''The Red Beret'' (aka ''The Red Devils'', ''The Big Jump'' and retitled ''Paratrooper'' for the US release) is a 1953 British-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 ...

directed by

Terence Young Terence or Terry Young may refer to: *Terence Young (director) (1915–1994), British film director * Terence Young (politician) (born 1952), Canadian Conservative Party politician * Terence Young (writer), Canadian writer * Terry Young (American p ...

and starring

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

Leo Genn Leopold John Genn (9 August 190526 January 1978) was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocr ...

and Susan Stephen. ''The Red Beret'' is the fictional story about an American who enlists in the British Parachute Regiment in 1940, claiming to be a Canadian. It was the first film made by

Irving Allen Irving Allen (born Irving Applebaum, November 24, 1905 – December 17, 1987) was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director. He received an Academy Award in 1948 for producing the short movie ''Climbing the Matterhorn''. In the early 19 ...

and

Albert R. Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...

Warwick Films Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in London.Broccoli, Albert R., Zec Donald. ''When the Snow Melts''. Boxtree. 1998 Their fi ...

, with many of the crew later working on various films for Warwick Films and Broccoli's

Eon Productions Eon Productions Ltd. is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''Bond'' films Eon was start ...

. It is partly based on the 1950 non-fiction book with the same title written by

Hilary Saint George Saunders Hilary Aidan Saint George Saunders MC (14 January 1898 – 16 December 1951) was a British author, born in Clifton near Bristol. Early life He was the son of G.W. St George Saunders of Brighton and was educated at Windlesham House School, Down ...

, about the Parachute Regiment and its second operation,

Operation Biting Operation Biting, also known as the Bruneval Raid, was a British Combined Operations raid on a German coastal radar installation at Bruneval in northern France, during the Second World War, on the night . Several of these installations were id ...

, in February 1942.

Plot

Steve MacKendrick (Alan Ladd), nicknamed "Canada" because he claims he is from the country, volunteers in 1940 for the British military's parachute training facility. He has much more experience and leadership skills than he admits. Canada tries to become better acquainted with a pretty

parachute rigger A parachute rigger is a person who is trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes. A rigger is required to understand fabrics, hardware, webbing, regulations, sewing, packing, and other aspects related to the building, packing, rep ...

named Penny Gardner (Susan Stephen). She is initially put off by his attitude, but they eventually start dating. Both Penny and his new commander, Major Snow (Leo Genn), see potential (and a mystery that does not add up) in him, despite his strong efforts to avoid assuming any responsibility. Canada turns down Snow's offer to send him to officer school. After completing parachute school, Canada's unit goes on a raid on the German radar station at

Bruneval Saint-Jouin-Bruneval is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A farming village in the Pays de Caux, situated some north of Le Havre, at the junction of the D940, D139 and D111 roads. Fr ...

. An RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant Box (

John Boxer John "Johnny" Boxer is an Australian television and film actor and commercial voice-over best known for his role as Bobo Gigliotti in '' Pizza''. Early life He grew up in Belmore, New South Wales and attended Belmore Boys High School, where he e ...

), accompanies the raiders to retrieve a key component to take back to Britain. The mission is a success, but Corporal Dawes (Michael Kelly), one of the men in Canada's outfit, hurts both his legs in the drop. Back in Britain, after visiting Dawes, Canada is recognised by an American airman. He tells Penny that he resigned his commission from the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

after ordering his best friend and co-pilot to parachute out of their bomber when an experimental rocket got stuck. His friend was killed when his parachute did not open properly. Canada blamed himself and refuses any responsibility that might endanger anyone's life. When Snow confronts Canada with what he has learned (from a security investigation that he has ordered), Canada wrongly assumes that Penny told what she learned, and he breaks up with her. However just before he boards his plane on his next mission, they exchange a smile suggesting they have made up. The unit's next operation involves attacking and destroying an airfield at

Bône Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

during the invasion of North Africa. With Lt Col Snow wounded and the men trapped in a minefield, Canada must risk others to extricate the unit. One of his friends, Poleski (

Anton Diffring Anton Diffring (born Alfred Pollack, 20 October 1916 – 19 May 1989) was a German-born character actor who had an extensive career in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1980s, latterly appearing in international films. He appeared in ove ...

), who is Polish, finds a

bazooka Bazooka () is the common name for a Man-portable anti-tank systems, man-portable recoilless Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the ...

, so he decides to use it to blow a path though the minefield. Canada, the Pole and Taffy Evans (

Donald Houston Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films—'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) with Jean Simmons, and ''A Run for Your Money'' (1949) with Alec Guinness—were highly successful. Later in ...

) use it to extricate their unit, while Snow and the rest of the men cover them. Although Snow and most of the men get out, the

regimental sergeant major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Australi ...

(

Harry Andrews Harry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews, CBE (10 November 1911 – 6 March 1989) was an English actor known for his film portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in '' The Hill'' (1965) alongside Sean ...

) dies from the wounds he received when he entered the minefield. Afterward, Canada promises to think about the commission Snow offered him.

Cast

as Steve "Canada" McKendrick *

as Lt Col John Snow * Susan Stephen as Penny Gardner *

as R.S.M. Cameron *

as Taffy Evans *

Anthony Bushell Anthony Arnatt Bushell (19 May 1904 – 2 April 1997) was an English film actor and director who appeared in more than 50 films between 1929 and 1961. He played Colonel Breen in the BBC serial ''Quatermass and the Pit'' (1958–59), and als ...

as Major General Whiting *

Patric Doonan Patric Doonan (George William Doonan) (18 April 1926 in Derby, Derbyshire – 10 March 1958 in London) was a British stage and screen actor. He was the son of comedian George Vincent Doonan and Doris Mary (Nee Endsor) he was the brother of ...

as Flash Gordon *

Stanley Baker Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...

as Sergeant Breton *

Lana Morris Lana Morris, born Avril Maureen Anita Morris (11 March 1930 – 28 May 1998) was a British film, stage and television actress during the 1950s and 1960s. She played the role of Helene Hillmer in the 1967 BBC adaptation of ''The Forsyte Saga ...

as "Pinky" *

Tim Turner Tim Turner (7 September 1924 – 1987) was an English people, English actor who performed during the 1950s and 1960s. Life and career He was born John Freeman Turner in Bexley, Kent. Before becoming a film and television actor, Turner was a ...

as Rupert * Michael Kelly as Corporal Dawes *

as the Pole (Poleski) *

Thomas Heathcote Thomas Heathcote (9 September 1917 – 5 January 1986) was a British character actor, a former protégé of Laurence Olivier. He was educated at Bradfield College in Bradfield, near Reading in Berkshire, England. His films included '' A Night ...

as Alf *

Carl Duering Gerald Percy Fox (29 May 1923 – 1 September 2018), better known as Carl Duering, was a German-born British actor whose best-known role is as Dr. Brodsky in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange (film), A Clockwork Orange''. He died in London i ...

as Rossi Stubbins *

as Flight Sergeant Box *

Harry Locke Harry Locke (10 December 1913 – 7 September 1987) was an English character actor. He was born and died in London. He married Joan Cowderoy in 1943 and Cordelia Sewell in 1952. He was a good friend of the poet Dylan Thomas. Their friendship in ...

as Medical Orderly * Michael Balfour as American Sergeant *

Guido Lorraine Guido Lorraine (2 September 1912 – 31 December 2009) was a Polish-born actor, musician and singer, known primarily for his roles in war films. He was also sometimes known by the stage name Guy Borucki. Lorraine appeared in twenty-eight films du ...

as German officer *

Walter Gotell Walter Jack Gotell (15 March 1924 – 5 May 1997) was a German actor, known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the Roger Moore-era of the James Bond film series,Tom VallancObituary: Walter Gotell ''The Independent'', 20 June 19 ...

as German sentry (uncredited)

Production

''The Red Beret'' was based on a novel published in 1950. Film rights were bought by

who announced

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

and

for the leading roles. Hillary St George Saunders, who wrote the novel, was to work on the screenplay, but died during pre-production. Terence Young was signed to direct and write a script. The

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

was ''The Red Devils''. ''The Red Beret'' was originally intended to be a co-production with

RKO Pictures 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-Orphe ...

, but they and Warwick were unable to come to terms, so Warwick made a deal with Columbia instead. Terence Young's original choice for the lead, former

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Para

Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...

turned the role down as being "too far fetched".Todd 1986 p. 187.

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

was also originally announced as landing the leading role. Former agent Albert R. Broccoli knew that Alan Ladd was unhappy with Paramount due to a new contract for much less money. Broccoli met Ladd and his wife and agent Sue Carol who agreed to a three-picture contract with Warwick provided Ladd's scriptwriter Richard Maibaum was allowed to rewrite the screenplay for Ladd. Although Ladd's most popular and critically acclaimed film, ''

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name) Shane is mainly a masculine g ...

'', was filmed earlier. it was also released in 1953, making him a prime box office attraction. Ladd was paid US$200,000,

first class travel First class is the most luxurious and most expensive travel class of seats and service on a train, passenger ship, airplane, bus, or other system of transport. Compared to business class and economy class, it offers the best service and most co ...

and accommodations for himself, his wife, their four children and their nurse, and 10 per cent of the gross receipts over US$2,000,000 for his 11 weeks work filming ''The Red Beret''. Ladd wanted work done on the script and recommended

Richard Maibaum Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 – January 4, 1991) was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his screenplay adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Among his works are the first anti-lynching play on Bro ...

, with whom he had worked several times while at Paramount. Warwick hired him and this began a long professional relationship between Broccoli and Maibaum. In addition to director Young and screenwriter Maibaum, camera operator

Ted Moore Ted Moore, (7 August 1914 – 1987) was a South African-British cinematographer known for his work on seven of the James Bond films in the 1960s and early 1970s. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Fred Zinnemann's ...

and stuntman Bob Simmons worked extensively on future Warwick and Eon Productions films, as did actor

, who appeared as a German sentry.

Johanna Harwood Johanna M. Harwood (born 1930) is an Irish screenwriter. She was born and raised in County Wicklow in the Irish countryside. She co-wrote two James Bond films, and went uncredited for adaptation work on a third. Life and career Harwood enter ...

who worked on the continuity co-wrote the screenplays for the first two Bond films. Although there was some public criticism of an American playing the lead in a British war film, British cinema owners responded that Hollywood stars filled their cinema seats, unlike most local actors. Ladd himself explained that his character had enlisted in the Parachute Regiment to learn from them. The Parachute Regiment provided extras, facilities and locations at the

RAF Abingdon Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps. History The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as ...

Parachute School,

Abingdon, Oxfordshire Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historically the county town of Berkshire, since 1974 Abingdon has been admin ...

and at

Trawsfynydd Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The total com ...

, North Wales. Studio work took place at Shepperton. The female lead was originally meant to be played by

Dianne Foster Dianne Foster (born Olga Helen Laruska; October 31, 1928 – July 27, 2019) was a Canadian actress of Ukrainian descent. Early life Foster was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She began her career at the age of 13 in a stage adaptation of Ja ...

but she was unable to make it due to a scheduling conflict. She was replaced by Susan Stephen. Actor Leo Glen served in the British Army in World War Two, reaching the rank of Lt. Colonel. Alan Ladd was initially attached to the American Air Force Film Unit but was discharged due to stomach disorders. Subsequently he was classified as A1 but thanks to pressure from film studios, his draft was postponed and finally in 1945 was removed from the draft along with all men over 30.

Reception

''The Red Beret'' was a hit at the British box office. According to producer Allen, it recouped its cost from the British market alone.Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood cheer: Eric Johnston predicts good year for industry; Producer's point of view." ''The New York Times'', 10 January 1954, p. X5. The film cost US$700,000 to make and grossed US$8 million worldwide.

References

Bibliography

* Broccoli, Albert R.; and Donald Zec. ''When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli''. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Trans-Atlantic Publications, 1999. . * Chapman, James. ''Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films''. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. . * Mackenzie, S.P. ''British War Films, 1939–1945: The Cinema and the Services''. London: Hambledon, 2007. . * Maibaum, Richard, ''Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1988, first edition 1986. . * Todd, Richard. ''Caught in the Act: The Story of My Life''. London: Hutchinson, 1986. . The use of the names 'Box' and 'Snow' for the Bruneval raid section of the film , is a deliberate tribute to Sgt 'Cox' and Col 'Frost' who took part- hence the play on names. The 'Czech' played by Jewish Refugee actor Anton Differing is a tribute to the actual German Jewish Para Pte P. Newman, real Name Peter Nagel, who went on the raid to question and bring back German prisoners. He later went on the St Nazaire raid as Pte Walker and was POW but survived the war;he was the only British Commando to take part in both raids. For his full story see chapter in book 'Fighting Back' by Martin Sugarman (Valentine Mitchell 2017)

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Beret, The 1953 films 1950s war films British aviation films British war films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Terence Young Films scored by John Addison Films set in England North African campaign films Films with screenplays by Richard Maibaum British World War II films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films