The Steel Helmet (1951)

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

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

During the Korean War, strong but worn and cantankerous Sergeant Zack is aided by a young, orphaned Korean boy. Together they encounter and join a small group of American soldiers. The group stumbles upon a Buddhist temple where they decide to hold up, believing it to be empty...

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Plot Keywords:

buddhist temple | korean war | korea | u.s. army | cigar smoking | 

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Taglines:

Hits Hard at Your Heart!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

2 February 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

38ste breedtegraad

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$103,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,000,000, 31 December 1951

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deputy Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When an inexperienced Gene Evans auditioned for Fuller, he was asked about his World War II experience. Fuller had an M-1 on his desk and threw it at Evans, asking him to cock it. After the "interview" Evans got the part.

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Goofs

Short Round sings the South Korean National Anthem to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" while Pvt. Bronte plays on his organ. However, the music to South Korea's national anthem was changed from Auld Lang Syne to the Finale of Korea Fantasiaat at a ceremony celebrating the founding of South Korea on August 15th, 1948, exactly three years after liberation from Japanese rule, and three years before The Steel Helmet was made.

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Quotes

Lt. Driscoll: Well, Sergeant, I told you it was a waste of time.
Sgt. Zack: If I was right all the time I'd be an officer, Lieutenant.

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Crazy Credits

Instead of the traditional "The End", the closing title reads, "There is no end to this story".

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Connections

Featured in A Fuller Life (2013)

User Reviews

Great early view of Korean War

One of the earliest films to deal with the Korean War, Steel Helmet has good action (on a limited budget, which shows in the largest battle scene), well-drawn characters, and visits more than one contemporaneous issue, including racism and manipulation of that issue by the Soviets and their satellites during the Cold War.

I saw the film originally in its year of release and was riveted to the screen. For me, the best element of the film is Gene Evans' portrayal of Sgt. Zack, a hard boiled, but not cast-iron career soldier. I've not seen anything of Gene's to rival this portrayal.

Viewed as a document both for, and yet a little ahead of its time, Steel Helmet is a great lower budget contribution to the film literature of the Korean War.