- Hell to Eternity
Infobox Film
name = Hell to Eternity
image_size =
caption =
director =Phil Karlson
producer =
writer =Gil Doud (story)
Walter Roeber Schmidt
narrator =
starring =Jeffrey Hunter David Janssen Vic Damone
music =Leith Stevens
cinematography =Burnett Guffey
editing =Roy V. Livingston George White
distributor =
released =September 30 1960
runtime = 131 min.
country =U.S.A.
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0053901"Hell to Eternity" is a 1960
World War II film starringJeffrey Hunter ,David Janssen ,Vic Damone and directed byPhil Karlson . This film tells the true story ofGuy Gabaldon (played by Hunter), aLos Angeles Hispanic boy raised in the 1930s by aJapanese American foster family, and his heroic actions during theBattle of Saipan .Plot summary
After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into
World War II , Gabaldon's Japanese foster family is sent to an Internment Camp at Camp Manzanar. After enlisting in the Marines, Gabaldon's ability to speak Japanese helps him become a lone-operating Marine hero. During the bloody campaign for the island of Saipan, he convinces approximately 1000 Japanese soldiers to surrender after their general commits suicide.Trivia
*This was an early appearance of
George Takei , made famous later asSulu onStar Trek . Takei was himself sent to an internment camp during the war.
*After the war, Gabaldon lived onSaipan for several years.
*Gabaldon received theNavy Cross citation for his actions during theBattle of Saipan .
*The film was made onOkinawa with members of the 3rd Marine Division and Japanese extras trained by a Japanese World War II veteran. The savage bayonet fighting depicted in the film was done with much enthusiasm.DVD Release
The DVD of the film was released on June 5, 2007 in the United States.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.