14 Nov The Fighting 69th

The Fighting 69th, WWI Movie starring James Cagney and Pat O’Brien

(1940) The 69th Infantry Regiment is a military unit dating back to before the Civil War, primarily of Irish-Americans from New York City.  During WWI, the men in the unit, known as the “Fighting Sixty-Ninth” were still about half Irish and many of their traditions to this day are derived from that heritage.

The movie came out in January of 1940, nearly a year before Pearl Harbor and was a huge hit with the public. It is blatantly patriotic with some laughs on the side.

The central character is Father Francis P. Duffy, the chaplain of the 69th who became the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the U.S. Army.  At Duffy Square, the northern triangle of Times Square, there is a massive statue of Father Duffy, unveiled in 1937.

Pat O’Brien played the Chaplain in the movie. George Brent was Lt. Colonel William Joseph Donovan, and James Cagney was the fictitious wise guy (pure Cagney) who hated to follow the rules.

Lt. Colonel William Joseph Donovan

Lt. Colonel Donovan became a national hero and received the Medal of Honor for his service with this unit.  When the movie The Fighting 69th came out, Donovan had just turned 57 years old. He was known as “Wild Bill,” a nickname he had earned on the football field at Columbia University. Suddenly Donovan was back in the news and six months later Roosevelt sent him to Britain to assess the situation there. One thing led to another and he was eventually to organize the Office of Strategic Services to carry out secret intelligence during the war.

The O.S.S. became his most important mission.

The Fighting 69th at amazon.com

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