Story of G.I. Joe (1945)

War correspondent Ernie Pyle joins Company C, 18th Infantry as this American army unit fights its way across North Africa in World War II. He comes to know the soldiers and finds much human... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Leopold Atlas (screenplay), Guy Endore (screenplay),

Stars:

Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Freddie Steele

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Burgess Meredith	...	Ernie Pyle - Scripps-Howard War Correspondent
Robert Mitchum	...	Lt. Walker
Freddie Steele	...	Sgt. Warnicki
Wally Cassell	...	Pvt. Dondaro
Jimmy Lloyd	...	Pvt. Spencer
John R. Reilly	...	Pvt. Murphy (as John Reilly)
William Murphy	...	Pvt. Mew (as Bill Murphy)
Sicily and Italy Combat Veterans of the Campaigns in Africa	...	Themselves

Storyline

War correspondent Ernie Pyle joins Company C, 18th Infantry as this American army unit fights its way across North Africa in World War II. He comes to know the soldiers and finds much human interest material for his readers back in the States. Later, he catches up with the unit in Italy and accompanies it through the battles of San Vittorio and Cassino. He learns from its commanding officer, Lt. (later Capt.) Bill Walker of the loneliness of command, and from the individual G.I.'s of the human capacity to survive drudgery, discomfort, and the terror of combat.

---

Plot Keywords:

combat | infantry | soldier | war correspondent | battle | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

13 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ernie Pyle's Story of G.I. Joe

Filming Locations:

Selznick International Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lester Cowan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of the humorous lines spoken by G.I.s in the film are taken, uncredited, from WWII cartoonist Bill Mauldin's "Willie and Joe" characters.

---

Goofs

When Ernie leaves his sleeping bag and other heavy gear before crossing a small stream, the shadows of the camera crew, boom mics, etc are clearly visible as he begins entering the water.

---

Quotes

Capt.Bill Walker: The new kids that come up, that's what gets you. The new ones, some of them have just got a little fuzz on their faces. They don't know what its all about. Scared to death. You know, Ernie, I know it ain't my fault that they get killed, but it makes me feel like a murderer. I hate to look at 'em, the new kids.

---

Crazy Credits

There are absolutely no credits at the end of the film, not even the words "The End".

---

Connections

Spoofed in NCIS: Thirst (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Silent Night"
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Gruber
Lyrics by Joseph Mohr
Sung by Elfie Mayerhofer on Decca Record

User Reviews

War Was Fought In The Trenches...

And war was fought in the rain and the mud and the cold....In today's wars fought on film there is very rarely a look at the true living conditions that existed. This movie does not clean up the actors (as most films do). You see here all of the gritty, day-to-day, living during the war. These guys did not clean up every day. This is a good story about WW2. Be sure to see it. 8/10