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.
Related News
-
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Hopes to Join Long Legacy of Aussies at the Oscars
11 January 2016 | Scott Feinberg -
Hiroshima 70th Anniversary: Six Must-Watch Movies Remembering the A-Bomb Terror
07 August 2015 | Alt Film Guide -
Wright Was Earliest Surviving Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner
15 March 2015 | Alt Film Guide
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Wake Island (1942)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
To Hell and Back
(1955)
Action
|
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Jesse Hibbs
Stars:
Audie Murphy,
Marshall Thompson,
Charles Drake
Guadalcanal Diary
(1943)
Drama
|
War
Director:
Lewis Seiler
Stars:
Preston Foster,
Lloyd Nolan,
William Bendix
Battle Hymn
(1957)
Biography
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Douglas Sirk
Stars:
Rock Hudson,
Anna Kashfi,
Dan Duryea
Hold Back the Dawn
(1941)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Mitchell Leisen
Stars:
Charles Boyer,
Olivia de Havilland,
Paulette Goddard
The Last Outpost
(1935)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Romance
Directors:
Charles Barton,
Louis J. Gasnier
Stars:
Cary Grant,
Gertrude Michael,
Claude Rains
The Pied Piper
(1942)
Drama
|
War
Director:
Irving Pichel
Stars:
Monty Woolley,
Roddy McDowall,
Anne Baxter
One Foot in Heaven
(1941)
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Irving Rapper
Stars:
Fredric March,
Martha Scott,
Beulah Bondi
Three Smart Girls
(1936)
Comedy
|
Musical
|
Romance
Director:
Henry Koster
Stars:
Binnie Barnes,
Charles Winninger,
Alice Brady
The Eagle and the Hawk
(1933)
Action
|
Drama
|
War
Director:
Stuart Walker
Stars:
Fredric March,
Cary Grant,
Jack Oakie
Kings Row
(1942)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Romance
Director:
Sam Wood
Stars:
Ann Sheridan,
Robert Cummings,
Ronald Reagan
One Hundred Men and a Girl
(1937)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Music
Director:
Henry Koster
Stars:
Deanna Durbin,
Adolphe Menjou,
Alice Brady
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Brian Donlevy | ... | Maj. Geoffrey Caton | |
| Macdonald Carey | ... | Lt. Bruce Cameron | |
| Robert Preston | ... | Pvt. Joe Doyle | |
| William Bendix | ... | Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall | |
| Albert Dekker | ... | Shad McClosky | |
| Walter Abel | ... | Cmdr. Roberts | |
| Mikhail Rasumny | ... | Ivan Probenzky | |
| Rod Cameron | ... | Capt. Pete Lewis | |
| Bill Goodwin | ... | Sgt. Higbee / Narrator | |
| Damian O'Flynn | ... | Capt. Bill Patrick | |
| Frank Albertson | ... | Johnny Rudd | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (48) »
Storyline
In November 1941, Major Caton takes command of the small Marine garrison on Wake Island. His tendency toward spit and polish upsets the men's tropical lassitude, but Pearl Harbor changes everything. Soon the island is attacked and the Marines pull together day by day; but how long can they hold out? Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
year 1941 | siege | u.s. marine corps | world war two | bare chested male |Taglines:
Tougher than Leather . . . Harder to Kill! Daring Americans Fighting Against All Odds! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
11 August 1942 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Heldenlegioen See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$826,061 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
[looks at Doyle]
Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: ... that includes you.
Pvt. Joe Doyle: I think you're beautiful. Go on, on your way, civilian!
See more »
(uncredited)
Composed by Gen. Daniel Butterfield 1862
Played during movie's opening.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
On December 11, Lt. Cmdr. WInfield S. Cunningham was asked by superiors in a coded message what he needed. The actual defiant message, "Send us more Japs" was never sent as such. A junior officer added the words "Send us" to the beginning of the coded reply and "more Japs" to the end in order to confuse Japanese code-breakers. When it was received it was misinterpreted as "Send us more Japs." See more »Goofs
Wake island defenders did not have a dog. See more »Quotes
Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: Any you guys who don't like this hat, you can come out here and try to knock it off.[looks at Doyle]
Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: ... that includes you.
Pvt. Joe Doyle: I think you're beautiful. Go on, on your way, civilian!
See more »
Soundtracks
Taps(uncredited)
Composed by Gen. Daniel Butterfield 1862
Played during movie's opening.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb Freedive, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
I liked this a lot more the first viewing. Some half dozen years later, I bought it when the DVD came out and was very disappointed. It just wasn't as good as I had remembered.
The movie has its good points: interesting characters, enough action to satisfy and special effects that were pretty good for its day. A cast that has Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, Robert Preston, MacDonald Carey and Albert Dekker is pretty solid, too.
What kind of grated on me with the second viewing was the dumbness of the two leads, played by Bendix and Preston. These guys, frankly, were just too stupid and annoying. The other characters were more level-headed and fine to watch.
The first half hour drags, but if you can through that, it's pretty good. There are few nice scenes with men praying, too, something you wouldn't see today. In summary, a so-so war flick. One viewing is entertaining but two is too much.