The Fighting Sullivans (1944)

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The Sullivans attempts to find the positives in one of the most tragic chapters of World War II. Edward Ryan, John Campbell, James B. Cardwell, John Alvin and George Offerman Jr. play the Sullivan brothers, sons of an Iowa railroad worker (Thomas Mitchell) and his wife (Selena Royle). The film… More The Sullivans attempts to find the positives in one of the most tragic chapters of World War II. Edward Ryan, John Campbell, James B. Cardwell, John Alvin and George Offerman Jr. play the Sullivan brothers, sons of an Iowa railroad worker (Thomas Mitchell) and his wife (Selena Royle). The film traces the boys from childhood, maintaining a relatively lighthearted tone until the Sullivans sign up en masse for the navy at the outbreak of the war. Refusing to be separated, the boys are all assigned to the cruiser Juneau--and all are killed when the vessel goes down at Guadalcanal. This appalling incident (which made something of a celebrity of the brothers' grieving father when he went on a nationwide patriotic lecture tour) resulted in the Navy's decision to never again allowed all the enlisted members of one family to serve on the same ship. Even from the vantage point of fifty years, the scene in which the family receives the wire from the war department is impossible to watch with a dry eye. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Lloyd Bacon
Written By: Mary McCall
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1944 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 1999
Studio: VCI

Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Sentimental but well-balanced.

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jay n

well made but heartbreakingly sad film.

Cast

            Anne Baxter as Katherine Mary

            Thomas Mitchell as Mr. Sullivan

            Ward Bond as Lieutenant

            Edmon Ryan as Al

            Bobby Driscoll as Al as a child

            Selena Royle as Mrs. Sullivan

            Trudy Marshall as Genevieve

            Addison Richards as Naval Captain

            John Campbell as Frank

            James B. Cardwell as George

            John Alvin as Matt

            George Offerman as Joe

            Roy Roberts as Fr. Francis

            Mary McCarty as Gladys

            Nancy June Robinson as Genevieve as a Child

            Buddy Swan as George as a Boy

            Billy Cummings as Matt as a Boy

            Johnny Calkins as Joe as a Boy

            John Nesbitt as Admiral

            Selmar Jackson as Damage Control Officer

            Barbara Brown as Nurse

            Marvin Davis as Frank as a Boy

            Mae Marsh as Woman

            Elsa Peterson as Nun

            Harry Strang as CPO

            Leon Tyler as Boy

            Ted Offenbecker as Joe

            Edward Ryan
            
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