“They Were Expendable” is an exciting World War II melodrama starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford (“The Grapes of Wrath” 1940). This story of a squadron of PT boats stationed in Manila at the time of Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor benefited from a well-written screenplay by Frank Wead, adapted from the 1942 book by William Lindsay White.
The chemistry between the diverse and talented cast is certainly interesting. John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Marshall Thompson, Paul Langton, Ward Bond, Leon Ames, Cameron Mitchell, Jeff York, Arthur Walsh, Donald Curtis, Charles Trowbridge as Rear Admiral Blackwell, and others, certainly worked well together.
“They Were Expendable” was the third of fourteen pictures with director Ford and the Duke in the starring role. It earned two Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Recording. The black-and-white movie was a hit at the box office for producer John Ford and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a 135 minute running time.
They Were Expendable (1945)
cinema
My Review
“They Were Expendable” is an exciting World War II melodrama starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford (“The Grapes of Wrath” 1940). This story of a squadron of PT boats stationed in Manila at the time of Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor benefited from a well-written screenplay by Frank Wead, adapted from the 1942 book by William Lindsay White.
The chemistry between the diverse and talented cast is certainly interesting. John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Marshall Thompson, Paul Langton, Ward Bond, Leon Ames, Cameron Mitchell, Jeff York, Arthur Walsh, Donald Curtis, Charles Trowbridge as Rear Admiral Blackwell, and others, certainly worked well together.
“They Were Expendable” was the third of fourteen pictures with director Ford and the Duke in the starring role. It earned two Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Recording. The black-and-white movie was a hit at the box office for producer John Ford and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a 135 minute running time.