I Want You (1951)

In 1950, small-town Americans try to deal with military conscription.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Irwin Shaw (screen play), Edward Newhouse (based on stories: in The New Yorker)

Stars:

Dana Andrews, Dorothy McGuire, Farley Granger

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dana Andrews	...	Martin Greer
Dorothy McGuire	...	Nancy Greer
Farley Granger	...	Jack Greer
Peggy Dow	...	Carrie Turner
Robert Keith	...	Thomas Greer
Mildred Dunnock	...	Sarah Greer
Ray Collins	...	Judge Turner
Martin Milner	...	George Kress Jr.
Jim Backus	...	Harvey Landrum
Marjorie Crossland	...	Mrs. Turner
Walter Baldwin	...	George Kress Sr.
Walter Sande	...	Ned Iverson
Peggy Maley	...	Gladys
Jerrilyn Flannery	...	Anne Greer
Erik Nielsen	...	Tony Greer

Storyline

In 1950, life as usual in a middle-American town. Cold War paranoia is beginning; the young men's biggest concern is the draft board and deferments from the peacetime army. Then the Korean War begins, and the Greer family starts to worry: kid brother Jack, courting the lovely daughter of the draft board chairman, is next on the list. A character study examining American attitudes of that era.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | draft board | letter | small town | korean war | 

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Taglines:

No three words ever meant so much to so many people.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Sturm der Zeit

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Smith's film debut.

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Goofs

At the bar, Mr. Kress calls the radio a wonderful invention because news travels on it at "the speed of sound". Radio waves travel at the speed of light, not sound.

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Quotes

Thomas Greer: [about being a soldier] Now remember, if you can move it, pick it up. If you can't move it, paint it. And if it moves by itself, salute it.

User Reviews

Outstanding look at "the forgotten war's" home front.

This first-rate film about the effects of the Korean War on an Anytown U.S.A. deserves to be thought of in the same league as movies like 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' But just as history has done with the real wars, this movie seems to have gotten lost in the shadows of the much larger number of World War II dramas.

The Korean War came just five short years after WWII ended, just as many families whose lives were so disrupted by the bigger war were finally able to enjoy some peace and stability in their lives after struggles of readjustment. Lacking the impetus of a Pearl Harbor or the spectre of an Adolph Hitler, the draft was the prime mechanism for getting young men to the front lines in Korea. Older vets were now being asked to leave their homes and families again as well. This film shows surprising depth in its depiction of the problems and feelings of not only the eligible men, but their wives, mothers, fathers and girlfriends. The excellent script was written by Irwin Shaw based on magazine stories by Edward Newhouse and they provide us with an insightful look at this period in American history which doesn't get as much attention as the preceding or following decades.

Clay Blair called his book on the Korean conflict 'The Forgotten War' and this movie might be given a similar appellation, even though it deserves better. Simply as a piece of nostalgia it's enjoyable, but the movie is much more than that. It has a fine cast with many actors that even some of us baby boomers will recognize.