WAR MOVIE BLUNDERS

[willysmb44]

Same kind of thing usually occurs with German soldiers in movies. Almost everyone seems to be armed with the ubiquitous MP40 (wrong!) and, if they are, they invariably have leather Mauser pouches too! :pinch:

I hear you there! How about all GI’s have to have Tommy guns in a lot of movies? The only movie that explained that was Kelly’s Heroes, where Kelly asks Crapgame specifically for all the Tommies (and even then, you see at least one carbine and a garand).

I know I posted this cartoon in this thread already, but I had to draw the bad Hollywood German exactly as you described (along with the oversized German eagle, bright colored coat and WW1 pattern helmet with oversized decals):

[Gregory]

I hear you there! How about all GI’s have to have Tommy guns in a lot of movies?

You are right, but the same illness concerns also reenacting related to WWII era US armed forces.

[Gregory]

At least they're Shermans. I wouldn't even call that an error compared to Patton and other a-little-bit-later war films with anything BUT Shermans "acting" in the movie.

Yes, you are right. The Battleground was one of the last postwar movies (before 1990s and come back of technical details) where authentic Shermans took part in movie production. Unfortunately next 40 years was an era of Pattons and Sheridans playing the role of Shermans.

[FNG]

Yes, you are right. The Battleground was one of the last postwar movies (before 1990s and come back of technical details) where authentic Shermans took part in movie production. Unfortunately next 40 years was an era of Pattons and Sheridans playing the role of Shermans.

 

You must mean Chaffee's or Walker Bulldogs not Sheridans. About Battleground despite the carbine bayo lugs it should get an A+ for authenticity compared to the rest. You can't do better than actual Bulge vets as your technical advisors. They also did a great job on the sounds of battle too.

[Sabrejet]

Gentlemen...can you imagine how we collectors / enthusiasts will dissect "Red Tails" when it's released in early 2012? It'll probably need a thread all of its own! :w00t:

[Sabrejet]

I hear you there! How about all GI’s have to have Tommy guns in a lot of movies? The only movie that explained that was Kelly’s Heroes, where Kelly asks Crapgame specifically for all the Tommies (and even then, you see at least one carbine and a garand).

I know I posted this cartoon in this thread already, but I had to draw the bad Hollywood German exactly as you described (along with the oversized German eagle, bright colored coat and WW1 pattern helmet with oversized decals):

 

 

Way to go Lee....excellent!! Also, how about all GIs wearing M51s in WW2 movies? The worst offenders must be the pseudo-airborne jump-jackets in "The Longest Day" where the breast pockets have clearly been removed from the M51s and re-sewn at an angle to represent jump-jackets....thus revealing dark, unfaded areas where the pockets used to be. That, and the faded strips where the US ARMY and name-tapes used to be too!! :pinch:

[TomcatPC]

I think I could spend some time reading this topic! Not certain I'd miss a 1/4th of what you all have mentioned LOL!!

 

One thing I could think of is: why do so many films and telly shows that portray Military subjects insist on showing the Service Members wearing their dog tags OUTSIDE their shirts?...think M*A*S*H!!!

 

In "Platoon" did they get the rucksacks wrong?...I was under the impression that some of the regular Army Infantry were issued the Lightweight Rucksack that had a tubular alum. frame? The rucksacks that I recall in that fill look nothing like the LW Rucksack I'm trying to describe.

 

As a former Plane Captain for F-14A Tomcats...please don't get me started on "Top Gun"...LOL!!!

Thanks

Mark

[TomcatPC]

I forgot one thing I think I recall seeing in "Platoon". Prior to calling in the air strike during the climatic ending, I could have sworn that the actor who played the Captain was wearing a pair of ALICE Suspenders? If I recall, this film was meant to have taken place in circa 1967-1968, and if I'm correct the ALICE gear was not used until the early 1970s?

Thanks

Mark

[Gregory]

As a former Plane Captain for F-14A Tomcats...please don't get me started on "Top Gun"...LOL!!!

Yes, ejection sequence and a crewman's head hitting the canopy... :disgust:

In the MiG-15 it operated much better

[TomcatPC]

The only thing I know about the Martin-Baker ejection seat is how to put the safety pins back in when the aircrews leaves the aircraft. A very vital thing...something that I did not see being done when Mav and Goose walked away from their recently landed Tomcat LOL. But in the film, there is a overall lack of PCs and other squadron personnel on the flight line scenes. I think there might be a few Brown Shirts lurking in the crowd at the "celebration" scene on the flight deck at the end?, but that is it LOL. Then there are all the squadron markings that I don't ever recall seeing in real life. The classic "I'll put the speed brakes on and he will fly past me" scene...where Maverick actually pushes the throttles forward...LOL.

Thanks

Mark

[Pflco]

The Lost Battalion...chewed barbed wire, spit out nails...the family had to leave the room. Mostly it was the harness factory abortions they used for chinstraps on their WWII Brodies. Oh yeah, the officers insignia, the fact that the generals car drove right up to the site after the battle, the WWII sergeants stripes, etc, etc, etc.

[Gregory]

At least they're Shermans. I wouldn't even call that an error compared to Patton and other a-little-bit-later war films with anything BUT Shermans "acting" in the movie.

Yes, you are right. The Battleground was one of the last postwar movies (before 1990s and come back of technical details) where authentic Shermans took part in movie production. Unfortunately next 40 years was an era of Pattons and Sheridans playing the role of Shermans.

You must mean Chaffee's or Walker Bulldogs not Sheridans. About Battleground despite the carbine bayo lugs it should get an A+ for authenticity compared to the rest. You can't do better than actual Bulge vets as your technical advisors. They also did a great job on the sounds of battle too.

OK, let's be fair -- authentic Shermans took part in the "To Hell and Back" of 1955.

[Gregory]

Gentlemen...can you imagine how we collectors / enthusiasts will dissect "Red Tails" when it's released in early 2012? It'll probably need a thread all of its own! :w00t:

No mercy!

Every modern GPS antenna or instrument in the fighters cockpits will be counted and indicated, not to mention number of buttons in the pilots' shirts. :naughty:

 

I hope that the P-51s will be classic single-seaters, not converted tandem two-seaters.

[Gregory]

To Hell and Back (1955)

 

The M1944 Combat Packs used during... African (1942) and Sicilian (1943) campaigns. :whistling:

[willysmb44]

Way to go Lee....excellent!! Also, how about all GIs wearing M51s in WW2 movies? The worst offenders must be the pseudo-airborne jump-jackets in "The Longest Day" where the breast pockets have clearly been removed from the M51s and re-sewn at an angle to represent jump-jackets....thus revealing dark, unfaded areas where the pockets used to be. That, and the faded strips where the US ARMY and name-tapes used to be too!! :pinch:

I assume you picked on that exact depiction on the ‘GI’ in my cartoon to the left, even though the zipper and nametape fade marks are admittedly hard to see in the drawing. He’s also armed with a bayonet-lug-equipped carbine and wearing a rifle cartridge belt.

The classic "I'll put the speed brakes on and he will fly past me" scene...where Maverick actually pushes the throttles forward...LOL.

How about a split second after that, when the Tomcat slows down, you can see what looks like mountains in the background. Neat trick, as they’re over the Indian Ocean at the time! As for the F-14 canopy, I remember asking a real life Top Gun instructor who flew in the movie about that, soon after the film came out, at an airshow. He said that it actually could do that under some conditions and agreed that it looked like a “Road Runner” cartoon scenario but wasn’t impossible. He also said that they really did the F-5/F-14 canopy-to-canopy shot but couldn’t maintain that position long enough for the camera plane to get alongside, so they gave up after several attempts. I don’t recall if he said he was flying the F-5 or the Tomcat at the time. For me, that’s a movie I can leave my brain elsewhere and enjoy it. They had a 25th anniversary showing at a local theater this summer and it really stands up even after all these years as a cool thing to watch.

[TomcatPC]

Back in the early 1990s I recall hearing about Disney making a film entitled "Operation Dumbo Drop" or something like that LOL? I have not seen that one yet, nor do I have any plans to do so anytime soon LOL...But I'm almost certain they got at least one or two things wrong LOL.

Mark

[patches]

To Hell and Back (1955)

 

The M1944 Combat Packs used during... African (1942) and Sicilian (1943) campaigns. :whistling:

 

Plus the divisional insignia was not painted on helmets at that time, they only started that after sicily, right before the 3rd Div came ashore at Salerno. I never did like that movie for some reason. Now this movie To Hell And Back should be one that should be remade, maybe they can updated, in the updated one Murphy, instead of getting medals gets court marshalled, you know for sneaking up on the Germans and throwing a grenade at them and killing them, instead of getting them to surrender. I,m joking of of course, but in any event, this To Hell And Back is just the type of movie that sould be remade.

[Gregory]

I,m joking of of course, but in any event, this To Hell And Back is just the type of movie that sould be remade.

I agree. Sometimes this movie looks like a recruitment film. I prefer war anti-war movies.

[king802]

A remake of "To hell and Back". No way :thumbdown:

 

No one can beat Audi Murphy playing himself.

[patches]

A remake of "To hell and Back". No way :thumbdown:

 

No one can beat Audi Murphy playing himself.

 

I understand your feelling on Murphy, but the fact of matter is that that flic did not do justice to Audie Murphys exploits during the BIG ONE,nor the 15th Infantry, or for that matterthe combat soldiers who fought in these campaigns, it was a hollywood contrived piece of crap, I mean in the scene at Holtzwihr was grossly inaccurate, the region was covered in snow, deep snow, with way below freezeing temperatures, he mounted a M10 Tank Destroyer not a M4 Sherman, etc, etc, this among many inacuracies throughout the movie. I would like to see a movie remade on the style of Band of Brothers taking murphys book and expanding on it, for instance using the real names of some of murphys buddies and combinding them with after action reports more than they did in the original and last but not least ACCURATE, uniforms and seasonal depictions, you know like in the fall of 1943, winter of 1943/44 in Italy, the weather is on record as being unbelievably bad, these things are important and should not under any circumstance be avoided or played down. I'm not looking for any Anti War garbage or a overly Gung Ho, Rah, Rah, Rah movie, I want a honest accurate depiction of not only Murphy's experience in the war but the Combat infantryman in the 3rd Infantry Division in WWII, it can be done this way and it can be interresting.

[J_Andrews]

Going back a month re "The Big Red One":

 

I was wrong about Sam Fuller (the writer/director/eyewitness vet) being near death when he made the film. He was SICK, off and on, but he DID participate in its making and lived several more years.

 

Other things:

 

The final script was chopped up -- not really edited -- to shorten the movie. This was because of the rising COSTS. Thus some things got lost, muddled, or dumbed down. Fuller was at war with the producers/financiers but had to compromise to get the film in the can. It was again CHOPPED for brevity once filmed (also because Fuller disliked some footage).

 

Fuller liked the shoot-out in the asylum scenes, and insisted the event was true and accurate. Same for the sniper in the winter woods.

 

He said that though Lee Marvin WAS too old for the role, and the character was a combination of multiple "retread" NCOs he had known, such old guys were not rare in his experience. One tangent left out was that Marvin's character (who should have been in his forties, not mid-fifties) had been DEmoted from SFC or MSG and sent to a line squad as punishment (NFI).

 

There were supposed to be two more primary/continuing characters in the squad -- cut out to save salaries.

 

Lee Marvin got paid more than several others combined -- and was not shy about proclaiming it to them. He spoke socially only with Carradine -- because he knew his father/family by name. He thought "Star Wars" was silly, so shunned Mark Hamill. He expected star treatment and sulked when he did not get enough of it. Fuller would have fired him, but was in too deep.

 

The "in development" stages lasted nearly 10 yrs. Early on, John Wayne expressed interest in playing the Marvin role. Later it bounced around to Charlton Heston, Lloyd Nolan, Lloyd Bridges, Richard Boone and even Gene Evans (who played the Sgt in Fuller's "Steel Helmet"). They lost interest, due to delays, low pay or their own advancing AGE.

 

It was filmed in Israel (N Africa, Sicily, and (regrettably) Normandy sequences) and Ireland (France and Bulge). Pre-Africa scenes were cut that would have been set in Ireland (and filmed in Ireland). MAYBE dealing with how the Sgt got busted -- ?? The Israelis were unhappy with the lack of big bucks and apparently reneged on some support (like maybe more troops, landing craft, pyrotechnics for the Normandy scene).

[sgtdorango]

I wonder if there is some unseen footage from the cutting room floor available from the Big red One, would be great to see as bonus features on the DVD etc.....i love To Hell and Back, i think it should never be remade but a nice full length Audie Murphy full accurate life story/documentry would be great........mike

[rmoore456]

Back in the early 1990s I recall hearing about Disney making a film entitled "Operation Dumbo Drop" or something like that LOL? I have not seen that one yet, nor do I have any plans to do so anytime soon LOL...But I'm almost certain they got at least one or two things wrong LOL.

Mark

 

Don't judge a movie by its title. Danny Glover, Ray Liotta and Dennis Leary are in it. It was supposedly based on a true story, but I have read not quite the way portrayed in the movie. An entertaining film IMHO.

 

Ray

[Gregory]

To Hell and Back is a movie completely without any atmosphere as known from SPR, When Trumpets Fade or old but very good Battleground or Hell Is For Heroes discussed here. The level of acting in this movie is a catastrophe. Sometimes this movie looks like produced by reenactors.

[J_Andrews]

An uncle of mine was a movie screenwriter and be befriended Audie Murphy in the late 1940s, when Audie had some roles in "oater",

"Grade B" Westerns. The uncle said that by 1952 or so Audie had "lost his mind, believing his own press-agent hype" and thinking he was a great actor -- hence he lost jobs (Grade . The uncle tried to help with the BOOK "To Hell and Back", but Audie blew him off and his changes/advice were largely ignored. Then, Audie recontacted him when the movie was in production, asking for the help -- but it was "beyond help by then" per uncle. BTW Unc was last associated with Audie in a short-lived TV Western called "Whispering Smith", Audie as a Pinkerton-type detective in Denver, which lasted not long.