The Steel Helmet (1951)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller (writer)

Release Date:

2 February 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

It's the REAL Korean Story!

Plot:

A ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.

Plot Keywords:

Buddhist Temple | Korean War | Sergeant | Korean Boy | Conscientious Objector

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gene Evans	...	Sgt. Zack
Robert Hutton	...	Pvt. Bronte
Steve Brodie	...	Lt. Driscoll
James Edwards	...	Cpl. Thompson
Richard Loo	...	Sgt. Tanaka
Sid Melton	...	Joe
Richard Monahan	...	Pvt. Baldy
William Chun	...	Short Round
Harold Fong	...	The Red
Neyle Morrow	...	First GI
Lynn Stalmaster	...	Second Lieutenant

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Deputy Corporation

Trivia:

Although it looks like there are quite a bit more, there were actually only 25 extras in this picture, playing both American and North Korean soldiers, and all of them were students from UCLA (the battle scenes were shot in Griffith Park).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The stock footage used in the artillery barrage of the North Korean attack includes WWII-era footage of German artillery on the Atlantic Wall.

Quotes:

First GI: I found a dead American.
Cpl. Thompson: Are you sure he's dead? You gotta be sure, you know.
First GI: Half his head is gone.
Cpl. Thompson: I better check.
Sergeant Zack: He said his head was gone. Save your strength.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

my very first movie

While maybe not the greatest of all war pictures, STEEL HELMET is the first film I remember seeing on TV as a kid! I don't know what year, or how old I was, but we didn't yet have a TV set, we were visiting a relative's house, who had one, and as the adults were in the main room playing cards and drinking, I lay on the sofa (still captivated by this new invention, imagine: Movies right in your house!,) watched Steel Helmet all the way through! Normally, as little kid, I would've fallen asleep, but for some strange reason, this film mesmerized me and captured my attention so well, I remembered it all through the years, and it became available on VHS, I snatched up a copy right away! Still Have it, and I'm looking to find a DVD version as well! Wow! What a memory! This would have been about '52 or '53 or '54!