Battle Circus (1953)

Set in Korea and made during the war, this is the love story of a hard-bitten Army surgeon, and a new nurse ready to save the world.

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Allen Rivkin (story), Laura Kerr (story)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson, Keenan Wynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Maj. Jed Webbe
June Allyson	...	Lt. Ruth McGara
Keenan Wynn	...	Sgt. Orvil Statt
Robert Keith	...	Lt. Col. Hilary Walters
William Campbell	...	Capt. John 'Rusty' Rustford
Perry Sheehan	...	Lt. Laurence
Patricia Tiernan	...	Lt. Rose Ashland
Adele Longmire	...	Lt. Jane Franklin
Jonathan Cott	...	Adjutant
Ann Morrison	...	Lt. Edith Edwards
Helen Winston	...	Lt. Graciano
Sarah Selby	...	Capt. Dobbs
Danny Chang	...	Korean Child
Philip Ahn	...	Korean Prisoner
Steve Forrest	...	Sergeant

Storyline

Nurse Lt. Ruth McGara is assigned to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit near the front lines of the Korean War. There she meets and is roughly romanced by Major Jed Webbe, one of the unit's surgeons. Webbe is pushy and seems to care only for momentary pleasures, but McGara falls for him just the same. Their romance blossoms in the midst of overwhelming numbers of casualties, threats from the enemy and from the weather, and emergency evacuations that test the mettle of even a unit whose very name suggests quick mobility.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | surgeon | evacuation | mobile army surgical hospital | korean war | 

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Taglines:

M-G-M's great drama of desire under fire!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

After June Allyson tells Lt. Col. Wallace about the Korean boy, Bogart uncharacteristically wipes something off of June Allyson's nose while she is talking to him. She is genuinely surprised by his action but continues on with the scene.

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Goofs

The pilot is often shown holding down the Push-to-Talk switch on the cyclic (control stick) while transmitting and receiving. With the Push-to-Talk button depressed, the pilot can transmit, but he cannot receive. These radios are simplex, not duplex like a telephone.

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Quotes

Lt. Col. Hilary Walters: Nobody in this man's army can get himself in so much trouble as you in so short a time.

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Connections

Referenced in Century of Cinema: A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

User Reviews

Interesting take on MASH with annoying romantic plot

I always hated MASH - it is a film full of unpleasant people and a very nasty line in misogyny. It was interesting then to see this much earlier film featuring a MASH unit during the Korean war. The soldiers depicted here are much more believable, at least in terms of having a command structure and enough discipline to function in a theatre of war.

Unfortunately, over fifty per cent of the movie concentrates on the romance between Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson. I'm sure it reflects the time it was made but Bogart's character would be on a charge for sexual harassment in the modern age and he comes over as rather creepy in this role though this clearly wasn't intended.

There are a couple of set pieces that are first rate and stand comparison with much better-known war movies but the ongoing romance just undermines the drama of the piece.

Definitely worth a look for the MASH elements though clearly somewhat sanitised for audiences of the day.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

MASH 66

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,201,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1