Pride of the Marines (Warner Bros.) (1945)

If It Can’t Be Done — Tell It To The Marines It's tougher than ever these days for sightseers to crash studio gates but two Marine privates, Fred Burns and Allen Carpenter, had the red carpet rolled out for them at Warner Bros. during the filming of the John Garfield starrer, ''Pride Of The Marines," currently at the Strand. The marines had hitch-hiked a ride with Delmer Daves, the director, and mentioned that the one thing they would like to do most was see how pictures are made. Daves, then engaged in shooting the film, said, "I'll take you up on that, and at the same time you can help me." They spent the whole day as his guests on the set, and in the evening, in order to give Daves the reactions of a couple of typical servicemen, they became the first two to see the reels of film already shot on the picture. Still 639-119 Mat G08?" 156 John Garfield and Eleanor Parker in a romantic moment from Warner Bros.’ newest drama, "Pride of the Marines,’ which opens Friday at the Strand. Also starred in the film is: Dane Clark. Liberty Bell Used In Film As Scene Prop The introductory shot of Warner Bros.’ “Pride Of The Marines,” the John Garfield starring film now at the trand, is that of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. In the background the narrator explains that this is the story of a typical American boy and girl of the generation that became twenty-one on December 7, 1941. There are several passersby in the background of the shot, and there is one figure of a man looking reverently up at the big bell as it tolls. But when the Warner company was back in Philadelphia on location during the picture’s filming, Sergeant Al Schmid, the marine who was wounded at Guadalcanal and the man the script was written about, asked Director Delmar Daves if he couldn’t be the figure in the background looking up at the bell — “just for luck.” Research Material Gathered In Huge Quantity For Film Sixteen volumes of photographs and eight volumes of news clippings and other data dealing with the historic marine capture of Guadalcanal were compiled by the Warner Bros. research department for one battle sequence in the new John .Garfield starrer, "Pride Of The Marines,}' currently at the Strand. The scene itself, occupies only four minutes of the running time of the picture. Warner Bros.’ ‘Pride of thes Marines’ Arrives Friday At Strand Theatre Contribute Toward Stars John Garfield, Eleanor Parker and Dane Clark In Rousing Story of Al Schmid — The One-Man Marine Corps (Advance Theatre Story) The ‘ stirring “saga: of “Al Schmid, gallant warrior and brave American, is warmly and tenderly told in Warner Bros.’ newest screen drama, “Pride of the Marines,” which arrives Friday at the Strand Theatre. Starring John Garfield as the courageous Marine sergeant, Eleanor Parker and Dane Clark, “Pride of the Marines” is the warmly-moving story of that generation of Americans who came of age on December 7, 1941. On _ that day, when the future of our way of life was to be forged in steel, Al Schmid’s story begins. Born In Philadelphia All stories must have a beginning and Al’s commences in Philadelphia. Here it was that he lived a normal and healthy young manhood, taking his knocks, his boosts and his fun as it came. Al wasn’t much different than anyone of the legion of youngsters that were fliver happy in those days. He had his own jalopy . .. and he had a girl. They didn’t talk about love and such, Al and Ruth Hartley (Eleanor Parker) but it was there just the same, in her eyes, in his gentle concern. Then, on a Sunday in early December, they heard words over a_ loudspeaker that changed the pattern of their lives. Enlists In Marines For a while, Al Schmid fought a battle with himself. Pearl Harbor had begun to burn inside of him and it was not long before he joined a slow moving line that wound about the doors of a Philadelphia_ recruiting office. His choice was the United States Marines. Al’s friends, the Merchants (John Ridgely and Ann Doran) were the first to know and then he told Ruth. She didn’t say much that winter’s evening as she helped Al pack and that was the way he wanted it. Shyly, almost childlike, Ruth joined Al at the station and they shared a bittersweet farewell. It went quickly for Al after boot camp. They put him in a machine-gun company, together with Lee Diamond (Dane Clark) and Johnny Rivers (Tony Caruso) and gave him a handful of shots. A few weeks in some P. O. le followed by restless days on a troop ship and then, the green island of Guadalcanal stretched low on the horizon. He went in with one of those early waves of men and machines, across coral beaches and into dank jungles. They inched their way forward, against heat, disease and the ever present Japanese. And there it was, on a wet river bank on the island of Guadalcanal, that Al Schmid made his heroic one-man stand. Wounded In Battle They took him off after that and, together with Lee, he was returned to the states. From Lee’s lips he heard the story of his fabulous deeds; how they had counted two hundred dead Japs in front of his machine-gun after the battle of Tenaru River. But Al was troubled by something he couldn’t seem to fight and determined not to be a burden on Ruth, he broke their engagement. Heartbroken, Ruth found aid in a Red Cross worker, Virginia Pfeiffer (Rosemary De Camp) and to Still 639-111 Mat 204 — 30c John Garfield, as Marine hero Al Schmid, and Dane Clark, as his fighting buddy, Lee Diamond, as they appear in a dramatic moment in Warners’ moving drama, "'Pride of the Marines" at the Strand. Also starred in the film is Eleanor Parker. gether they planed to give Al a new life. Persuaded to spend Christmas with Ruth and the Merchants, Al realizes how deeply he loves the girl and he feels her love for him. Together again, they plan a new life, full of hope and love and laughter. “Pride of the Marines,” adapted for the screen from a book by Roger Butterfield by Marvin Borowsky, was scripted by Albert Maltz. The film features Ann Todd, Warren Douglas, Tony Caruso, Rory Mallinson and Stephen Richards in supporting roles and was directed by Delmer Daves for producer Jerry Wald. John Garfield Discusses Post-War Motion Pictures John Garfield has his own private postwar plans. He’s waiting to go back into cops-’n-robbers roles. The actor, currently starring in Warners’ “Pride Of The Marines” at the Strand says: “During these days, a lot of us fellows on the screen have found ourselves playing lot more serious roles than we used to, because these are serious times. “Naturally, actors love to play the so-called emotional roles, and if we do a good job it makes for good entertainment. “My latest role, in Warners’ ‘Pride Of The Marines,’ for instance, is certainly one of the most gripping true stories to come out of this war — the story of the wounded Marine hero, Al Schmid — and how engrossing it is on the screen depends only on my limitations as a performer. It’s a challenge to an actor, and there it’s actor’s meat. “But I think that after the war there’s going to be a terrific reflex on the part of the audience. People are serious now, and they know they have to be, and they want to be just as deadly in earnest as they can until things are finished over there. “When it is over, they'll want an outlet. “And that’s why I’ve made my private postwar plans. I’m go though, ing to dustoff my old gat, or borrow the one that Humphrey Bogart used to use — it did all right for him = and Tm _ going to ask Mr. Warner to let me play cops-’n-robbers. I want to be a straight-shootin’, hard-hittin’ gun-toter with an itchin’ trigger-finger.” Mat 105 — 15c John Garfield Eleanor Parker Receives Sincere Tribute From Fan Certainly one of the most earnest tributes any fan could pay a player was paid to Eleanor Parker as a result of her recent picture, “The Very Thought of You.” An army corporal and his wife have written to the actress that she has saved their marital ship from the divorce courts. And topping that, the girl is coming to Hollywood as the Warner Bros. actress’ stand-in. A few months ago, Mrs. Evelyn McMasters of Chicago wrote: “My husband had been away at an army camp so long that I found my life completely altered. I didn’t see how we could ever get back together again. He came home on his furlough just before going overseas. It was worse than ever. Then we happened to see your picture. It hit us both right where it would do the most good.” Miss Parker, currently playing opposite John Garfield in Warners’ “Pride Of The Marines” at the Strand, exchanged correspondence with the army wife and discovered they were very close look-alikes. She then offered her the stand-in job. Minute Details Film’s Authenticity During the filming of Warners’ “Pride Of The Marines,” currently at the Strand, an announcement appeared in the press that John Garfield and Eleanor Parker, the _ film’s stars, and a company of technicians had been dispatched to Philadelphia to obtain authentic shots. This brief announcement did not stress the time, trouble and expense to which a studio will go to make a movie look like the real thing. “Pride Of The Marines” deals with the life and accomplishments of Al Schmid, one of the Marine heroes of this war. Schmid, played by Garfield, hails from Philadelphia, and Warners decided to film the early scenes of his life in that metropolis. Daily, in a projection room at Warners, the film was run off after being flown in from Philadelphia while the company was still there on location. Present were producer Jerry Wald, special effects director William McCann and a motion picture cutter. The film shown represented footage that would go to make up one scene in the finished picture — a sequence showing Garfield at the Philadelphia railroad terminal as he is about to depart for the induction center. He and his girl friend, Eleanor Parker, had had a squabble the day before and he had asked her not to see him off. She had shown up, however, and finally the two of them broke down and made up just before the train departed. This unfinished scene would later be rounded out with closeups, sound effects and other trimmings at the studio to make the polished product that moviegoers see on the screen. In the projection room, though, the film product of the work of twenty actors and__ technicians, representing one day out of a three week Shoo: tine schedule in Philadelphia, flashed by in Mat a =e ee ae John Ridgely fashion. First there was a shot of the railroad terminal. Then shots of trains pulling in. And then a distant shot of Garfield walking the length of the terminal by himself. This action was repeated in additional shots from different angles and distances. There was one_ shot with the camera in the train itself as it pulled into the station, with Garfield being viewed through the train window. Then there were shots of Miss Parker from _ various angles, repeating one piece of business. And then, finally, a number of “takes” of her and Garfield rushing into each other’s arms. The producer and the cutters made notes as the film unreeled on the screen, notes és to how the scene would finally shape up in its edited form. After the film had been shown, the producer and cutter talked to director Delmer Daves and his assistants in Philadelphia on the phone, ironing out additional details. This entire scene takes no more than one minute in the finished film. Certainly, no one is able to question the authenticity of “Pride Of The Marines.”