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They Were Expendable Overview:

They Were Expendable (1945) was a War - Drama Film directed by John Ford and Robert Montgomery (uncredited) and produced by John Ford and Cliff Reid.

SYNOPSIS

Ford returned from making wartime documentaries when he was convinced that this wouldn't be just another war movie. It isn't. It is an inspiring, bleak tribute to the quiet dignity and courage of the American military even as they faced certain defeat in the early days of the Pacific campaign. The true story details America's PT-boat squadrons supporting the naval war in the Philippines. Montgomery (based on real-life Medal of Honor winner John Bulkeley) commands the boats and Wayne learns the importance of duty and sacrifice as a PT-boat officer. Wayne and Reed have a sweet, tender romance when he's ordered to sick bay. Ford agreed to the movie after meeting Bulkeley at Normandy. His direction was so impassioned he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg; Montgomery finished the last two weeks of shooting (and went on to direct a few interesting features and much TV).

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

They Were Expendable BlogHub Articles:

They Were Expendable (1945)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 27, 2015 From 4 Star Films

There’s nothing very intriguing about a film entitled They Were Expendable. In essence, we already know what the conclusion of the film is, however it is important to understand the context of  when this John Ford World War II docudrama was coming out. In 1945 the Nazis and Japanese had final... Read full article

They Were Expendable (1945)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 27, 2015 From 4 Star Films

There’s nothing very intriguing about a film entitled They Were Expendable. In essence, we already know what the conclusion of the film is, however it is important to understand the context of when this John Ford World War II docudrama was coming out. In 1945 the Nazis and Japanese had finally... Read full article

They Were Expendable (1945)

By Beatrice on Dec 30, 2014 From Flickers in Time

They Were Expendable Directed by John Ford Written by Frank Wead from the book by William L. White Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer First viewing/Netflix rental This be the verse you ‘grave for me: / Here he lies where he long’d to be; / Home is the sailor, home from the sea, / And the hunter ho... Read full article

Veracity: They Were Expendable

By Duke Mantee on Nov 4, 2012 From Spoilers

They Were Expendable tells the story of a PT boat squadron, who feel left out of the war. PT boats are small and not long-range like carriers, and as such, were not used initially in important missions. This film centers on a squadron leader, Robert Montgomery, trying to prove the usefulness of his ... Read full article

They Were Expendable (1945)

By Michael on Nov 28, 2010 From Le Mot du Cinephiliaque

TSPDT Greatest Films #451 They Were Expendable (John Ford, 1945) During the Pacific War, John Ford wanted to support the troops with the one thing he mastered the best; filmmaking. He got in the Pacific Islands with color films to shot the battles of the US Navy. The ended up being the documentar... Read full article

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They Were Expendable Quotes:

Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Listen sister, I don't dance!
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: [as they watch the inspectors drive away] Wonderful the way people believe in those high powered canoes of yours.
Lt. John Brickley: Don't you believe in them, Rusty?
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And I let you sell me that stuff about a command of my own.
Lt. John Brickley: You're skipper of the 34 boat, aren't you?
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: I used to skipper a cake of soap in the bathtub, too.
[He walks off]
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Are you kidding, Brick?
Lt. John Brickley: Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do...
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And die... but I don't want to be bored to death running messages!
Lt. John Brickley: I'll see that you get the more intriguing ones.
Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Listen Brick, for years I've been taking your fatherly advice, and it's never been any good. So from now on, I'm strictly a one man band!
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They Were Expendable Facts
The real-life Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II was equipped with six 77-foot Elco PT boats, all either lost in combat or destroyed to prevent capture. In the film, the Squadron 3 boats are represented by two 80-foot Elco and four 78-foot Huckins PT boats.
In a scene on the docks, a ship named the Lucien P. Libby is in the background. In the biography "John Ford: A Bio-bibliography" by Bill Levy, there is a reference to John Ford being influenced by two teachers during his four years at Portland High School. One was an English teacher, Lucien Libby, who "helped the boy with his writing, encouraged Ford's reading, and stimulated thinking with witty comic teaching."
The movie was based on the real live exploits of John Bulkeley, a World War II Medal of Honor Recipient.
During the shooting of this movie, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of heaping insults on Wayne's head, costar Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery's benefit (Montgomery had served in the war), then he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne.
First war movie feature of John Ford.
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