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Battleground Overview:

Battleground (1949) was a War - Action Film directed by William A. Wellman and produced by Dore Schary and Robert Pirosh.

SYNOPSIS

The story of a U.S. Army division in the European Theater at the end of WWII. In a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the war, the Germans launch their famous final attack, the Battle of the Bulge. Detailed study of the drama within a fighting unit of men brought together by war.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1949 --- Ceremony Number 22 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorJames WhitmoreNominated
Best CinematographyPaul C. VogelWon
Best DirectorWilliam A. WellmanNominated
Best Film EditingJohn DunningNominated
Best PictureMetro-Goldwyn-MayerNominated
Best WritingRobert PiroshWon
See More Oscar Winners

Battleground BlogHub Articles:

Battleground (1949): Bastogne and The Screaming Eagles

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 1, 2020 From 4 Star Films

“We must never again let any force dedicated to a super-race or a super-idea, or super-anything become strong enough to impose itself upon a free world. We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning to put out the fire before it starts spreading.”  ~ Leon Ames as the Chaplai... Read full article

Warner Archive Blu-ray: A Cast of Sympathetic Characters in Battleground (1949)

By KC on Mar 17, 2017 From Classic Movies

We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning. To put out the fire before it starts spreading. Battleground (1949) performs a balancing act of great precision. It plunges you into the devastation of war, but it also shows flickers of light. Though it can often be difficult to watch, thi... Read full article

Battleground (1949)

By Bonnie on Jul 4, 2016 From Classic Reel Girl

Freedom is not free. On this Independence Day, I would like to remember all those who fought for the freedom we enjoy by sharing Battleground (1949), a World War II film with authentic details and realistic characters. The movie is further fitting because one of its stars is George Murphy, t... Read full article

Battleground (1949)

By Beatrice on May 27, 2015 From Flickers in Time

Battleground Directed by William A. Wellman Written by Robert Pirosh 1949/USA Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer First viewing/Amazon Instant Soldier: Look, you’re not selling it to me, you’re showing me how to fire it. Late in life, William A. Wellman still could direct a mean action sequence. Th... Read full article

Battleground (1949)

By smumcountry on Apr 14, 2014 From Smum County

April 14, 2014 by smumcounty “This story is about, and dedicated to, those Americans who met General Heinrich von Luttwitz and his 47 Panzer Corps and won for themselves the honored and immortal name ‘The Battered Bastards of Bastogne.’” Thus begins “Battleground” (1949) and you ... Read full article

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Battleground Quotes:

[as Bettis is digging a foxhole]
Holley: Let's not try to reach China this time, hey Bettis?
Bettis: Well there's no sense digging if you don't go deep.
Holley: The last one we dug one together, you went so deep that when I climbed out in the morning I got the bends.
Holley: That the new platoon leader?
Pvt. Johnny Rodriguez: Yeah, fresh off the boat.
Pvt. Ernest J. "Pop" Stazak: I understand your problems, men. I was once an enlisted man, myself.
Holley: For six months, maybe. Then seventeen weeks at OCS and he's an officer and gentleman by special act of Congress.
Hansan: This is an M-1, semi-automatic, high velocity...
Soldier: Look, you're not selling it to me, you're showing me how to fire it.
Major: Thank you Sergeant.
Holley: That's P.F.C. to you major as in praying for civilian
The Chaplain: [at an interfaith service for the soldiers] Now it's nearly Christmas... and here we are in beautiful Bastogne enjoying the winter sports. And the $64 question is: "Was this trip necessary?" I'll try to answer that. But my sermons, like everything else in the army... depend on the situation and the terrain. So I assure you this is going to be a quickie. Was this trip necessary? Let's look at the facts. Nobody wanted this war but the Nazis. A great many people tried to deal with them, and a lot of them are dead. Millions have died... for no other reason except that the Nazis wanted them dead. So, in the final showdown, there was nothing left to do except fight. There's a great lesson in this. Those of us who've learned it the hard way aren't going to forget it. We must never again let any force dedicated to a super-race... or a super-idea, or super-anything... become strong enough to impose itself upon a free world. We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning... to put out the fire before it starts spreading. My answer to the sixty-four dollar question is yes, this trip was necessary. As the years go by, a lot of people are going to forget. But you won't. And don't ever let anybody tell you you were a sucker to fight in the war against fascism. And now, Jerry permitting, let us pray. Almighty God...
[artillery drowns him out]
The Chaplain: The organist is hitting those bass notes a little too loud for me to be heard. So let each of us pray in his own way, to his own God.
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Battleground Facts
20 veterans of the 101st Airborne who fought in the Bastogne area were hired to train the actors and were also used as extras.
The white "card suit" stencils on the sides of the soldier's helmets in the film are accurate. The WWII 101st Airborne Division used the different suits to identify their three parachute infantry (diamonds, hearts, and spades) and one glider infantry (clubs) regiments. A white "tic" at either the twelve, three, six or nine o'clock positions around the suit indicated Headquarters, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Battalions, respectively. The soldiers in "Battleground" wear the club suit of the 101st's 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, with a "tic" at the nine o'clock position, indicating they belong to that regiment's 3rd Battalion.
According to the book 'The MGM Story' by John Douglas Eames, "Battleground was a remarkable case of MGM history repeating itself. When Thalberg planned to make "The Big Parade" Mayer said no one wanted a war drama in 1925. Now Schary, the 'new Thalberg', had brought a pet project over from RKO, where Howard Hughes had vetoed it, and Mayer said no one wanted a war drama in 1949."
James Whitmore, who played the hardened Sgt. Kennie, served in the Marine Corps. during World War II.
Producer Dore Schary had been recruited to rejoin MGM following his successful run at RKO. This was one of the projects (and one that RKO boss Howard Hughes had rejected) that Schary insisted on making as part of his employment at MGM, over the protestations of MGM head Louis B. Mayer who believed that movie audiences had had their fill of war in general and war films in particular. Schary got his way. The movie was such a box office hit that within months he was elected to the board at MGM and MGM-parent Loew's Inc. chief Nick Schenck would fire Mayer by the summer of 1951.
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