MacArthur (1977)

Biopic of General Douglas MacArthur covering his war exploits during WW2 and the Korean War.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Dan O'Herlihy, Ed Flanders

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Ivan Bonar	...	General Sutherland
Ward Costello	...	General Marshall
Nicolas Coster	...	Colonel Huff
Marj Dusay	...	Mrs. MacArthur
Ed Flanders	...	President Truman
Art Fleming	...	The Secretary
Russell Johnson	...	Admiral King (as Russell D. Johnson)
Sandy Kenyon	...	General Wainwright
Robert Mandan	...	Representative Martin
Allan Miller	...	Colonal Diller
Dan O'Herlihy	...	President Roosevelt
Dick O'Neill	...	Colonel Whitney
Addison Powell	...	Admiral Nimitz
Tom Rosqui	...	General Sampson

Storyline

The story of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and United Nations Commander for the Korean War. "MacArthur" begins in 1942, following the fall of Phillipines, and covers the remarkable career of this military legend up through and including the Korean War and into MacArthur's days of forced retirement after being dismissed from his post by President Truman.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | douglas macarthur character | korean war | general | japan | 

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Taglines:

Daring, Defiant, Brilliant, Stubborn, Gallant, Glory-Hungry, Cold, Compassionate, Idolized, Despised, War-Lover, War-Hater, Supreme Commander, Supreme Egotist, Husband, Father. MacArthur.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though much of this movie is set in Asia and the South Pacific, this picture was actually filmed entirely in the USA.

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Goofs

When MacArthur is awarded the Medal of Honor, he incorrectly refers to it as the "Congressional" Medal of Honor. Although that error is common among civilians, as a General and as the son of a Medal of Honor recipient, he should have known better.

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Quotes

Gen. Douglas MacArthur: The days of the frontal attack are over. Only a mediocre commander would use it. Your good commanders do not turn in heavy losses.

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Alternate Versions

TBS (Turner Broadcasting Station) shown an extended version never seen before. This version had never before seen footage Starring James Shigeta as General Yamashita. There are scenes of him reviewing Macarthur's military background. His aid pleading his surrender and Macarthur's refusal to pardon him after his war crime trial.

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Connections

References Sergeant York (1941)

User Reviews

Great, well done story of the controversial American General , superbly played by Gregory Peck.

No matter what you have to say about MacArthur, critical or otherwise, he shaped events in the Pacific theater of World War II to give him a part of history in the twentieth century. In this well done production with Gregory Peck in the leading role, he gives a candid performance of the flamboyant and publicity seeking authoritative General who turned earlier defeat into ultimate victory. His great speech on arrival from the Phillipines, by train at Spencer Street Station in Melbourne Australia in March 1942 incorporating those famous words - " I came through and I shall return" - was an inspiration to many Australians during their darkest hour.

From the time of his arrival in our country he quickly abandoned the idea of defending any mainland invasion by the Japanese and decided on an offensive in New Guinea as a counter attack. Peck is perfect in the role of the self minded MacArthur doggedly pursuing the Japanese back to their homeland while arguing with his own superiors, including U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt over his earlier promise to liberate the Phillipines, which was planned to be bypassed. After the Japanese surrender, MacArthur becomes virtual ruler of Japan modifying old customs and instituting sweeping land reforms. His authority remained absolute until the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when he clashed with new U.S. President Harry Truman over his successful campaign against the North Koreans and his intention to take on their Communist Chinese backers. Truman, wanting to avoid another world conflict, relieves MacArthur of his command and he is recalled home. Peck is magnificent with his captivating speech before a band of West Point recruits where he details his life and closes the movie with that famous caption " Old soldiers never die - they just fade away". This movie is a must for the younger generation of this world, to know that today's freedom was the result of the sacrifices made by their forbears.

To add a final footnote my mother worked at Archerfield aerodrome in Brisbane in 1942 with her sister where they were employed as aircraft riveter's being responsible for the repair of the fuselage of damaged U.S. Aircraft used during the defense of our country during World War 2. She told me well before her death in March 2004 how she took her limited time off from work to travel to central Brisbane just to watch General MacArthur walk down Queen Street from his home base at Lennons Hotel to the AMP building in Edward Street where he had his headquarters.

She said what a fine figure he cut, tall and handsome, and full of confidence in his goal of supreme victory. Her expectations in the faith of this great American General were ultimately justified. We are a free country today for the contribution of his great military expertise in the time of our greatest need.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

MacArthur

Filming Locations:

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1