Three Came Home (1950)

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)
Agnes Newton Keith (book)

Release Date:

20 February 1950 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

The story of one woman's confinement in a WW II Japanese prison camp

Plot:

The true story of Agnes Newton Keith's imprisonment in several Japanese prisoner-of-war camps from 1941 to the end of WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Prisoner Of War | Japanese | Air Raid Siren | Malnutrition | Death

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Agnes Newton Keith
Patric Knowles	...	Harry Keith
Florence Desmond	...	Betty Sommers
Sessue Hayakawa	...	Colonel Suga
Sylvia Andrew	...	Henrietta
Mark Keuning	...	George Keith
Phyllis Morris	...	Sister Rose
Howard Chuman	...	Lieutenant Nekata
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Burton	...	Elderly Resident (uncredited)
Campbell Copelin	...	English Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Leslie Denison	...	English Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Devi Dja	...	Ah Yin (uncredited)
Alex Frazer	...	Dr. Bandy (uncredited)
Jerry Fujikawa	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
Clarke Gordon	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Jim Hagimori	...	Japanese Sea Captain (uncredited)
Mimi Heyworth	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Robin Hughes	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Tika Iwashaiki	...	Japenese Captain (uncredited)
Virginia Keiley	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Agnes Newton Keith	...	English Woman (uncredited)
Frank Kobata	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Ken Kurosa	...	Orderly (uncredited)
George Leigh	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Sung Li	...	Wilfred (uncredited)
James Logan	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Lee MacGregor	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Drue Mallory	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
John Mantley	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Harry Martin	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
David Matshushama	...	Evil Guard (uncredited)
Giro Murashami	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Patrick O'Moore	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Patricia O'Neal	...	English Woman (uncredited)
Melinda Plowman	...	English Girl (uncredited)
Duncan Richardson	...	English Boy (uncredited)
Al Saijo	...	Japanese Boat Pilot (uncredited)
Carol Savage	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Leslie Thomas	...	Wet Man (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Borneo Englishman (uncredited)
Peter J. Votrian	...	Charles (uncredited)
Douglas Walton	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
Helen Westcott	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Kermit Whitfield	...	Commander Pritchard (uncredited)
Patrick Whyte	...	Englishman (uncredited)
Leonard Willey	...	Governor General (uncredited)
Mazaji 'Butch' Yamamoto	...	Japanese Sergeant (uncredited)
James Yanari	...	First Lieutenant (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Negulesco

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nunnally Johnson		screenplay
Agnes Newton Keith		book

Produced by
Nunnally Johnson	....	producer

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)
William H. Daniels		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Fred J. Rode

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Esperanza Corona	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert R. Snody	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Saul Wurtzel	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
E. Clayton Ward	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Lockwood	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Ray Nolan	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ed Wynigear	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Other crew
Jason Lindsey	....	dialogue director
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	presenter
Stanley Scheuer	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (1950) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Punto Zero (2009) (Italy) (DVD) (as Enjoy Movies)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13819) | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Sandakan, Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

'The Los Angeles Times' in October 1948 announced that Olivia de Havilland would be playing Agnes Newton Keith in this movie but the lead part eventually went to Claudette Colbert.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Colonel Suga says he attended the University of Washington for four years and Agnes reveals that she attended Berkeley. Suga goes on to say that Cal "murdered" Washington's football team. However, Tatsugi Suga arrived at Washington in 1924 and during the next four seasons California never defeated Washington. Only one football game would fit Suga's description: a 33-0 loss in 1933.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

Soundtrack:

You Say the Sweetest Things (Baby)

Horrors of War !

Always enjoyed the great acting of Claudette Colbert,(Tomorrrow Is Forever",'46 and especially her role in this picture as Agnes Keith, who is captured along with her husband and son in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during WW II and towards its Victory. This film clearly shows how people in our past Wars were treated by their captives during this terrible time in American History. Agnes Keith is a successful writer and is admired by a Japanese Colonel who enjoyed her writings and even asks her for an autographed copy of her books. However, once the Colonel turns his back, all Hell breaks loose. Hollywood did a great job of trying to show the American Public what horrors went on in this Prisoner Camp and others during the entire war in the Pacific, which is quite mildly accomplished. War creates monsters out of many people and the opportunity to seek power over other human beings is an on going struggle in this world. After viewing this picture I became very interested in this subject and read,"The Rape of Nanking", by Iris Chang. This is definitely a great film that should be view by many generations in the future.