The story of Johnson Whittaker, one of the first African-American cadets admitted to West Point. Tied down and beaten by his fellow cadets, Whittaker was court-martialed on the grounds that...
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Title: Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (TV Movie 1994)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Samuel L. Jackson | ... | Richard Greener | |
| Sam Waterston | ... | Daniel Chamberlain | |
| Mason Adams | ... | Henry D. Hyde | |
| Val Avery | ... | Gen. Sherman | |
| Eddie Bracken | ... | Maj. Charles T. Alexander | |
| Gene Canfield | ... | McIntosh | |
| Robert Clohessy | ... | Dan Broyles | |
| Al Freeman Jr. | ... | Old Johnson Whittaker | |
| Ken Garito | ... | Cadet Lewis Ostheim | |
| Greg Germann | ... | Vernon Bailey | |
| John Glover | ... | Maj. Asa Bird Gardiner | |
| Brad Greenquist | ... | Dr. Beard | |
| Peter Maloney | ... | Capt. William Smith Michie | |
| George Martin | ... | President Rutherford B. Hayes | |
 |
Scott Paetty | ... | Cadet George Burnett |
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Plot Summary
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The story of Johnson Whittaker, one of the first African-American cadets admitted to West Point. Tied down and beaten by his fellow cadets, Whittaker was court-martialed on the grounds that he staged his own assault to avoid taking a philosophy exam. His defense attorneys consisted of a racist and a Harvard Graduate who squabble over how best to present his defense. Written by Keath <keath@webtv.net>
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Cadet Johnson Whittaker: I don't know, I'm not a hogs marker.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Waterston appeared on Law & Order (1990). See more »Goofs
The Garand rifle on the cover picture wasn't designed till the 1930s. See more »Quotes
Maj. Asa Bird Gardiner: They shouted, "This is how we mark hogs down South". How do they mark hogs down South?Cadet Johnson Whittaker: I don't know, I'm not a hogs marker.
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This is an important piece of history imaginatively staged. Sam Waterston executed a bravura performance as the abolitionist and civil war hero Daniel Chamberlain who liked emancipation but was unwilling to accept equality. The spencerian social darwinianism which infected upper caste society was accurately presented, even though as we reach the twilight of the American era it sounds so childishly stupid. To people of the time what they said stemmed from scientific fact, the novel doctrine of evolution which had devolved into a belief that, if the existing order were not to have been ordained by a Supreme Being, it was dictated by natural forces over which man had no control.
The cast and writers paid careful attention to the diction of the civil war era which to us today sounds so stiff and formal yet capable of concealing much wry, introspective humor.
The film also brought to the fore an interesting character Asa Bird Gardiner little known out of the limited circles of military law scholars.
Well done!
Comparable films: Courtmartial of Billy Mitchell, Courtmartial of Jackie Robinson, Caine Mutiny, Hart's War