IMDb > They Were Expendable (1945)
They Were Expendable
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

They Were Expendable (1945) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 23 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
They Were Expendable (1945) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)
IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   2,597 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Ford
(more)
Writers:
William L. White (book)
Frank Wead (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for They Were Expendable on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1945 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | War more
Tagline:
A Spine-Tingling Thundering Saga Of The Sea! more
Plot:
A dramatized account of the role of the American PT Boats in the defense of the Philippines in World War II. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
Directors We Love: John Ford
 (From Cinematical. 16 September 2009, 8:15 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
The Monkeys Have No Tails in Samboango more (59 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Robert Montgomery ... Lt. John Brickley (as Robert Montgomery Comdr. U.S.N.R.)

John Wayne ... Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan

Donna Reed ... Lt. Sandy Davyss
Jack Holt ... General Martin
Ward Bond ... 'Boats' Mulcahey C.B.M.
Marshall Thompson ... Ens. 'Snake' Gardner
Paul Langton ... Ens. 'Andy' Andrews
Leon Ames ... Major James Morton
Arthur Walsh ... Seaman Jones
Donald Curtis ... Lt. (J.G.) 'Shorty' Long
Cameron Mitchell ... Ens. George Cross
Jeff York ... Ens. Tony Aiken
Murray Alper ... 'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c
Harry Tenbrook ... 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c
Jack Pennick ... 'Doc'
Alex Havier ... 'Benny' Lecoco ST 3c
Charles Trowbridge ... Admiral Blackwell
Robert Barrat ... The General
Bruce Kellogg ... Elder Tompkins M.M. 2c
Tim Murdock ... Ens. Brant
Louis Jean Heydt ... 'Ohio'
Russell Simpson ... 'Dad' Knowland

Vernon Steele ... Army Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pedro de Cordoba ... Priest (scenes deleted)
Philip Ahn ... Army Orderly (uncredited)
Steve Barclay ... Naval Officer (uncredited)
Bill Barnum ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Betty Blythe ... Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Danny Borzage ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Al Bridge ... Lieutenant Colonel (uncredited)
George Bruggeman ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Charles Calhoun ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
James Carlisle ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
John Carlyle ... Lt. James (uncredited)
Jack Carrington ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Bruce Carruthers ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Tony Carson ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Jack Cheatham ... Commander (uncredited)
Fred Coby ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Roger Cole ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jane Crowley ... Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Henry H. Daniels Jr. ... Sailor (uncredited)
William B. Davidson ... Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Marjorie Davies ... Nurse (uncredited)
Patrick Davis ... Pilot (uncredited)
Gary Delmar ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Larry Dods ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Ernest Dominguez ... Filipino Boy (uncredited)
Frank Donahue ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
William 'Red' Donahue ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
George Economides ... Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Michael Economides ... Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Blake Edwards ... Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Frank Eldredge ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
John Epper ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jim Farley ... (uncredited)
Charles Ferguson ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Leonard Fisher ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo ... Asian Bartender (uncredited)
Wallace Ford ... (uncredited)
Art Foster ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Almeda Fowler ... Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Mary Jane French ... Lost Nurse (uncredited)
Jon Gilbreath ... Submarine Commander (uncredited)
Duke Green ... PT-41 Boat Starboard Torpedoman (uncredited)
Sherry Hall ... Marine Major (uncredited)
Del Hill ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Robert Homans ... Bartender at Manila Hotel (uncredited)
Vincent Isla ... Filipino Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Dick Karl ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Michael Kirby ... Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Michael Kostrick ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Paul Kruger ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Stubby Kruger ... Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Jack Lee ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Donald S. Lewis ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Jack Lorenz ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Leota Lorraine ... Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Trina Lowe ... Gardner's Girlfriend (uncredited)
Jack Luden ... Naval Air Captain (uncredited)
Ted Lundigan ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
James Magill ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
George Magrill ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Eve March ... Nurse (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard ... Airport Officer (uncredited)
Merrill McCormick ... Wounded Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Frank McGrath ... Slim Bearded CPO (uncredited)
Leonard Mellin ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Karl Miller ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Henry Mirelez ... Filipino Boy (uncredited)
Margaret Morton ... Bartender's Wife (uncredited)
Jack Mower ... Officer (uncredited)
Forbes Murray ... Navy Captain (uncredited)
Charles Murray Jr. ... Jeep Driver (uncredited)
Bill Neff ... Submarine Skipper / Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Bill Nind ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor ... Silver Dollar Bartender (uncredited)
Max Ong ... Mayor of Cebu (uncredited)
Franklin Parker ... Naval Officer (uncredited)
Frank Pershing ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Nino Pipitone Jr. ... Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Dan Quigg ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Robert Shelby Randall ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Clifford Rathjen ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Joey Ray ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
William McKeever Riley ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Jack Ross ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
John Roy ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Harold Schlickenmayer ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Ernest Seftig ... Naval Officer (uncredited)
Jack Semple ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Brent Shugar ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Sam Simone ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Reginald Simpson ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley ... Marine Orderly (uncredited)
Ralph Soncuya ... Filipino Orderly (uncredited)
Leonard Stanford ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Larry Steers ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Sammy Stein ... Sammy - Boat Crewman (uncredited)
Jack Stoney ... Boat Crew Member (uncredited)
Robert Strong ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Roy Thomas ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Bob Thom ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Dick Thorne ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Pacita Tod-Tod ... Nightclub Singer (uncredited)
Brad Towne ... Man in Admiral's Office (uncredited)
Jack Trent ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Tom Tyler ... Captain at Airport (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan ... Naval Doctor (uncredited)
Eleanore Vogel ... Officer's Wife (uncredited)
Hansel Warner ... Officer at Airport (uncredited)
Billy Wilkerson ... Sgt. Smith (uncredited)
Roque Ybarra Jr. ... Bartender's Child (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
John Ford  (as John Ford Captain U.S.N.R.)
Robert Montgomery (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
William L. White (book)

Frank Wead (screenplay) (as Frank Wead Comdr. U.S.N. [Ret])

Produced by
Cliff Reid .... associate producer
John Ford .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Herbert Stothart 
 
Cinematography by
Joseph H. August  (as Joseph H. August Lt. Comdr. U.S.N.R.)
 
Film Editing by
Douglass Biggs 
Frank E. Hull 
 
Art Direction by
Malcolm Brown 
Cedric Gibbons 
 
Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis 
 
Costume Design by
Yvonne Wood (uncredited)
 
Makeup Department
Jack Dawn .... makeup designer
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Curtis Havens .... second unit director (as James C. Havens Captain U.S.M.C.R.)
Edward O'Fearna .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Ralph S. Hurst .... associate set decorator
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording director
Michael Steinore .... sound effects (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie .... special effects
Donald Jahraus .... special effects (uncredited)
R.A. MacDonald .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Jack Stoney .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Harold Byrns .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Alberto Colombo .... composer: additional music (uncredited)
Murray Cutter .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Eric Zeisl .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Robert Montgomery .... director: rear projection plates (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
135 min | West Germany:107 min (cut version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
West Germany:12 (f) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 (1964) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #11113)
Filming Locations:
Florida Keys, Florida, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
"Dad" Knowlton, the shipwright who repairs the PT boats, has a poignant little scene in which he refuses to leave the place he's lived and worked for forty years, although the Japanese are advancing. Rusty Ryan, John Wayne's character, finally leaves Dad sitting alone on his porch with a rifle in his hands and a jug of moonshine between his knees, as "Red River Valley" plays in the background. How eerily reminiscent of "The Grapes of Wrath," which is particularly appropriate because Dad is played by Russell Simpson, whom John Ford directed as Pa Joad in 1940. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The Japanese air attack at the beginning of the movie shows the aircraft strafing the PT boats. None of the aircraft flying in the scene are carrying bombs, nor are there attachments on the wings for carrying bombs. more
Quotes:
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Listen Brick, for years I've been taking your fatherly advice, and it's never been any good. So from now on, I'm strictly a one man band! more
Movie Connections:
Edited into Malaya (1949) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
38 out of 43 people found the following comment useful.
The Monkeys Have No Tails in Samboango, 22 November 2000
10/10
Author: tlc75372 from AR

Wayne and Ford at their peak.

Somehow I missed this film until a few years ago on a cable movie channel. Growing up with WWII as the dominant theme of modern history and an appreciation of the older film stars, this film is without question the most realistic in terms of the message and of just passed events with superb performances in the old morality style of the 40's.

The old Navy, surviving in the Asiatic backwater where promotions could take years, bears the brunt of the onslaught of total war for America. A heroic tragedy of holding the line to bide time for the Nation to recover.

A story for all time, the greatest war movie of all time. No matter how large the budget and digital special effects, they will never capture the texture and feel of this film. The dying of the old Navy from Yangtze to Cavite with gutsy sailors like "Boats" living hard in the backwater paradise of the Pacific on $20 a month.

The tragedy of continuing defeat, overwhelming catastrophic events, the ill prepared Nation, the dying of the old Navy, all combine to make this film, made with event still fresh in the actors and film makers minds, a statement of that war and of the heroes which the audience knew first hand. It says, we knew these men and boys and they were as fine a heroes this country has ever produced and they will live larger than life for as long as this film exists.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (59 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for They Were Expendable (1945)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Tune steve@mx21.tiki.ne.jp
Pulling John Wayne's Pants Off cluvonj
This Movie is Brilliant! Friesen_471
Robert Montgomery Co-Director redstarsoldier
Director Ford dissed Wayne during filming jjj58205-1
Radio voice greggbernstein
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
From Here to Eternity All Quiet on the Western Front Capitaine Conan Empire of the Sun Giant
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.