Take the High Ground! (1953)
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100% want to see it
(8 ratings)
"You guys will never be soldiers!" With these words, Richard Widmark opens and closes Take the High Ground. Widmark plays tough drill sergeant Thorne Ryan, whipping his recruits through basic training in preparation for shipment to Korea. Merton Tolliver (Carleton Carpenter) is the… More "You guys will never be soldiers!" With these words, Richard Widmark opens and closes Take the High Ground. Widmark plays tough drill sergeant Thorne Ryan, whipping his recruits through basic training in preparation for shipment to Korea. Merton Tolliver (Carleton Carpenter) is the standard-issue private who just can't seem to cut it, despite Ryan's (Widmark) relentless special attention. To prove that the behemoth sergeant has a tender side, the script contrives a romantic triangle involving Ryan, Julie Mollison (Elaine Stewart), and Sgt. Laverne Holt (Karl Malden). The film is an amalgam of rugged realism and Hollywood hokiness, with Widmark terrific as the topkick you love to hate. Filmed at Fort Bliss, TX, Take the High Ground utilizes several real-life soldiers in the drill sequences (you can recognize the real ones; they aren't afraid of Richard Widmark). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Richard Brooks
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
Unrated,
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The fun is in seeing the changes in the genre over the years and how army life was depicted in a bygone era.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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Richard Widmark
as Sgt. Thorne Ryan
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Karl Malden
as Sgt. Laverne Holt
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Elaine Stewart
as Julie Mollison
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Russ Tamblyn
as Paul Jamison
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Carleton Carpenter
as Merton Tolliver
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Steve Forrest
as Lobo Naglaski
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Jerome Courtland
as Elvin Carey
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Robert Arthur
as Donald Q. Dover IV
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Maurice Jara
as Franklin D. No Bear
- Iris Adrian
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Bert Freed
as Sgt. Vince Opperman
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Regis Toomey
as Chaplain
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Chris Warfield
as Soldier
