Jeff
Chandler leads a group of 3,000 American soldiers on a real life “Men on an
Impossible Mission†in “Merrill’s Marauders,†available on Blu-ray from the
Warner Archive Collection. I say ‘real
life†because this movie is based on actual events with soldiers sent on what
even they saw as an impossible feat. Crossing through Burma from India and
taking out first one, then three Japanese bases. They march through hundreds of
miles of thick jungle and swamps in order to accomplish their impossible mission
lead by Brig. General Frank D. Merrill.
Following
the opening credits, the film opens with an introduction narration over
newsreel footage. In 1942 it was feared the Japanese would link up with the
Germans who might defeat the Russians and make their way through Russia toward
British- controlled India and connect with the Japanese to form a common front.
The Japanese did push the British out of Burma, but the Allies quickly began to
fight back. 3,000 American soldiers, a precursor to U.S. Army Special Forces,
entered Burma through India. They were veterans of Guadalcanal, New Guinea and
Bougainville. The 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), under the command of
Brig. General Frank D. Merrill, started their trek on January 4th 1944. Their
mission is to take the main Japanese supply base in North Burma, Walawbum. It took
them three months to get there in three columns. After this success, they
continued to take other strategic locations which are depicted in the movie as
the men grumble and hope for the end to come soon.
While
successful in winning each objective, the campaign was won at a high cost, as
only 130 combat ready soldiers survived out of the original 2,997. The unit was
disbanded on 10 August 1945, about a week after the final campaign in the town
of Myitkyina, Burma. Some would call the jungle campaign a Pyrrhic victory and
even Merrill was never the same after suffering several heart attacks while
pushing his men to the breaking point, fighting not only the Japanese, but
heat, hunger and disease. Was the invasion worth the huge loss of life? We have
the advantage of hindsight and history buffs can argue the point. Merrill
survived the war and retired from the Army 1948. He died in 1955.
The
movie is a very entertaining military drama depicting Pacific theater jungle
warfare the likes of which most of us can only imagine. Chandler is terrific as
Merrill,who pushes his men relentlessly. Equally at home in Westerns, war
movies, thrillers, adventure movies and dramas, Chandler had rugged good looks and
the charm and charisma to match. He would play Cochise in three movies starting
with “Broken Arrow†in 1950 with James Stewart. He was initially cast in
supporting roles, but would soon move to leading man status.
Joining
Chandler in the cast is Ty Hardin as 2nd Lieutenant Lee Stockton, one of
Merrill’s key officers. Hardin serves as Merrill’s conscience and questions the
value of continuing to fight at such a high cost in lives. Hardin gives a good
performance in a key role, balancing orders and the lives of his men. This was
Hardin’s first big movie role after working for several years in television. He
would work steadily throughout the Sixties, appearing in other big screen war
movies such as “PT 109,†“Battle of the Bulge†and “Custer of the West.†He
never quite achieved big star status and the acting parts began to fade away in
the late Sixties. His anti-government and anti-Semitic politics probably didn’t
help as he became known more for his extremist political views.
Andrew
Duggan is the unit’s doctor, Captain Abraham Lewis Kolodny, M.D. Claude Akins
is a welcome addition as Sergeant Kolowicz in an early film role after years in
television. Interestingly, Vaughan Wilson appears in his only screen appearance
as Bannister, Merrill’s assistant. Lt. Colonel Samuel Vaughn Wilson was a
surviving member of Merrill’s Marauders and was Merrill’s deputy during the
campaign. He also served as technical advisor for the production and introduces
the trailer. Other cast members include John Hoyt as General Joseph Stilwell, Will
Hutchins as Chowhound and Peter Brown as Bullseye. The cast is good and
believable throughout the film as the men are pushed to their limits and then
asked to give more as they take one Japanese outpost after another. There are a
few light moments involving Eleanor the pack mule and her handler Muley played
by Charles Briggs.
Based
on the book by Charlton Ogburn Jr., the movie was directed by Samuel Fuller, who
also co-wrote the screenplay with Milton Sperling. Fuller is best known for directing
crime thrillers, but he was also a veteran of WWII and would later direct one
of the last great WWII dramas, “The Big Red One†which is based on his personal
experiences as a soldier during WWII in North Africa and Europe.
The
movie was filmed on location in Pampanga, Philippines, which stood in for the
Burmese jungle sequences, and also at Clark Air Base, Philippines, all in the early
part of 1961. This was, sadly, Jeff Chandler’s final film. While in production
in the Philippines, Chandler suffered a back injury while playing baseball with
soldiers stationed at Clark Air Base. He had several surgeries in California shortly
after production was completed. Jeff Chandler died on 17 June 1961 due to a
blood infection and pneumonia. His children received a settlement in his death
due to medical malpractice.
Released
in May of 1962 by Warner Bros., the movie was filmed in widescreen with a score
by Howard Jackson. The image quality and sound is terrific on the Blu-ray by the
Warner Archive Collection and clocks in at swift 98 minutes. The only extra is
the trailer for the film. The movie is a worthy upgrade from the previous DVD
and is sure to entertain fans of WWII movies and history.