Pork Chop Hill (1959)

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  • PORK CHOP HILL


    DIRECTED BY LEWIS MILESTONE
    PRODUCED BY SY BARTLETT
    MELVILLE PRODUCTIONS
    MGM-PATHE COMMUNICATIONS CO.



    Information from IMDb


    Plot Summary
    Grim story of one of the major battles of the Korean War.
    While negotiators are at work in Panmunjom trying to bring the conflict to a negotiated end,
    Lt. Joe Clemons is ordered to launch an attack and retake Pork Cop Hill.
    It's tough on the soldiers who know that the negotiations are under way
    and no one wants to die when they think it will all soon be over.
    The hill is of no particular strategic military value but all part of showing resolve
    during the negotiations.
    Under the impression that the battle has been won,
    battalion headquarters orders some of the men withdrawn when in fact
    they are in dire need of reinforcements and supplies.
    As the Chinese prepare to counterattack and broadcast propaganda over loudspeakers, the men prepare for what may be their last battle. Written by garykmcd


    Full Cast
    Gregory Peck ... Lt. Joe Clemons
    Harry Guardino ... Pvt. Forstman
    Rip Torn ... Lt. Walter Russel
    George Peppard ... Cpl. Chuck Fedderson
    Carl Benton Reid ... American Admiral at Peace Conference
    James Edwards ... Cpl. Jurgens
    Bob Steele ... Col. Kern
    Woody Strode ... Pvt. Franklin
    George Shibata ... Lt. Suki Ohasha
    Norman Fell ... Sgt. Coleman
    Lew Gallo ... Lieutenant, Division Public Relations
    Robert Blake ... Pvt. Velie
    Cliff Ketchum ... Cpl. Payne (radio operator)
    Biff Elliot ... Pvt. Boven
    Charles Aidman ... Lt. Harrold
    Barry Atwater ... Lt. Col. Davis (battalion commander)
    Viraj Amonsin ... Chinese Broadcaster
    Michael Garth ... S-2 Officer
    Leonard Graves ... Lt. Cook
    Martin Landau ... Lt. Marshall
    Ken Lynch ... Maj. Gen. Trudeau
    Paul Comi ... Sgt. Kreucheberg
    Syl Lamont ... Sgt. Kuzmick
    Abel Fernandez ... Kindley
    Kevin Hagen ... Cpl. Kissell
    Chuck Hayward ... Chalmers
    John Alderman ... Lt. Waldorf
    Gavin MacLeod ... Pvt. Saxon
    John McKee ... Cpl. Olds
    Bert Remsen ... Lt. Cummings
    Robert Williams ... Soldier Runner
    Buzz Martin ... 'George' Company Radioman
    William Wellman Jr. ... Iron Man (as Bill Wellman Jr.)
    Henry Amargo ... U.S. Soldier with Bazooka (uncredited)
    DeForest Covan ... U.S. Soldier (uncredited)
    Titus Moede ... U.S. Soldier (uncredited)
    Harry Dean Stanton ... U.S. Soldier with BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) (uncredited)
    Clarence Williams III ... Message Runner (uncredited)


    Writing Credits
    S.L.A. Marshall (book) (as Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall USAR)
    James R. Webb (screenplay)


    Original Music
    Leonard Rosenman


    Cinematography
    Sam Leavitt


    Trivia
    Film debut of Martin Landau.


    The French premiere was received with criticism on grounds of racism, as the character played by Woody Strode was shown to be a coward during the initial attack on the Chinese position.


    Gregory Peck personally chose Lewis Milestone to direct because Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front had made a deep impression on him.


    Film debut of Clarence Williams III.


    According to director Lewis Milestone, Pork Chop Hill was cut by nearly 20 minutes because the wife of Gregory Peck felt that her husband made his first entrance too late into the picture. True or not, the film does show signs of post-production tampering, with flashes of several excised scenes showing up under the main title credits.


    Goofs
    Continuity
    Just before the American attack on the hill, the commanding officer is pointing out positions on a 3D clay model of the hill with his M4 bayonet. He lays his bayonet on the table and covers it with a paper map, then steps over to the radio man in conversation. He then steps back to the map table and the paper map has disappeared.


    Factual errors
    Real American hand grenades had a narrow yellow band painted around the tapered upper section to quickly identify them as live fragmentation grenades. However, the grenades in the movie have no such bands, indicating that they are either inert training grenades or movie props.


    All of the American officers are wearing their bright rank insignia and Infantry branch insignia. In reality, officers rarely wore these items in the front lines because they identified those men as leaders, who then became prime targets for the enemy.


    Revealing mistakes
    Most of the weapons used by both sides do not eject any empty cartridge cases when they are fired.


    Filming Location
    Westlake Village, California, USA

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 7 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Pork Chop Hill (1959), directed by Lewis Milestone,
    is a Korean War war film based upon the eponymous book
    by military historian Brig. Gen. S. L. A. Marshall, an eyewitness,
    depicting the bitterly fierce first Battle of Pork Chop Hill between
    the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division,
    and Chinese and Korean Communist forces at the end of the Korean War in April 1953.


    The film features Gregory Peck, Woody Strode, and actors
    who became movie stars in the 1960s and the 1970s;
    e.g., George Peppard, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, Robert Blake,
    Norman Fell, Martin Landau,
    and Gavin MacLeod,
    with Harry Dean Stanton in an uncredited minor role.


    This was Milestone's final war film, and it received good reviews.
    Peck, although not credited, directed a few segments,
    despite protests by Milestone at the time.
    The picture was filmed partially on location in California's San Fernando Valley.
    Pork Chop Hill marked Landau's feature film debut.


    Features Dukes 'Pals'
    Woody Strode, Bob Steele, Chuck Hayward



    User Review

    Quote

    Gregory Peck, glorious black and white, and intense action--what more do you want?
    12 December 2001 | by Jay V. (Champaign, IL)


    I think when movies like Saving Private Ryan or Platoon came out people thought that these represented "new" insights on the war movie. Unfortunately, I guess they'd never seen a number of classic old films, such as Hell Is For Heroes (Steve McQueen), Sahara (Humphrey Bogart), or, indeed, Pork Chop Hill, starring Gregory Peck.


    I've seen Pork Chop Hill three or four times. It is, from what I understand, a historically accurate account of one of the last fifty years' most famous battles, based on the book by famous military historian Gen. S. L. A. "Slam" Marshall. The scene is at the end of the Korean War. Negotiations between the combatants have stalemated. LT1 Joe Clemons (played by Gregory Peck) is ordered to take Pork Chop Hill, a basically worthless piece of territory to demonstrate to the Chinese and North Koreans that resolve had not flagged. So a night attack is ordered. Fog of war messes the whole thing up repeatedly and Clemons is left holding the bag, with his company of men stuck in the assault without the backup they expected to happen. The story is very human, particularly the interaction between Clemons and his second in command, Ohashi. You see men determined to win even though they know they might die (and for what?), men on the verge of breaking only to be rallied or not, the utter confusion of battle. The movie's got a lot of then-unknowns, but later stars, e.g., George Peppard, Rip Torn, etc.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • I think if you look in the "off topic" folder, you'll find most of the films you're looking for. There's a number of folders there, including war movies:
    JWMB - The Original John Wayne Message Board! > General Information > Off Topic Discussions > Classic War Movies


    alamo221,
    Currently there is not one for this movie,
    I will do so soon

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • I think if you look in the "off topic" folder, you'll find most of the films you're looking for. There's a number of folders there, including war movies:
    JWMB - The Original John Wayne Message Board! > General Information > Off Topic Discussions > Classic War Movies



    Hi Alamo--I did look but didnt find it--Keith mentioned below he just created one ;-)) For some reason--some here jsut dont show up on my computer.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • I've seen bits and pieces of this movie through the years.


    I must admit, I have to BD in a certain mood to be able to watch Gregory Peck. I think he's a fine actor, I'm just weird that way!



    If your going to "Cut your teeth" on Gregory Peck movies, Pork Chop Hill and Twelve O'Clock High are two to do it with ;-)) Add Guns of Navarone to the list too.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • Ill be needing a seperate topic about Pork Chop Hill, Gregory Peck--to be kept seperate because-------------------------------------Keith is a miracle worker and greatly helped me yesterday. Our resident miracle worker got me in touch with the the Soldier who Gregory Peck so greatly portrayed in the movie. He was a 1st Lieutenant during Pork Chop Hill--and retired as a Colonel. The great man I am talking about is Joseph G. Clemens himself :-))

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • Ill neeed my thread to be kept seperate from this one--at least for the time being. Ill tell all later--Carl.


    No problem Carl,
    as any thread relating to a real person, or action,
    would always be kept separate from the movie thread,
    as was the case sometime ago with
    The Real Men Sands of Iwo Jima,
    and the Documentary
    the Battle of Midway

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().



  • Thanks Keith. Ill tell more as I get the time. When he was a 1st Lt, he won his DSC for his actions at Pork Chop Hill.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • To the best of my knowledge, there were five art stills prepared for Pork Chop Hill. These were used for the various poster sizes - one sheet, half sheet, insert and three sheet, as well as appearing in lobby cards and newspaper ads.
    The first one is the format for Carl's half sheet.




    We deal in lead, friend.