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:

It's the REAL Korean Story!

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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

In an early scene, Cpl. Thompson identifies himself as a WWII veteran of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division. That unit is the same one in which director Samuel Fuller served.

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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

Sergeant Zack: Where's your people?
Short Round: With Buddha.

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Crazy Credits

and introducing Gene Evans as Zack

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Connections

Featured in A Fuller Life (2013)

User Reviews

"He's a corpse now, no one cares who he is"

What could have been a flimsy, disposable b-movie in the hands of other, less competent directors, becomes an evocative war tale of grit, fear, loss and redemption in the hands of Sam Fuller. There's no abstract sophistication or sentimental pap though: this is raw and true film-making, unpretentious and stripped of all fat. Director Sam Fuller is a unique beast in the American underground: having worked both as a crime report for NYC newspapers before he enlisted as a soldier in WWII, it comes natural then that the Steel Helmet has the urgency and power of both of his pre-directorial careers. A reporter's sense of story and characters above all and the firsthand experience of a war veteran. True to itself, simple but never simplistic, with respect to the subject matter and without any flag waving, The Steel Helmet is better than it had any right to be. It is still a low-profile (in terms of stars and publicity or lack thereof) b-movie but shot with a conviction and passion few a-list movies can muster.