Carbine Williams (1952)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Art Cohn (screenplay)
Art Cohn (story)

Release Date:

May 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

This is my Story

Plot:

This is the story of David Marshall 'Marsh' Williams, the real life inventor of the world famous M-1 Carbine automatic riffle used in WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Chain Gang | Whipping Post | Deputy | Whipping | Deputy Sheriff

Cast

James Stewart	...	Marsh Williams
Jean Hagen	...	Maggie Williams
Wendell Corey	...	Capt. H.T. Peoples
Carl Benton Reid	...	Claude Williams
Paul Stewart	...	'Dutch' Kruger
Otto Hulett	...	Mobley (guard at chain-gang camp)
Rhys Williams	...	Redwick Karson
Herbert Heyes	...	Lionel Daniels
James Arness	...	Leon Williams
Porter Hall	...	Sam Markley
Fay Roope	...	Ed - District Attorney
Ralph Dumke	...	Andrew White (Williams' attorney)
Leif Erickson	...	Feder (prisoner at chain-gang camp)
Henry Corden	...	Bill Stockton
Frank Richards	...	Truex

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

James Stewart actively sought the lead role, despite being too old for it, because the film reflected his right-wing views.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marsh tests his gun in prison, he loads three shells and fires four.

classic Stewart

This is the story of convicted murderer David Marshall Williams who invented the M-1 carbine rifle that was used in WW11. This is James Stewart at his laid back, laconic best.However he injects a darker side to his role as a moonshiner,wrongly or rightly accused of killing a federal Marshall.His innocence or lack of it was neatly sidestepped as this is the story of his invention not of his crime. For modern films viewers the prison scenes may seem slightly twee and a bit too clean cut compared to modern prison classics such as The Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile but some scenes really pack a punch they include a man being whipped and James Stewert in solitary confinement for differences with the prison warden. Jean Hagen does well in a supporting role as his wife who promises to wait for her husband till he completes his 30 year prison sentence. This film also has moments of great beauty the foremost being David M Williams being let out of jail for 24 hours to visit his wife.He is trying to get his wife to divorce him and she says, "without you I am only half a person,you are my other half".Priceless. This may not be considered by many to be a classic movie but it is certainly a very satisfying one that gives you a warm feeling inside at the end. Thank you TCM for showing another golden oldie.8/10