecht, Netherlands. Varno's father was a tea planter, Martin Fredrick Vuerhard, and his mother was a concert pianist. Although they hoped for him to ha ...

as German Officer (uncredited)

Production

John T. Prout John T. Prout (October 25, 1880 – April 27, 1969) was an Irish soldier. He served in the United States Army in the First World War, as a training officer in the guerrilla Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1 ...

, an

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

who was a former Captain in the regiment and a general in the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

, was the movie's "technical advisor".Gevinson, Ala
''American Film Institute Catalog''
/ref>

Priscilla Lane Priscilla Lane (born Priscilla Mullican, June 12, 1915 – April 4, 1995) was an American actress, and the youngest sibling in the Lane Sisters of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films ''The Roaring Twenties'' ...

was initially cast as one of the soldiers' girls back home, but the part was cut prior to production. No female characters are seen in the film.

Reception

According to Warner Bros. records, the film made $1,822,000 domestically and $491,000 foreign, for a worldwide total of $2,313,000.

References

;Notes

External links

* * * *
Fighting 69th Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fighting 69th, The 1940 films 1940s war films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Warner Bros. films Western Front (World War I) films Films about capital punishment Films directed by William Keighley Films scored by Adolph Deutsch American war films 1940s American films