The Long Gray Line (1955)

In 1898, Irish immigrant Martin Maher is hired as a civilian employee at West Point where, during a 50-year career, he rises to the rank of NCO and instructor.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Edward Hope (screenplay), Marty Maher (based upon "Bringing Up the Brass" by)

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Robert Francis

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyrone Power	...	Martin 'Marty' Maher
Maureen O'Hara	...	Mary O'Donnell
Robert Francis	...	James N. Sundstrom Jr.
Donald Crisp	...	Old Martin
Ward Bond	...	Capt. Herman J. Kohler
Betsy Palmer	...	Kitty Carter
Philip Carey	...	Charles 'Chuck' Dotson (as Phil Carey)
William Leslie	...	James Nilsson 'Red' Sundstrom
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dwight Eisenhower
Patrick Wayne	...	Abner 'Cherub' Overton
Sean McClory	...	Dinny Maher
Peter Graves	...	Cpl. Rudolph Heinz
Milburn Stone	...	Capt. John Pershing
Erin O'Brien-Moore	...	Mrs. Koehler (as Erin O'Brien Moore)
Walter Ehlers	...	Mike Shannon (as Walter D. Ehlers)

Storyline

The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets whom he befriends. Based on the life of a real person.

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Plot Keywords:

west point | military academy | 1900s | based on book | car | 

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Taglines:

Warms Your Heart! STIRS YOUR BLOOD! and fires your imagination!

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

4 January 1955 (Japan)

Also Known As:

John Ford's The Long Gray Line

Filming Locations:

United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,748,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,100,000, 31 December 1955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Rota Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening credits prologue: The United States Military Academy at West Point is 153 years old. This is the TRUE STORY of an enlisted man who was there for 50 of those years. His name is Marty Maher.

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Goofs

In the scene where Martin meets Mary outside the gymnasium, he is carrying an armful of boxing gloves, and drops one or two. The dropped gloves change in number and position on the floor as the scene progresses, even Mary gets in the act, changing her position on the floor and relative to the gloves on the floor, and the hat on her head changing its tilt and position from scene to scene.

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Quotes

Old Martin: Do you have the Irish, woman of the house?
Mary O'Donnell: I have.

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Connections

Featured in I've Got a Secret: Episode dated 15 January 1962 (1962)

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Soundtracks

My Country, 'Tis of Thee
(uncredited)
Traditional melody
Lyrics by Samuel F. Smith

User Reviews

Pleasant Surprise!!

I've been humbled! I thought of myself as a movie buff. This one slipped past me. I'm a fan of Ford and everyone in this movie. I must admit I had never heard of this movie. Terrific story telling! The music brought back a lot of memories. The old saying "they don't make 'em like that anymore" certainly applies to this one. Telling a good story and characters you care about is more important than spending $100 million. Some of our current film makers could learn from this movie. You can entertain people sitting around a camp fire telling stories. Just tell a good one and make them care. I'll be adding this film to my library!