''The Private War of Major Benson'' is 1955 comedy film 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 ...

Julie Adams Julie Adams (born Betty May Adams; October 17, 1926 – February 3, 2019) was an American actress, billed as Julia Adams toward the beginning of her career, primarily known for her numerous television guest roles. She starred in a number of ...

Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination f ...

and

Tim Hovey Tim Hovey (June 19, 1945 – September 9, 1989) was a former American child actor during the 1950s. He later became a musician, road manager and an audio engineer for rock bands. Acting career Born in Los Angeles, California, Hovey was di ...

, about a tough-talking U.S. Army officer who must shape up the

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...

program at Sheridan Academy, a Catholic boys'

military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

, or be forced out of the Army. The film was shot on St. Catherine's Military School campus in 1955, with cadets as the actors in all but the leading roles.

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

chose St. Catherine's cadets and location for their humorous comedy about the challenges facing the new commandant of a military school by the antics of a group of grade school cadets. The picture featured a full battalion of St. Catherine's students. The film has not been remade, but its basic premise was done twice in the following forty years, such as ''Hard Knox'' (1984) for TV and most notably with ''

Major Payne ''Major Payne'' is a 1995 American military comedy film directed by Nick Castle and starring Damon Wayans, who wrote with Dean Lorey and Gary Rosen. The film co-stars Karyn Parsons, Steven Martini and Michael Ironside. It is a loose remake of the ...

'' (1995), which was also filmed by Universal Pictures.

Cast

as Maj. Barney Benson *

as Dr. Kay Lambert *

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' Demarest, w ...

as John *

as Cadet Tiger Flaherty *

as Cadet Dusik *

Tim Considine Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early life Considine was born in Lo ...

as Cadet Hibler *

Nana Bryant Nana Irene Bryant (November 23, 1888 – December 24, 1955) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1935 and 1955. Biography Bryant was born 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She appeared in ...

as Mother Redempta *

Milburn Stone Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series ''Gunsmoke''. Early life Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the forme ...

as General Ramsey

Reception

Screenwriters Joe Connelly and

Bob Mosher Robert L. Mosher (January 18, 1915 – December 15, 1972) was a television and radio scriptwriter. Biography Mosher was born in Auburn, New York, to Robert L. Mosher Sr. and Marian K. Mosher (née McCamey). He was best known for his work on '' ...

were nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...

.''The Private War of Major Benson'' - Awards
at IMDb

References

External links

* * 1955 films 1955 comedy films American comedy films Films scored by Henry Mancini Films about educators Films directed by Jerry Hopper Films set in California Films set in schools Films shot in California Military humor in film Universal Pictures films Films set in boarding schools Films with screenplays by William Roberts (screenwriter) 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-comedy-film-stub