08 Sep Cry ‘Havoc’
Cry Havoc, WWII movie starring Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell
(1943) A group of nurses and civilian refugees work together at a U.S. military hospital on the Bataan Peninsula. As the movie progresses, unfortunately so do the Japanese.
Very unusual for a WWII movie, this one had an all female cast including Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell, and Margaret Sullavan. There were a few men, primarily injured soldiers, one of which was a young Robert Mitchum.
The story was first produced as a short-lived Broadway play called “Proof Through the Night” featuring, I was surprised to learn, a 21-year-old Carol Channing.
Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies introduced “Cry ‘Havoc’ ” by explaining that when it came out, there were a lot of women back home, going to the movies, and who were interested in seeing what women were doing in dangerous settings. I appreciated how as part of the storyline the characters relayed the events that had transpired in the Philippines.
Behind the Scenes: the director gave Ann Southern a day off so she could marry actor Robert Sterling. They divorced six years later.
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