The Fighting 69th (1940)

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Norman Reilly Raine (original screenplay) &
Fred Niblo Jr. (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 July 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Jammed With Action ! . . Loaded With Excitement ! . . . And Every Thrill-Packed Word Is True !

Plot:

Although loudmouthed braggart Jerry Plunkett alienates his comrades and officers, Father Duffy, the regimental chaplain, has faith that he'll prove himself in the end.

Plot Keywords:

Chaplain | Cowardice | Braggart | Faith | Poet

Cast

James Cagney	...	Private Jerry Plunkett
Pat O'Brien	...	Father Francis P. Duffy
George Brent	...	Major 'Wild Bill' Donovan
Jeffrey Lynn	...	Sergeant Joyce Kilmer
Alan Hale	...	Sergeant 'Big Mike' Wynn
Frank McHugh	...	Terence 'Crepe-Hanger' Burke
Dennis Morgan	...	Lieutenant Oliver Ames
Dick Foran	...	Lieutenant 'Long John' Wynn
William Lundigan	...	Private Timothy 'Timmy' Wynn
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Paddy Dolan
Henry O'Neill	...	The Colonel
John Litel	...	Captain Mangan
Sammy Cohen	...	Mike Murphy, an alias of Mischa Moskowitz
Harvey Stephens	...	Major Alex Anderson
William Hopper	...	Private Turner (as DeWolf Hopper)

Also Known As:

Father Duffy of the Fighting 69th (USA) (working title)
The Old 69th (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min | Finland:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew | Latin | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Australia:G (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5756)

Filming Locations:

Providencia Ranch, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Finnish censorship certificate # 31757 delivered on 27-4-1950.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the skirmish in the woods, an "unconscious" German prisoner obligingly stands on his feet prior to being carried back to the American lines.

Quotes:

Father Duffy: I don't believe I've met *you* yet...
Jerry Plunkett: [thinks he is talking to a fellow recruit] Oh, I've been around. Plunkett's my name; Jerry Plunkett. "Smilin' Jerry" they call me, on account of my disposition!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Warner at War (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

A new appreciation of an old classic

When I first viewed "The Fighting 69th", I was probably 8 years old, around 1948 I'd say. It literally scared me out into the lobby more than once. At that age you're not ready for trench warfare that up close and personal. Being Irish, Catholic and a kinship with people named O'Brien, I have always liked this movie on many levels for a variety of reasons. I have watched this film many times over the years, including a "colorized" version, when they were in vogue. Now comes the definitive DVD copy of the film. I watched it again in all it's 42 inch LCD, near "Hi-Def", glory again recently. I was affected by it again but in an entirely different way. Basically the story is about bright, mostly full of pluck and good humor, young men who want to get this war over with and get home again. Now it could be viewed an "anti-war" movie in some ways. It also very much is like the young men,today, shedding blood in hell holes named Iraq and Afganistan. Quite a comparison. It hit home. I'm an older man and I cried and sniffled through the entire film, and I know the film! I didn't have any lobby to run out into. Bobsluckycat, in all his reviews, has tried to give you some out of the box appreciation for whatever film he reviews and this is no exception. Yes, the stars are all fine, but look to the mostly young supporting cast, many of whom would go off to WWII and come back having served proudly and heroically, and you'll see the meat of this film. William Lundigan, George Reeves, and many many others with a line or two here and there just outstanding and would go on to long acting careers post war. Gwinn "Big Boy" Williams, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran, Sammy Cohen among many of the "pros" doing superior work. Not one casting note rings false throughout. World War I does not play well in color, with the exception of John Fords' "What Price Glory" also starring Cagney, maybe. It's meant to be in black and white. Today, it's not the "rah,rah" picture it was made to be, but a stark reminder that war kills our youngest and brightest before they mature to fullness, just as today. In that light, It's one of the best war movies EVER made, period.