A few weeks ago, Steve Corbo reviewed the movie “Gardens of Stone,” Francis Ford Coppola’s somber exploration of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment known as The Old Guard, which stands watch over Arlington National Cemetery. We were delighted to learn that Retired U.S. Army Colonel Dan Baggio was a 1st Lieutenant and the Executive Officer of Charlie Company (Company C) […]
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Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this seldom seen 1987 release stars James Earl Jones, James Caan, Anjelica Huston, D.B. Sweeney, Dean Stockwell, Mary Stuart Masterson and Laurence Fishburne. Despite its all-star cast, the film was released on a limited basis and received mixed reviews, though it earned the admiration of Chicago’s very own Roger Ebert for its unflinching look at […]
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Based on a John Steinbeck story and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this 1944 drama was nominated for three Academy Awards. It centers on the occupants of a lifeboat, all of whom survived a German U-boat attack on a passenger ship in which both vessels were destroyed. The film stars Hollywood legend Tallulah Bankhead as Connie Porter, a wealthy journalist, and […]
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Based on actual events, this 1956 spy thriller stars Clifton Webb as Lt. Commander Ewen Montagu, author of the book by the same name. It’s 1943 and the Allies are about to invade Sicily. British Intelligence develops an ingenious plot to fool the Germans into thinking the invasion will take place elsewhere. Using a recently deceased corpse, they create a man who never existed, with […]
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Based on a book by the same title, this 1944 film follows the unprecedented 1942 bombing of the capital of Japan during WW II. It stars Van Johnson as Lt. Ted Lawson, author of the book and a pilot on the mission, and Spencer Tracy as Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. The film won an Oscar, was nominated for another and […]
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This inspirational 1980 film stars Robert Urich as standout Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rocky Bleier and Art Carney as Steelers owner Art Rooney. Considered too small and slow to play in the NFL, Bleier proved the critics wrong by making the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. While in his rookie season, he was drafted into the Army, served a tour of duty […]
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An Alfred Hitchcock thriller, this 1942 film taps into a very real fear in wartime America: sabotage! Robert Cummings plays Barry Kane, a defense worker in California falsely accused of setting fire to the aircraft plant where he works. He escapes the authorities and sets off on a cross-country journey to track down the real saboteur. In the process he […]
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Drafted in 1958, Elvis Presley had just spent two years in the Army, mostly in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division, when he filmed “G.I. Blues.” The musical comedy was his comeback film and the first chance fans had to see him in action in a long time. Presley is cast as a guitar-playing GI named Tulsa MacLean who also […]
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Based on the novel by Irwin Shaw, this 1958 feature was nominated for three Academy Awards and features an all-star cast including Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin, Maximilian Schell and Hope Lange. It begins in pre-war Germany, with Brando playing ski instructor Christian Diestl. We later find ourselves in New York City as Michael Whiteacre, a show biz personality […]
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This 1951 classic starring Van Johnson tells the true story of the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WW II. They were the most decorated unit of its size in the history of the U.S. Army, a remarkable feat considering the unit was comprised entirely of Japanese Americans, many of whom came directly from the internment camps set up […]
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