All the Young Men (1960)

During the Korean War, a platoon leader dies, leaving his inexperienced black Sergeant in charge of his squad of belligerent and racist white men.

Director:

Hall Bartlett

Writer:

Hall Bartlett

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Sidney Poitier, James Darren

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Ladd	...	Sgt. Kincaid
Sidney Poitier	...	Sgt. Eddie Towler
James Darren	...	Pvt. Cotton
Glenn Corbett	...	Pvt. Wade, Medic
Mort Sahl	...	Cpl. Crane
Ana María Lynch	...	Maya (as Ana St. Clair)
Paul Richards	...	Pvt. Bracken
Richard Davalos	...	Pvt. Casey (as Dick Davalos)
Lee Kinsolving	...	Pvt. Dean
Joseph Gallison	...	Pvt. Jackson (as Joe Gallison)
Paul Baxley	...	Pvt. Lazitech
Charles Quinlivan	...	Lt. Earl D. Toland
Michael Davis	...	Cho
Mario Alcalde	...	Hunter
Marie Tsien	...	Korean Woman

Storyline

During the Korean War, the lieutenant in charge of a Marine rifle platoon is killed in battle. Before he dies, he places the platoon's sergeant, who's black, in charge. The sergeant figures on having trouble with two men in his platoon: a private who has much more combat experience than he does, and a racist Southerner who doesn't like blacks in the first place and has no intention of taking orders from one.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to arizona | glacier national park | siege | platoon | sergeant | 

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Taglines:

Spit out what's on your filthy little mind ... and then take your orders from me !

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only Columbia Pictures would finance this film, but they insisted that Writer and Director Hall Bartlett re-write the film for a white co-star. Alan Ladd was the only major star willing to do the film, which he co-produced.

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Goofs

In several scenes a Chinese soldier was shooting a German WWII MP40 also known as a Schmeisser submachine gun. A Russian or a Chinese copy of a Russian weapon would have been used.

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Connections

Featured in Med krut i nävarna (1969)

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Soundtracks

All The Young Men
Music by George Duning
Lyrics by Stanley Styne
Sung by James Darren (uncredited)

User Reviews

Route Step

There isn't really much to be said about this movie. Poitier gives the only good performance but nobody can be said to have come out of this effort with much pride. The cast is filled with non-actors, including a stand-up comic and an ex-prize fighter. The singing is done by non-singers, including the ex-prize fighter. And the song after which the film is named is not only sung poorly, it's poorly written. The production values are low. There are some nice outdoor shots towards the beginning, a snowy mountainous slope. The majority of the time is spent in a single indoor set. And some of the outdoor shots are thoughtlessly done -- here are these marines dug into the snow on a hill top and there is neither wind nor smoking breath. The obligatory woman is shoehorned into the plot, but fortunately doesn't act as anyone's love interest; she's there mainly to provide a target for attempted rape. The action scenes aren't bad but they conform to every convention in the book. The marines occupy an isolated post and must prevent the Reds from coming through the pass. They are attacked by about two dozen faceless extras, all of whom are slaughtered. They die like flies, building up a big body count. Our guys die one at a time, and always live long enough to utter a few last lines -- "Find that farmhouse and take it," or "Navahos shouldn't have to die in the snow." The humor is limited and is provided entirely by Mort Sahl in monologues and occasional wisecracks. Come to think of it, the whole thing reminds me a bit of a Sam Fuller movie, maybe "Fix Bayonets". What in-group tension there is, is provided by the competitive clash between Alan Ladd (looking too old for this kind of business, but he was a producer) and Sidney Poitier as the sgt. who inherits command of the unit. There is also a racist Southern redneck who wises up before the film ends. There is no sociopolitical content to speak of. All in all, it's not a hateful movie -- there's nothing disgraceful about it -- but you can probably find better ways to spend your time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

All the Fine Young Men

Filming Locations:

Mount Baldy, White Mountains, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jaguar Productions, Ladd Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1