09 Jul Hell to Eternity
Hell to Eternity, WWII Movie starring Jeffrey Hunter
(1960) As soon as I started watching this WWII movie I thought that it must be a true story, and I was right. It is about the experiences of Marine Pfc. Guy Gabaldon, a young boy from LA who was raised by a Japanese-American foster family.
When war broke out, his “family” went to a relocation camp, and Guy went into the Marines. His regiment was sent to the Pacific for the invasion of Saipan. It was June 1944. Because he could speak their language, Guy was successful in talking Japanese civilians and soldiers into surrendering.
So then I was curious, why did Hollywood wait until 1960 to tell this story? Well, in 1957, Gabaldon was a guest on Ralph Edward’s “This is Your Life.” It was one of my favorite TV series, and I probably saw the show! It was after that show that the movie was made, and Gabaldon was an advisor during the making of it.
So I loved the story of this Marine hero.
The movie… I wish it had been better. I thought the main actors all did fine jobs. Jeffrey Hunter played Gabaldon. I remember him and his beautiful eyes when he played Jesus in 1961’s “King of Kings.” David Janssen was the sergeant, and the singer Vic Damone was another Marine. Sessue Hayakawa, who had just a few years earlier played the Japanese Colonel in “The Bridge on the River Kwai” played the Japanese General.
I just thought the story dragged along in places. There was a l-o-n-g scene in Honolulu when the three guys go to an apartment with a couple of girls who do striptease variations. I couldn’t help but wonder who was going to get left out. I’m sure this part of the movie was considered essential in order to have a sexy segment in the trailer.
The ending was impactful because you knew it was true, and for that I salute Guy Gabaldon.
Hell to Eternity at amazon.com
No Comments