What Price Glory (1952)

40% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(1,004 ratings)

James Cagney signed on to play Captain Flagg in 20th Century Fox's 1952 remake of the 1926 classic What Price Glory after being told that the old property was being converted into a musical. By the time Cagney learned that Fox had no intention of adding songs and dances to the venerable Maxwell… More James Cagney signed on to play Captain Flagg in 20th Century Fox's 1952 remake of the 1926 classic What Price Glory after being told that the old property was being converted into a musical. By the time Cagney learned that Fox had no intention of adding songs and dances to the venerable Maxwell Anderson/Laurence Stallings stage piece, it was too late to pull out, so he decided to grin (sometimes) and bear it. Under the direction of John Ford, the potent anti-war message of the original play is blunted, while the drunken rowdiness of Capt. Flagg and his friendly enemy Sergeant Quirt (Dan Dailey) was played for all it was worth and then some. Much of the brawling is over the affections of vivacious barmaid Charmaine, played by Corinne Calvet. Contrasting the rough-hewn hijinks of Flagg, Quirt and their fellow Marines on the fields and in the villages of World War I-era France is the doomed romance between private Robert Wagner and French lass Marisa Pavan. (Why does Wagner get to sing, while Cagney and Dailey do not?) Barry Norton, who played Wagner's role in the original What Price Glory? appears in the remake as a priest. Norton is unbilled, as are such familiar faces as Harry Morgan, Paul Fix, Henry Kulky, and John Ford "regulars" Dan Borzage and Bill Henry. Falling well short of classic status, the Technicolor remake of What Price Glory? is kept alive by the marvelous roughneck rapport between James Cagney and Dan Dailey. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr.
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: Phoebe Ephron
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 1, 1952 Wide
On DVD: May 25, 2004

Critic Reviews

Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Anti-war film unfortunately never gels, drastically rewriting classic play, but does offer some caustic views of armies training young men to die in war.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Cagney and Dailey go at it in the yelling department; fun John Ford WWI story.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Try to find the 1927 silent.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Cast

            James Cagney as Capt. Flagg

            Dan Dailey as Sgt. Quirt

            Corinne Calvet as Charmaine

            William Demarest as Corporal Kiper

            Craig Hill as Lt. Aldrich

            Robert Wagner as Lewisohn

            Marisa Pavan as Nicole Bouchard

            Casey Adams as Lt. Moore

            James Gleason as Gen. Cokely

            Wally Vernon as Lipinsky

            Henri Letondal as Cognac Pete

            Fred Libby as Lt. Schmidt

            Ray Hyke as Mulcahy

            Paul Fix as Gowdy

            James Lilburn as Young soldier

            Danny Borzage as Gilbert

            Henry Kulky as Company cook

            Jack Pennick as Ferguson

            Stanley E. Johnson as Lt. Cunningham

            Ann Codee as Nun

            Tom Tyler as Capt. Davis

            Barry Norton as Priest

            Luis Alberni as The Great Uncle

            Torben Meyer as Mayor

            Alfred Zeisler as English colonel

            George Bruggeman as English lieutenant

            Scott Forbes as Lt. Bennett

            Sean McClory as Lt. Austin

            Charles Fitzsimmons as Capt. Wickham

            Louis Mercier as Bouchard

            Mickey Simpson as Military policeman

            Ed Begley Sr.
            
            Paul Guilfoyle
            
            William Henry as Holsen

            Peter Ortiz
            
            Henry Morgan as Sgt. Moran
See full cast

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