Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Wake Island

  • 1942
  • Passed
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
William Bendix, Brian Donlevy, Macdonald Carey, Albert Dekker, and Robert Preston in Wake Island (1942)
ActionDramaWar

December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.

  • Director
    • John Farrow
  • Writers
    • W.R. Burnett
    • Frank Butler
    • Lawrence Hazard
  • Stars
    • Brian Donlevy
    • Robert Preston
    • Macdonald Carey
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Farrow
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett
      • Frank Butler
      • Lawrence Hazard
    • Stars
      • Brian Donlevy
      • Robert Preston
      • Macdonald Carey
    • 28User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 2 wins & 6 nominations total

    Photos53

    Brian Donlevy, Macdonald Carey, Albert Dekker, and Robert Preston in Wake Island (1942)
    William Bendix, Bill Goodwin, and Robert Preston in Wake Island (1942)
    Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker in Wake Island (1942)
    Wake Island (1942)
    Brian Donlevy and Macdonald Carey in Wake Island (1942)
    Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker in Wake Island (1942)
    Wake Island (1942)
    Barbara Britton in Wake Island (1942)
    William Bendix and Robert Preston in Wake Island (1942)
    Bill Goodwin in Wake Island (1942)
    Wake Island (1942)
    William Bendix in Wake Island (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brian Donlevy
    Brian Donlevy
    • Maj. Geoffrey Caton
    Robert Preston
    Robert Preston
    • Pvt. Joe Doyle
    Macdonald Carey
    Macdonald Carey
    • Lt. Bruce Cameron
    William Bendix
    William Bendix
    • Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall
    Albert Dekker
    Albert Dekker
    • Shad McClosky
    Walter Abel
    Walter Abel
    • Cmdr. Roberts
    Mikhail Rasumny
    Mikhail Rasumny
    • Ivan Probenzky
    Rod Cameron
    Rod Cameron
    • Capt. Pete Lewis
    Bill Goodwin
    Bill Goodwin
    • Sgt. Higbee…
    Damian O'Flynn
    Damian O'Flynn
    • Capt. Bill Patrick
    Frank Albertson
    Frank Albertson
    • Johnny Rudd
    Joyce Arleen
    • Cynthia Caton
    • (uncredited)
    Hugh Beaumont
    Hugh Beaumont
    • Captain
    • (uncredited)
    Barbara Britton
    Barbara Britton
    • Sally Cameron
    • (uncredited)
    Hillary Brooke
    Hillary Brooke
    • Girl at the Inn
    • (uncredited)
    James Brown
    James Brown
    • Wounded Marine First Lieutenant
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Carson
    Robert Carson
    • Marine Spotting Reconnaissance Plane
    • (uncredited)
    Don Castle
    Don Castle
    • Pvt. Cunkle
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • John Farrow
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett(uncredited)
      • Frank Butler
      • Lawrence Hazard(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Pied Piper
    7.1
    The Pied Piper
    Air Force
    7.0
    Air Force
    Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
    7.2
    Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
    In Which We Serve
    7.2
    In Which We Serve
    Destination Tokyo
    7.1
    Destination Tokyo
    Battleground
    7.4
    Battleground
    Sahara
    7.5
    Sahara
    Went the Day Well?
    7.5
    Went the Day Well?
    Action in the North Atlantic
    7.0
    Action in the North Atlantic
    Random Harvest
    7.9
    Random Harvest
    Twelve O'Clock High
    7.7
    Twelve O'Clock High
    36 Hours
    7.3
    36 Hours

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Paramount began work on this movie before the real-life battle for Wake Island was over.
    • Goofs
      During the aerial battle at around 38 minutes one of the island defenders is shown shooting down a biplane. Biplanes would have been fazed out as tactical weapons long before the war began.
    • Quotes

      Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: Boys, the honeymoon's over. From now on you're marines.

    • Connections
      Featured in Paramount Victory Short No. T2-3: The Price of Victory (1942)
    • Soundtracks
      Marine Hymn
      (uncredited)

      Music by Jacques Offenbach ("Gendarme's Duet") 1867

      Heard under opening credirs

    User reviews28

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    First-Rate Flag Waver
    It's 1942 and the war in the Pacific is still in doubt. Japan has taken the Philippines and is moving on the rocky atolls of the central Pacific. Wake is smack in the middle and of no real value except militarily as a stepping-stone to bigger prizes.

    This Paramount production adds up to an expertly mounted flag waver. Sure, maybe the Japanese have taken the island, but viewers are treated to heroic resistance from the Marine defenders that's bound to rally a grim American home front. The battle scenes--air, water, and ground--are realistic as heck, location shots blending almost seamlessly with occasional sets. Then too, the set-up footage of what purports to be an island Marine base is convincing as heck. Clearly Paramount understood the significance of its production.

    For old time movie buffs, it's a treat catching the likes of Bill Bendix, Preston Foster, and Brian Donlevy, the former two providing the flick's macho humor. But don't look for skirts, it's an all male cast, understandably. And except for the tricky Japanese diplomat in the first part, the enemy is not parodied, rather surprising given the circumstances. All in all, the 80+ minutes amounts to a first-rate tribute to American fighting spirit even under impossible odds. However, if you don't like movie bullets or explosions, steer clear.
    helpful•4
    0
    • dougdoepke
    • Sep 7, 2019

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 11, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • La isla de la gloria
    • Filming locations
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, USA(air scenes of Japanese attack planes)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $826,061 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    William Bendix, Brian Donlevy, Macdonald Carey, Albert Dekker, and Robert Preston in Wake Island (1942)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Wake Island (1942) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.