All the Young Men
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All the Young Men
Plot
Set right near the 38th Parallel, the dividing line between North and South Korea, this conventional wartime tale focuses on the relationships of some GI's caught without reinforcements in an old farmhouse. Although the house offers some protection, the men are outnumbered and little by little, casualties mount. After the lieutenant dies, black Sergeant Towler (Sidney Poitier) automatically assumes command, and that causes friction among the white soldiers underneath him. Knowing that racial tension can do much more damage than normal under these siege conditions, Sergeant Towler finally defuses the situation when his nemesis, Kincaid (Alan Ladd) is wounded. Kincaid gets a life-saving transfusion from the Sergeant which also shows up the stupidity of racial hatred -- but meanwhile, the enemy is still attacking and reinforcements are still needed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, RoviReview
All the Young Men is fortunate to have a cast of very fine actors, because they provide most of the interest in this clichéd exploration of men operating in a high pressure situation. The set-up feels artificial, even though it's the kind of thing that can and does happen in real life; and after the initial premise is set in place, the rest of the film unfolds in a similarly artificial style. We've all been here before, whether in a World War II film or a Western; two men, each with a commanding ability, have to overcome their differences in order to save not only themselves but those who depend upon them. Hall Bartlett, who wrote, directed and produced Men, has crafted a screenplay which gets from A to B nimbly but with absolutely no surprises. He's even populated the cast with all of the expected character types one usually finds in such films. As a result, the film becomes boring, even when there should be considerable tension and excitement. Fortunately, the cast helps to overcome some of the film's flaws. Sidney Poitier and Alan Ladd have both done better work, but they're quite valuable here simply for their screen presence and ability, and there's also some nice work from Mot Sahl, James Darren and others. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- Alan Ladd - Kincaid
- Sidney Poitier - Towler
- James Darren - Cotton
- Glenn Corbett - Wade
- Mort Sahl - Crane
Credit
Carl Anderson - Art Director, Hall Bartlett - Director, Al Clark - Editor, George Duning - Composer (Music Score), Daniel L. Fapp - Cinematographer, Hall Bartlett - Producer, Hall Bartlett - Screenwriter| All the Wrong Spies (1983 Film), All the Wrong Clues (For the Right Solution) (1981 Film) | |
| All'onorevole Piacciono le Donne (1972 Film), All's Fair (1989 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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All the Young Men
| All the Young Men | |
|---|---|
 1960 theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Hall Bartlett |
| Produced by | Hall Bartlett Alan Ladd |
| Written by | Hall Bartlett |
| Starring | Alan Ladd Sidney Poitier |
| Music by | George Duning |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Studio | Jaguar Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1960 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
All the Young Men is a 1960 Korean War feature film starring Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier dealing with desegregation in the United States Marine Corps.
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Contents
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Plot
Poitier plays a Korean War sergeant commanding a small, isolated and decimated platoon of American Marines. The film explores the racial integration of the American military, centering on the African-American sergeant's struggle to win the trust and respect of the men in his unit.[1]
When the platoon commander is mortally wounded in an ambush, he passes the role of platoon leader to the next highest ranking man, Sergeant Towler (Poitier). Towler initially feels the role should be taken by the combat experienced former Sergeant now Private Kincaid (Ladd) who has eleven years of service as a Marine. However, Ladd lost his former rank through misconduct and doing things his own way. Ladd's prowess as a hero is demonstrated in the opening battle scene where he picks up a M1919 Browning machine gun and fires it from the hip into charging North Korean hordes.
Before he dies, the Lieutenant reminds Towler that he is next in line for command, not Kincaid. One of the platoon, Pvt Bracken (Paul Richards), openly questions Towler's authority in favour of Kincaid.
With their radio destroyed in the ambush, Sgt Towler leads the ten survivors of the platoon to a house strategically located at a pass that the men can hold until the rest of the battalion arrive.
Cast
- Alan Ladd as Private Kincaid
- Sidney Poitier Sergeant Eddie Towler
- James Darren as Private Cotton
- Glenn Corbett as Hospital Corpsman Wade
- Mort Sahl as Corporal Crane
- Ana María Lynch as Maya
- Paul Richards as Private Bracken
- Richard Davalos as Private Casey
- Lee Kinsolving as Private Dean
- Joseph Gallison as Private Jackson
- Ingemar Johansson as Private Torgil
Production
Hall Bartlett designed a film for Sidney Poitier that he signed on a contract and a percentage of the profits. Bartlett based the idea of the film on the integration of the military in the Korean War. However only Columbia Pictures would finance his film with Columbia insisting that Bartlett rewrite the film for a white co-star. Bartlett found the only major star willing to do the film was Alan Ladd who co-produced the film.[2]
The film features an unusual cast who works well together. In addition to Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier the cast includes Mort Sahl who does a comedy routine, James Darren who sings the title song, Glenn Corbett and boxer Ingemar Johansson in his American film debut. Bartlett cast his Argentine wife Ana María Lynch/Ana St. Clair as a Korean, Mario Alcalde as an American Indian, Hollywood born Paul Richards as a bigoted Southerner, and cast local Blackfoot Indians as North Koreans.[2] All the Young Men was filmed in Glacier National Park (U.S.) and Mt. Hood Oregon.[3]
Columbia planned two separate advertising campaigns for the film to white and black audiences.[4] Columbia also used Quentin Reynolds to promote the film in advertising campaigns. A paperback novelisation of the film was written by Marvin Albert.[5]
The Marine Corps provided Lieutenant Colonel Clement J. Stadler who had been awarded the Navy Cross[6] in World War II as a technical advisor; a function he also performed in Hell to Eternity, The Outsider, Ambush Bay and The Lieutenant television series. The United States Marine Corps had disbanded separate black Marine units and bases since 18 November 1949.[7]
References
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939200,00.html
- ^ a b pp.180-181 Goudsouzian, Aram Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor and Icon 2004 UNC Press
- ^ http://www.communitywalk.com/location/glacier_park_all/movies/1189617
- ^ p.166 Gormery, Douglas Shared Pleasures: A History of Movie Presentation in the United States University of Wisconsin Press
- ^ http://www.mysteryfile.com/GM_Albert/goldmedal_albert.html
- ^ http://www.homeofheroes.com/valor/02_awards/index_nx/index-NXs.html
- ^ p.483 Sutherland, Jonathan African-Americans at War:An Encyclopedia 2004 ABC-CLIO
External links
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