Retreat, Hell! (1952)

During the Korean War, a U.S. Marine battalion must fight its way out of a frozen mountain pass despite diminishing supplies, freezing temperatures and constant attacks by overwhelming ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writers:

Milton Sperling (screenplay), Ted Sherdeman (screenplay),

Stars:

Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise

Cast

Cast overview:
Frank Lovejoy	...	Lt. Col. Steve L. Corbett
Richard Carlson	...	Capt. Paul Hansen
Anita Louise	...	Ruth Hansen
Russ Tamblyn	...	Jimmy W. McDermid (as Rusty Tamblyn)
Nedrick Young	...	Sgt. Novak (as Ned Young)
Lamont Johnson	...	Capt. 'Tink' O'Grady
Robert Ellis	...	Shorty Devine
Paul Smith	...	Andy Smith
Peter Ortiz	...	Maj. Knox
Dorothy Patrick	...	Eve O'Grady
Morton C. Thompson	...	Capt. K,yser
Joseph Keane	...	Lt. Ortiz

Storyline

During the Korean War, a U.S. Marine battalion must fight its way out of a frozen mountain pass despite diminishing supplies, freezing temperatures and constant attacks by overwhelming numbers of Chinese soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese | marine | korean war | winter | seoul korea | 

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Taglines:

A bunch of husky guys in battle-green who showed the world you can't stop a Marine.

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

6 October 1952 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

We Came Out Fighting

Filming Locations:

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

United States Pictures, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Picerni was originally cast as Capt. O'Grady and shot some scenes, but Warner Bros. decided it wanted him in the Errol Flynn actioner Mara Maru instead and replaced him on this picture with Lamont Johnson.

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Goofs

Right after the Marines stop the huge communist attack near the end of the movie, Captain Hansen gets out of his foxhole to check on his men. Nearby are dozens of fallen enemy troops. If any of these soldiers were just wounded or pretending to be dead, they could easily have shot Hansen, since he was fully exposed to them. A real Marine officer would never have been this careless.

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Quotes

Lt. Col. Steve L. Corbett: Retreat hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction.

User Reviews

A fighting retreat is not a defeat

War is hell. This grim movie bears that out. At least this black and white movie is consistent from start to finish as it portrays United States Marines landing and later retreating in the frozen hell of Korea. The movie's redeeming qualities are its educational aspects and the actual combat footage. Story, dialog, casting, acting and special effects are all about average. I thought the characterization was better than average at times, as it showed Marines struggling with loss, despair, fear, hope, joy and even expressing compassion. Korea has been termed the forgotten war. That is unfortunate as it was and still is very relevant, even to this day. Witness the recent demonstration of nuclear power by North Korea and the consternation it has generated. The younger generation should be aware of our nations history and this movie can be a fun and enlightening way to do so. They might wonder what Chinese soldiers are doing there. At one point our movie's characters are almost saying a famous line from a later movie--"Who are these guys?" Overall, Retreat, Hell! is a respectable war movie.