''Fixed Bayonets!'' is a 1951 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 wa ...

written and directed by

Samuel Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made ou ...

and produced by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. It is Fuller's second film about the Korean War. In his motion-picture debut,

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

appears briefly at the conclusion of the film.

Plot

The film is set in the first winter of the

during the Red Chinese intervention. The story follows the fate of a lone 48-man

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, secur ...

left as a

rear guard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

to defend a

choke point In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in orde ...

to cover the withdrawal of their

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

over an exposed bridge. Command of the platoon falls upon Cpl. Denno, who has an innate aversion to responsibility for the lives of others.

Cast

* Richard Basehart as Cpl. Denno *

Gene Evans Eugene Barton Evans (July 11, 1922 – April 1, 1998) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, television films, and feature films between 1947 and 1989. Background Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona and raised i ...

as Sgt. Rock * Michael O'Shea as Sgt. Lonergan * Richard Hylton as Medic John Wheeler * Craig Hill as Lt. Gibbs *

Skip Homeier George Vincent Homeier (October 5, 1930 – June 25, 2017), known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star. Career Child actor Homeier was born in Chicago, Illino ...

as Whitey *

John Doucette John Arthur Doucette (January 21, 1921 – August 16, 1994) was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he ...

as the Colonel * Pat Hogan as Jonesy

Soundtrack

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 ...

composed the film's score using two songs. * ''American Flag'' * ''Indiana'' Music by James F. Hanley
Lyrics by Ballard MacDonald

Production

''Fixed Bayonets!'' was the first film of a seven-picture deal between Twentieth Century-Fox and writer/director Samuel Fuller. Fox had been impressed with Fuller's ''

The Steel Helmet ''The Steel Helmet'' is a 1951 American war film directed, written, and produced by Samuel Fuller during the Korean War. The cast stars Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards, and Richard Loo. It was the first American film abo ...

'' and sought to make another film about the contemporary subject of the

. After having problems with ''The Steel Helmet'', the army assigned

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient Raymond Harvey as the film's

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 ...

. Fuller, himself a decorated

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

veteran, forged a lasting bond with Harvey, who again served as technical adviser in the 1958 film '' Verboten!''. ''Fixed Bayonets!'' also included the first appearance, albeit uncredited, of

in a feature film. Though the film's script is an original screenplay, Darryl F. Zanuck felt that the story of a reluctant corporal's unwillingness to take command was reminiscent of Fox's '' Immortal Sergeant'', so Fox ordered a screen credit for the writer of that film, Lamar Trotti.Fuller, Samuel. ''A Third Face'', Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, pp. 272-273. According to Fuller, it was difficult to find extras for the opening retreat sequence, as many action films were also in production at the time. A production assistant was able to find some dancers from a musical and Fuller convincingly simulated the soldiers' fatigue and depression by loading the extras' uniforms and packs with heavy weights. Though the US

1st Infantry Division 1st Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) *1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) *1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoured Division (Australi ...

did not serve in Korea, Fuller named the general and regimental commander after the men under whom he had served in World War II and named the regiments after his own as well.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1951 films 1951 war films American war films Films directed by Samuel Fuller 1950s English-language films Films scored by Roy Webb 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films James Dean Films based on British novels Korean War films 1950s American films