Sands of Iwo Jima

Publicity still for Sands of Iwo Jima of John Wayne with other Marines in an LVT.

Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker, was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant, and directed by Allan Dwan. The picture was a Republic Pictures production.

Sands of Iwo Jima premiered in San Francisco on December 14, 1949 and was eventually given a nationwide release on March 1, 1950. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (John Wayne), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Recording (Daniel J. Bloomberg) and Best Writing, Motion Picture Story.

Plot

The story is told from the viewpoint of Corporal Robert Dunne.

Tough-as-nails career Marine Sergeant John Stryker (John Wayne) is greatly disliked by the men of his squad, particularly the combat replacements, for the rigorous training he puts them through. He is especially despised by PFC Peter "Pete" Conway (John Agar), the arrogant, college-educated son of Colonel Sam Conway, whom Stryker served under and admired, and PFC Al Thomas (Forrest Tucker), who blames him for his demotion.

When Stryker leads his squad in the invasion of Tarawa, the men begin to appreciate his methods. The platoon leader, Lieutenant Baker, is killed seconds after he lands on the beach, and PFCs "Farmer" Soames and Choynski are wounded. The Marines are pinned down by a pillbox. Several more men are killed before Stryker is able to demolish the pillbox.

Later on, Thomas stops for coffee when he goes to get ammunition for two comrades. As a result, he returns too late — the two Marines run out of ammunition, and Hellenopolis is killed, while Bass is badly wounded.

On their first night, the squad is ordered to dig in and hold their positions. Alone and wounded, Bass begs for help. Conway considers Stryker brutal and unfeeling when he refuses to disobey orders and go to Bass's rescue.

After the battle, when Stryker discovers about Thomas's dereliction, he gets into a fistfight with him. A passing officer spots this serious offense, but Thomas claims that Stryker was merely teaching him judo. Later, a guilt-ridden Thomas abjectly apologizes to Stryker for his dereliction of duty.

Stryker reveals a softer side while on leave in Honolulu. He picks up a bargirl and goes with her to her apartment. He becomes suspicious when he hears somebody in the next room, but upon investigation, finds only a hungry baby boy. Stryker gives the woman some money and leaves.

Later, during a training exercise, McHugh, a replacement, drops a live hand grenade. Everybody drops to the ground, except Conway, who is distracted reading a letter from his wife. Stryker knocks him down, saving his life, and then proceeds to bawl him out in front of the platoon.

Stryker's squad subsequently fights in the battle for Iwo Jima. The squad suffers heavy casualties within the first couple of hours. Stryker's squad is selected to be a part of the 40-man patrol assigned to charge up Mount Suribachi. During the charge, Eddie Flynn, Stein, and Fowler are killed. While the men are resting during a lull in the fighting, Stryker is killed by a Japanese soldier emerging from an spider hole. Bass kills the Japanese shooter. The remaining squad members find and read a letter on his corpse, a letter addressed to his son and expressing things Stryker wanted to say to him, but never did. Moments later, the squad witnesses the iconic flag raising.

Cast

John Wayne as Sgt. John M. Stryker

John Agar as PFC Peter T. "Pete" Conway

Adele Mara as Allison Bromley

Forrest Tucker as PFC Al J. Thomas

Wally Cassell as PFC Benny A. Regazzi

James Brown as PFC Charlie Bass

Richard Webb as PFC "Handsome" Dan Shipley

Arthur Franz as Corporal Robert C. Dunne/Narrator

Julie Bishop as Mary (the bargirl)

James Holden as PFC "Farmer" Soames

Peter Coe as PFC George Hellenopolis

Richard Jaeckel as PFC Frank Flynn

William Murphy as PFC Eddie Flynn

Martin Milner as Pvt Mike McHugh

George Tyne as PFC Hart S. Harris

Hal Baylor as Pvt J.E. "Ski" Choynski (credited as Hal Fieberling)

Leonard Gumley as Pvt Sid Stein

William Self as Pvt L.D. Fowler Jr.

John McGuire as Captain Joyce

Gil Herman as Lt. Baker (uncredited)

Actual Marines

Rene Gagnon (until 2019, Gagnon was incorrectly identified as being a flag-raiser), Ira Hayes, and John Bradley, (until 2016, Bradley was also incorrectly identified as being a flag-raiser) the three survivors of the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who were credited with raising the second flag on Mount Suribachi during the actual battle, appear briefly in the film just prior to the re-enactment. Hayes was also the subject of a film biography, The Outsider, and Bradley the subject of a book by his son James, Flags of Our Fathers.

Also appearing as themselves are 1st Lt. Harold Schrier, who led the flag-raising patrol up Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima and helped raise the first flag, Col. David M. Shoup, later Commandant of the Marine Corps and recipient of the Medal of Honor at Tarawa, and Lt. Col. Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, commander of the 2nd Battalion 8th Marines at Tarawa, where he earned the U.S. Navy Cross.

Actual battle footage is interspersed throughout the film.

Production

The film was based on a screenplay by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant from a story by Harry Brown.

Filming Locations included Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, Janss Conejo Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Republic Studios and Universal Studios.

Acknowledgements

Several of the actors were re-united in the 1970 western Chisum (1970): John Wayne, John Agar, Forrest Tucker, and Richard Jaeckel.

The 1982 Academy Award nominated comedy short film The Great Cognito makes an implied reference to Sands of Iwo Jima. The only character to be seen onscreen is an entertainment impersonator, who changes into the people and events he talks about in his comic patter, using Will Vinton's technique of stop-motion claymation. In the end, while talking of Iwo Jima, Cognito breaks down in tears and leaves the stage, blubbering about how "... John Wayne gets shot."

In the television show King of the Hill (1997–2010), this is the favorite film of Cotton Hill, father of main character Hank Hill. Hank recalls that, during his childhood, his father would travel around Texas searching for showings of this film.

The episode "Call of Silence" (2004) in NCIS's season 2 references the film and a documentary as shared background to Marine history and legacy. The episode shows the NCIS character Timothy McGee watching the documentary To the Shores of Iwo Jima; the character Anthony DiNozzo approaches and, in furtherance of the character's schtick as an avowed and knowledgeable movie buff, begins talking about the theatrical film Sands of Iwo Jima, some scenes of which were taken from the documentary.

The Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers have a song title "The Sands of Iwo Jima" on their 2004 album The Dirty South. It is sung from the perspective of a young boy who has been exposed to World War II through old John Wayne movies. He asks his great-uncle, a World War II veteran, if The Sands of Iwo Jima represents the war properly; the old man smiles, shakes his head and responds, "I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima."

Idiom

The first recorded use of the phrase "lock and load" is in this film: twice as a metaphor for "get ready to fight" and once as a humorous invitation to drink alcohol (get loaded). As a period term, it similarly appears in the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. Although the original use and implied meaning may be disputed, it typically described preparations for charging the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle by first locking the bolt back by pulling the charging handle rearward and then loading an 8-round en bloc clip into the now open magazine.

Original movie poster for 1949 John Wayne movie, Sands of Iwo Jima.

John Wayne on the set of Sands of Iwo Jima.

Original studio caption: Iwo Jima flag raiser John Bradley with John Wayne during the filming of Wayne’s classic war film, “The Sands of Iwo Jima.” Bradley, along with Ira Hayes and Rene Gagnon, played himself. Bradley, a medic and civilian mortician, struggled with PTSD his entire adult life and rarely talked about the war after the film was released. This suffering veteran, directly linked to our country’s greatest war actors, symbolizes the void between Hollywood and the sad realities of war.

Original studio caption: The three survivors of six men who raised that historic flag on Mt. Suribachi, on the island of Iwo Jima, are back in Marine uniforms as they make a Hollywood version of the bloody invasion at Camp Pendleton, California, July 27, 1949. Here with sound trucks in the background they watch the filming of a scene. The survivors are: left to right, Ira H. Hayes of Babchule, Arizona; John Bradley of Antigo, Wisconsin and Rene Gagnon of Manchester, New Hampshire. All three have small parts in the film, including a recreation of the flag raising.

Major General Graves B. Erskine on the set of Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Erskine appears in this photograph with stars Forrest Tucker, left, and John Wayne, second from left. Col. David M. Shoup is second from right. 1 January 1949.

General Graves B. Erskine (right), Col. David M. Shoup (center) and John Wayne (left) on the set. Erskine and Shoup were provided as technical advisors for the film by the U.S. Marine Corps. Shoup also appeared as himself in a cameo role. 1 January 1949.

John Wayne and John Agar on the set of Sands of Iwo Jima.

The flag raised on Iwo Jima is presented to Major General Graves B. Erskine to be used in the filming of Sands of Iwo Jima. 14 July 1949.

Original studio caption: Six “Marines”, including three of the original sextet, recreate the memorable flag raising on Mt. Suribachi for a Hollywood motion picture version of the Iwo Jima invasion at Camp Pendleton, California, July 27, 1949. Assuming the positions they had in the iconic photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, are: Ira H. Hayes; John Bradley and Rene Gagnon.

John Wayne publicity photo for Sands of Iwo Jima.

John Wayne, John Agar and Forrest Tucker in a publicity photo for Sands of Iwo Jima.

John Agar and John Wayne in a publicity photo for Sands of Iwo Jima.

Publicity photo from Sands of Iwo Jima. Hayes and Bradley are on the left.

Publicity photo for Sands of Iwo Jima.

Publicity still from Sands of Iwo Jima.

Publicity photo for Sands of Iwo Jima.

John Wayne and his wife, Esperanza Baur arrive at the Sands of Iwo Jima premiere, 1949.

Major General Graves B. Erskine (fifth from the right) attends the Sands of Iwo Jima premiere. John Wayne can also be seen in the photograph (first from the left). 1 December 1949.