The Long Gray Line

19551955
ApprovedApproved
2h 18min

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Official Trailer

Play trailer4:28

Biography Comedy Drama

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.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.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)
- Nardi Reeder Campion(based upon "Bringing Up the Brass" by)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Videos1

The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Tyrone Power and Donald Crisp in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Philip Carey in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Robert Francis in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Mamie Eisenhower, Robert Francis, and William Leslie in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Maureen O'Hara, Tyrone Power, Robert Francis, and William Leslie in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Martin 'Marty' Maheras Martin 'Marty' Maher

Mary O'Donnellas Mary O'Donnell

James N. Sundstrom Jr.as James N. Sundstrom Jr.

Old Martinas Old Martin

Capt. Herman J. Kohleras Capt. Herman J. Kohler

Kitty Carteras Kitty Carter

Charles 'Chuck' Dotsonas Charles 'Chuck' Dotson
(as Phil Carey)

James Nilsson 'Red' Sundstromas James Nilsson 'Red' Sundstrom

Harry Carey Jr.

Dwight D. Eisenhoweras Dwight D. Eisenhower

Abner 'Cherub' Overtonas Abner 'Cherub' Overton

Dinny Maheras Dinny Maher

Cpl. Rudolph Heinzas Cpl. Rudolph Heinz

Capt. John Pershingas Capt. John Pershing

Erin O'Brien-Moore

Mrs. Koehleras Mrs. Koehler
(as Erin O'Brien Moore)

Mike Shannonas Mike Shannon
(as Walter D. Ehlers)

Maj. Thomasas Maj. Thomas

McDonaldas McDonald
(uncredited)

Undetermined Secondary Roleas Undetermined Secondary Role
(uncredited)

Director
- John Ford
Writers
- Edward Hope(screenplay)
- Marty Maher(based upon "Bringing Up the Brass" by)
- Nardi Reeder Campion(based upon "Bringing Up the Brass" by)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

The Last Hurrah

7.2

The Last Hurrah

Gideon of Scotland Yard

6.6

Gideon of Scotland Yard

The Rising of the Moon

6.3

The Rising of the Moon

The Sun Shines Bright

7.0

The Sun Shines Bright

The Whole Town's Talking

7.3

The Whole Town's Talking

7 Women

6.8

The Wings of Eagles

6.7

The Wings of Eagles

The Long Voyage Home

7.0

The Long Voyage Home

Blood and Sand

6.9

Wagon Master

7.1

Two Rode Together

6.8

Two Rode Together

Sergeant Rutledge

7.4

Sergeant Rutledge

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. —Dennis Huffman<dhuffman11@kc.rr.com>

west point military academy 1900s based on book car 138 more

Taglines
- Warms Your Heart! STIRS YOUR BLOOD! and fires your imagination!
Genres
Certificate
- Approved
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
John Ford cast Jack Lemmon as Ens. Frank Pulver in Mister Roberts (1955) after having seen him test for this film.

Goofs
In the scene where Marty Maher (Tyrone Power) is giving swimming instructions to the West Point cadets, cadet James Nilsson 'Red' Sundstrom (William Leslie) dives into to the pool, swims the length of the pool and does a flip turn to swim a return lap. The flip turn in swimming was not in use in the era represented in this part of the film - pre-World War 1. The flip turn was developed by Tex Robertson of the University of Texas while training Adolph Kiefer for the 1936 Olympics.

Quotes
Jim O'Carberry: This is Marty Maher. Whitey Larson.
Martin 'Marty' Maher: How do you do, sir?
Jim O'Carberry: If you have any trouble with horses, drop around and see Marty.
Whitey Larson: But he's in the infantry!
Jim O'Carberry: Well naturally! He knows horses. You don't think they'd put him in the cavalry, do ya?

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

Soundtracks
Rosen aus dem Süden
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss

Top review

8/10

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!

helpful•29

6

Fire-9
Aug 17, 2000

Robert Francis---Was His Career Moving Into High Geer?

Release date
- January 4, 1955 (Japan)
Country of origin
- United States
Languages
- English
- Irish Gaelic
Also known as
- John Ford's The Long Gray Line
Filming locations
- United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA
Production companies
- Columbia Pictures
- Rota Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Budget
- $1,748,000 (estimated)

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 2h 18min
Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1

John Ford at Columbia 1935-1958

John Ford at Columbia 1935-1958

May 5Trailers from Hell

Tiff Review: ‘The Twentieth Century’ Excitingly Takes the Piss Out of Canadian History

Sep 8The Film Stage

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line (1955)

Top Gap

By what name was The Long Gray Line (1955) officially released in India in English?

More to explore

View list

The Most Anticipated Prequels, Sequels, and Spin-Offs

See the full list

View list

Most Anticipated Netflix Releases

See the full list

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.