''Marine Raiders'' is a 1944 RKO

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

showing a fictional depiction of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Parachute Battalion on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...

, R&R in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, retraining in

Camp Elliott Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base (first Army, later Navy) in San Diego County, California, on the site of the current Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It operated from 1917 to 1946. The base was named in honor of Brigadier General Stephen ...

(where much of the film was made) and a fictional attack in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. Produced by

Robert Fellows Robert Fellows or Robert M. Fellows (August 23, 1903 in Los Angeles – May 11, 1969 in Los Angeles) was an American film producer who was once a production partner with John Wayne and later with Mickey Spillane. Biography Fellows entered Ho ...

, and directed by

Harold D. Schuster Harold D. Schuster (August 1, 1902 – July 19, 1986) was an American editor and film director. In 1937, he made '' Wings of the Morning'', the first-ever three-strip Technicolor film shot in Europe. Among the better-known films that Schuste ...

, it stars Pat O'Brien,

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

, and

Ruth Hussey Ruth Carol Hussey (October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005) was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in '' The Philadelphia Story''. Early life Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode I ...

. The film depicts fictionalized accounts of the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

(1942-1943), the

Battle of Edson's Ridge The Battle of Edson's Ridge, also known as the Battle of the Bloody Ridge, Battle of Raiders Ridge, and Battle of the Ridge, was a land battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Imperial Japanese Army and Allied (mainly United S ...

(1942), and the

Bougainville Campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allie ...

(1943-1945). The Western Desert Campaign (1940-1943) is mentioned as a concurrent event, but not actually depicted on-screen.

Plot

Major Steve Lockhart, commander of a

Marine Raider The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" R ...

battalion and Captain Dan Craig, commander of the

Paramarine The Paramarines (also known as Marine paratroopers) was a short-lived specialized combat unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped from planes by parachute. Marine parachute training which began in New Jersey in October 19 ...

s are together on

facing a Japanese assault that became the

. When Captain Craig discovers the body of one of his lieutenants who had been tortured and executed by the Japanese, he goes on a one-man army kill crazy rampage of revenge in the jungle with his Reising gun (that jams) and his

M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for t ...

. Major Lockhart, his enraged commander, criticises Craig for his disgraceful conduct that has no place in combat. The only thing saving Craig from being relieved of his command is the Japanese night attack that is beaten off during a night of hard fighting. The depleted units go for rest and recreation in Australia. The troubled Craig meets a knowledgeable and sympathetic Flight Officer, Ellen Foster of the

Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve, as well as by the Chief of the Air Staff, who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service ov ...

who has two brothers serving in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. The two fall in love and wish to be married but Craig is wounded in a Japanese air attack. When Lockhart visits Craig in the hospital he finds out that he wishes to marry Ellen. Thinking Craig out of his mind, Lockhart transfers him immediately back to the United States. The recovered Craig and Lockhart are bitter enemies as they report to Camp Elliott. Both are shocked that so many men are being trained as Marines compared to the pre-war size of their highly selective Corps. When told how many men the Corps has recruited, Lockhart exclaims that there aren't that many potential Marines in the entire country. The film shows its audience views of actual training of Marines filmed at the base. Lockhart ends up defending Craig when he is thought unstable and presses for his return to active service. Preparing for an invasion of an unnamed South Pacific island whilst back in Australia, Craig marries Ellen. Lockhart changes his mind on marriage when meeting her and all are reconciled. In a fictional assault that a map identifies as Bougainville, Craig's Paramarines jump behind Japanese lines to relieve pressure on a

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...

where Lockhart's Raiders and other Marines have landed. Ellen proudly hears the news of their exploits on radio in Australia.

Cast

* Pat O'Brien as Maj. Steve Lockhart *

as Capt. Dan Craig. (At the time Robert Ryan was a drill instructor at Camp Pendleton). *

as Ellen Foster *

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 Sgt. Louis Leary *

Barton MacLane Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...

as Sgt. Maguire * Richard Martin as Pfc. Jimmy Fowler *

Martha Vickers Martha Vickers (born Martha MacVicar; May 28, 1925 – November 2, 1971) was an American model and actress. Early life Vickers was born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan; her father was an automobile dealer. She began her career as a mo ...

as Sally Parker (as Martha MacVicar) * Edmund Glover as Pvt. Miller

Production

Producer

had previously filmed '' Bombardier'' and ''

The Iron Major ''The Iron Major'' is a 1943 American biographical film about the famed college football coach and World War I hero, Frank Cavanaugh. Directed by Ray Enright, the screenplay was written by Aben Kandel and Warren Duff, based on Florence E. Cavan ...

'' with RKO's contract star Pat O'Brien. O'Brien was impressed by the newcomer Ryan who he worked with and recommended him to RKO over several other stars for the leading role of Dan Craig. Ryan's performance was noticed by a reviewer of ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

'' who compared him to

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. Shortly after filming his part, Ryan enlisted in 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 c ...

in January 1944 serving as a

Drill Instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Aust ...

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

, later being discharged in November 1945 as a

Private First Class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ...

. The film was made at the Marine base at

, near

San Diego 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 States ...

, with Captain Clay Boyd as the

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart was a noted technica ...

. Boyd, the son of a World War I Marine was a former enlisted Marine commissioned in 1941 who was a platoon commander with the 1st Raider Battalion at Guadalcanal and twice reconnoitered

New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the 200th-largest island in the world. Geography New Georgia island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most ...

prior to the invasion where he was a company commander.

Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of ...

directed pick up and additional scenes.

Nicholas Musuraca Nicholas Musuraca, A.S.C. (October 25, 1892 – September 3, 1975) was a motion-picture cinematographer best remembered for his work at RKO Pictures in the 1940s, including many of Val Lewton's series of B-picture horror films. Biography Bor ...

, famed for his cinematography on many

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

horror films and

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

classics filmed the two battle scenes at night.

Roy Webb Royden Denslow Webb (October 3, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American film music composer. Webb has hundreds of film music credits to his name, mainly with RKO Pictures. He is best known for film noir and horror film scores, in particular f ...

's score includes "

Bless 'Em All "Bless 'Em All", also known as "The Long and the Short and the Tall" and "Fuck 'Em All", is a war song. The words have been credited to Fred Godfrey in 1917 set to music composed by Robert Kewley, however, early versions of the song may have ex ...

" as a theme for the Australian locales.

References

External links

* * * * {{Harold D. Schuster 1944 films 1944 war films RKO Pictures films Marine Raiders Films about the United States Marine Corps World War II films made in wartime American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Pacific War films Films directed by Harold D. Schuster Films directed by Robert Wise Films set in 1942 Films set in 1943 Films set in Australia Films set in California Films set in Papua New Guinea Films set in the Solomon Islands Films shot in California Films scored by Roy Webb American war films