TEN GENTLEMEN FROM WESTPOINT
DIRECTED BY HENRY HATHAWAY
PRODUCED BY WILLIAM PERLBERG
MUSIC BY ALFRED NEWMAN
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
Among those who are fighting to have Congress re-establish the military academy at West Point in the beginning of the nineteenth century is a young Washington socialite, Carolyn Bainbridge (Maureen O'Hara). Congress resolves to revive the Academy on a one-year trial basis. Major Sam Carter (Laird Cregar), a martinet who doesn't believe a college can produce real fighting men, is made the Commandant, and determines to make soldiers - or failures - out of the small band of cadets, by enforcing stringent disciplinary action. Among the cadets are Howard Shelton (John Sutton), Carolyn's fiancee, and Dawson (George Montgomery), a Kentucky frontiersman. There is bad blood between the two from the start, and matters are worsened when Dawson falls in love with Carolyn. Many of the cadets resign, under the discouraging conditions and grueling punishment that is part of Carter's plan to make the school hard and the exercises difficult, and the number of cadets left is down to ten. Word arrives that the Indian chief Tecumseh (Noble Johnson) has gone on the warpath, and Carter is ordered to take part in quelling the rebellion, and to include the cadets along with the regular Bombadiers. Shelton, on patrol, is shot at by an Indian, and hot-headedly leaves his post in pursuit. Dawson leaves to bring him back followed by Major Carter who is captured by the Indians. Using tactics learned at West Point, the small band of cadets attack and demoralize the much larger Indian force, and succeed in rescuing Carter, and Dawson is wounded. Carter is grateful for the actions taken by the band, but says that Shelton and Dawson cannot remain as cadets since they had violated the rules by leaving their posts, and would be a bad precedent for future cadets. Carolyn has come to the Point to marry the unsuspecting Dawson, who thought she loved Shelton.
Written by Les Adams
Full Cast
George Montgomery .... Joe Dawson
Maureen O'Hara .... Carolyn Bainbridge
John Sutton .... Howard Shelton
Laird Cregar .... Maj. Sam Carter
Shepperd Strudwick .... Henry Clay (as John Shepperd)
Victor Francen .... Florimond Massey
Harry Davenport .... Bane
Ward Bond .... Sgt. Scully
Douglass Dumbrille .... Gen. William H. Henry
Ralph Byrd .... Maloney
Joe Brown Jr. .... Benny Havens
David Bacon .... Shippen
Esther Dale .... Mrs. Thompson
Richard Derr .... Chester
Louis Jean Heydt .... Jared Danforth
Stanley Andrews .... Capt. Sloane
James Flavin .... Capt. Luddy
Edna Mae Jones .... Letty
Charles Trowbridge .... Senate president
Tully Marshall .... Grandpa
Edwin Maxwell .... Sen. John Randolph
Uno .... Old Put
Edward Fielding .... William Eustis
Morris Ankrum .... Wood
Selmer Jackson .... Sersen
Noble Johnson .... Tecumseh
Eddie Dunn .... O'Toole
Frank Ferguson .... Alden Brown
Max Cole .... (uncredited)
John Dilson .... (uncredited)
William 'Red' Donahue .... (uncredited)
Blake Edwards .... (uncredited)
Eugene Gericke .... (uncredited)
John Hartley .... (uncredited)
Dick Hogan .... (uncredited)
George Holmes .... (uncredited)
Olin Howland .... (uncredited)
Jack Hyde .... (uncredited)
William Kersen .... (uncredited)
Roger Kirby .... (uncredited)
Anthony Marsh .... (uncredited)
Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart .... (uncredited)
John Meredith .... (uncredited)
Tom Neal .... (uncredited)
Stanley Parlam .... (uncredited)
Herbert Patterson .... (uncredited)
Don Peters .... (uncredited)
Gene Rizzi .... (uncredited)
James Seay .... Courtney (uncredited)
Frank Shannon .... (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs .... (uncredited)
Harry Tyler .... (uncredited)
John Whitney .... (uncredited)
Dick Winslow .... (uncredited)
Gordon Wynn .... (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Ben Hecht uncredited
Richard Maibaum
George Seaton additional dialogue
Malvin Wald story
Darryl F. Zanuck uncredited
Original Music
Alfred Newman
David Buttolph (uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge (uncredited)
Cinematography
Leon Shamroy
Trivia
Film acting debut of Blake Edwards.
The 'Ten Gentlemen' of the title are portrayed by the following actors: 'George Montgomery' (as Dawson), John Sutton (as Shelton), David Bacon (as Shippen), Dick Winslow, Roger Kirby, Stanley Parlan, Gene Rizzi, Max Cole Tom Neal, and John Meredith.
Filming Locations
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA