28 Jan Guadalcanal Diary
Guadalcanal Diary, WWII Movie starring William Bendix and Anthony Quinn
(1943) The story of a unit of Marines who fought on the island of Guadalcanal between August 7th and December 10th of 1942, barely one year before the film came out. It is based on the book of the same name written by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis. According to Wikipedia, “this book spoke such volumes on the camaraderie amongst the Marines, that the USMC still makes Guadalcanal Diary required reading for all officer candidates.”
Yes, even though there was plenty of warfare, the focus of Guadalcanal Diary was on the men themselves, some of their day to day activities, and their reactions to the fierce fighting. I saw the movie as part of the Military Channel’s excellent “An Officer and a Movie” series. Host Lou Diamond Phillips’s guest officer was Lt. Col. David Edson whose grandfather, Major General “Red Mike” Edson, fought at Guadalcanal. Lt. Col. Edson thought that even though some of the day to day life was shown, what we didn’t see was the fatigue, the months of day to day stress, the inevitable disease. He should know.
The movie was done in almost documentary style with voice-over narration by an actor as the war correspondent. This had to be an important movie for America to see. I’m sure it was all too real, all too horrifying to the families at home.
Preston Foster, who played Father Donnelly, got top billing. I’ll accept that. Richard Jaeckel was a messenger boy at the studio who was hired for his first movie role. Anthony Quinn was thought to resemble Sgt. Frank Few, an Arizona Indian who was one of the Guadalcanal heroes. But William Bendix (later known for his role in TV’s Life of Riley) was the strongest character. A couple years later, Bendix said he received letters from servicemen who appreciated his portrayal of a frightened soldier under fire.
What I mean is … I guess it’s up to God. And I’m not kidding when I say I sure hope He knows how I feel. (William Bendix, a Marine.)
Guadalcanal Diary at amazon.com
No Comments