Wonderful character development!

It is a performances centric movie

Absolutely Fantastic

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

WE RECALL SEEING this in the very early 1950's on our Dumont B & W. At that time this was barely a 5 year old film. Even though the old birth certificate still reads 11/02/46, we're able to pinpoint the approximate time by these two incontrovertible facts: a) our family still lived at 4402 S. Shields in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood (moved out Labor Day weekend, 1952). b) We had gotten our TV set not long before, it was early 1950.WE HAD THE good fortune to have parents who took the time to both share viewing times as well as explaining to us what was the relationship of such a film, as THE STORY OF G.I. JOE. to our recent history I should not be any surprise that the name of Ernie Pyle (1900-45) should forever be emblazoned in our memory.HAVING JUST SCREEND this production for we the first time in years, we must commit our impressions to the page for even our highly limited posterity.FROM THE GET go, it is obvious that there was a great deal of painstakingly tedious effort to make this as realistic a war picture as was possible. Although no one could call kit a "blockbuster", neither was it a poverty row-type pot boiler. Never do either the sets, the equipment nor the combat troops look like anything other than what it's supposed to be. In this case, the setting is Southern Italy, along the Apian Way headed to Roma. (As well as the previous Tunisian & Sicilian locales)THERE IS Absolutely no sugar coating of the grim and fate driven story of what we've come to know as the "Citizen Soldier"; being the millions of ordinary guys who took time out from their lives back home in order to free a world held captive to internal conspiracy called Fascism; being served fresh by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan and their satellite states.THE MAIN STORY element of the story is the concentration on the individual. In keeping with the style and subject matter that Mr. Pyle committed in Pulitzer Prize winning fashion, it was done as a both a chronicle as well as an homage to all those who'd walked the walk.ONE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING dramatic device was used to serve as a link between various characters' stories and at the same time present all of us in the audience a metaphor about survival. That would be (and is) the use of a little orphaned puppy. He is at first forbade by Lt. Walker (Robert Mitchum), who relents almost immediately. The original soldier caring for the little pooch is killed and the pup finds himself being passed around from soldier to soldier, never finding himself in harm's way. (We'd have named him 'Survivor.')THERE ARE SOME outstanding performances turned in here. Mr. Mitchum received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and no one could have done a better characterization than Burgess Meredith's interpretation of Ernie Pyle.BUT IT IS clearly evident that Director William Wellman's influence brought out the best in everyone. But we'd like to make special mention of the portrayal of Private Donardo as visualized and realized by Wally Cassell. His work seems to be under-appreciated today and we'd like to do our small part in helping to eradicate such an injustice.THE FILM ALSO makes use of large numbers of actual veterans of the Italian Campaign as extras. It would also appear that their consultation was sought in the role of technical adviser.THE SOUNDTRACK WAS adorned with an original score attributed to Louis Applebaum and Anne Ronnell. Its incidental music included some variations on THE PLANETS by Gustav Holtz; as well as incorporating such well known and in the Public Domain songs as SILENT NIGHT, DIXIE, SANTA LUCIA, MY DARLIN' CLEMENTINE, OH MARIE and THE BRIDAL COURUS. Its original song, LINDA, by Ann Ronnell, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song.ALONG WITH JUST a few other great War Films (BATTLEGROUND, THE LONGEST DAY, PATTON & others), THE STORY OF G.I. JOE is the celluloid counterpart to the battlefield cartoons done for the Army Newspaper in the European Theater of Operations, THE STARS & STRIPES; which were done by Bill Mauldin. (UP FRONT with Willie & Joe that is).OUR RATING: ***** 5 Stars (ten if they'd allow it).

Skip it – This movie has a very "old" feel to it. Unlike other classics made during this time, it has not aged well. Also, it lacks the Hollywood heroics usually associated with a war movie. It is for this unique reason that a lot of people actually like this unconventional 1945 WWII movie co-starring a super young Robert Mitchum. I could compare it to "Band of Brothers" because the story is about the unit rather than a single main character. Replacements come and go but the story always focuses on the unit. But "Band of Brothers" actually had some good fight scenes. This movie only has one good combat sequence. So instead, I will compare this film to "All Quiet on the Western Front" because instead of focusing on combat, it focuses more on the rain and mud and "trench" hardships of the war. 1 action rating

This bleak, 108-minute, black & white, World War II combat movie from director William A. Wellman, who went on to direct "Battleground," doesn't cut its characters any slack. Fiercely realistic, "The Story of G.I. Joe" refuses to sugar coat the gritty fighting in this traditional World War II epic. Meaning, of course, that nobody here wants to kill their superior officer or complain about incompetent leadership. The soldiers of Company C, 18th Infantry as well as Scripps-Howard war correspondent Ernie Pyle (Burgess Meredith) meet each other in the Tunisian desert and contend with mud, blood, and more. Incidentally, the real-life Pyle died before the film opened in late 1945. He survived the European Theater of Operations and died in the Pacific. Robert Mitchum shines as company commmanding officer Lieutenant Bill Walker and lets Pyle ride with his untested troops. Significantly, "The Story of G.I. Joe" represented the one and only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor that Mitchum received. Meantime, scenarists Leopold Atlas, Guy Endore and Philip Stevenson were nominated for Best Screenplay writing, and Louis Applebaum and Ann Ronnel got nominations for Best Music scoring. This grim story starts in North Africa after American troops have been routed by Rommel at the disastrous Battle of Kasserine Pass and these follows these soon-to-be seasoned soldiers over Sicily into Italy. Clearly, the message of "The Story of G.I. Joe" is war is hell. You can tell that "The Story of G.I. Joe" was not the usual flag-waving piece of propaganda. The scene in the church where Lt. Walker and Sergeant Steve Warnicki (Freddie Steele of "Hail the Conquering Hero") with our heroes having to take time out from prayer to blast the bejesus out of cunning German soldiers concealed in the second floor is one of the best. One recurring gag concerns Sergeant Warnicki who totes around a carefully wrapped up record of his son that he cannot get to play on any phonograph. Eventually, when he figures out how to play it, Warnicki goes berserk, a casualty of battle fatigue, and tries to launch a one-man assault against the Germans to end the war. Captain Walker has to clobber Warnicki and they send him back to face the medics. In a regular World War II movie made during the war, the sergeant would have celebrated the record with his buddies and there would have been no depressing conclusion like happens here. Surprisingly enough, especially for a World War II movie, "The Story of G.I. Joe" differs from most because it either implies or outright mentions the strategic blunders of the Allies. The latter half of the action occurs during the infamous battle of Monte Cassino. Unless you are a World War II armchair strategist, Monte Cassino may mean nothing to you, but it represented an important battle. The Allies attacked a hill-top, sixth-century Benedictine monastery that the enemy had occupied, particularly the elite German 1st Parachute Division. The Allies began attacks on the monastery in January, but the Allies did not take the monastery until May. Initially, the Allies did not want to bomb the monastery because it was a religious site, but repeated failures to take the monastery finally prompted them to bomb it from the air. Unfortunately, turning the monastery into rubble served the Germans more than it did the Allies. General Dwight Eisenthower reportedly called "The Story of G.I. Joe" one of the best movies of World War II.

It's odd that a director noted for his aviation films would choose to direct a film about the infantry, but William Wellman knew a great subject when he saw it. Remember he also did the deservedly highly acclaimed Battleground.Independent producer Lucas Cowen got together with Ernie Pyle and approached Wellman. They left copies of the stories Pyle wrote from the front in Africa and Italy and Wellman read them in a night's sitting and agreed to do the film.The Story of GI Joe is based on the various stories and characters that World War II's most famous correspondent encountered. In fact aside from Robert Mitchum and a couple of other actors, the men in this film are real GIs who were in transit from the European to the Pacific Theater and a lot were killed after they arrived in the Pacific as did the real Ernie Pyle who never got to see the finished product.Burgess Meredith does a fine job recreating the modest chronicler that was Ernie Pyle. In civilian life aside from news stories, Pyle was famous for his cross country travels and stories he wrote about people from all walks of life. Very much like the late television commentator Charles Kuralt did on CBS morning news on Sundays.When war broke out Pyle did not cover the war of the generals, he spent his time with the troops and told their story. For that he was respected and beloved as now other war correspondent has ever been before or since. In this film Pyle is introduced to the men of one company which transports him to that first American battle and defeat at Kasserine Pass in north Africa. And he runs into them again and again through Sicily right to the liberation of Rome.Robert Mitchum plays the lieutenant later captain in charge of this company. He'd broken into films with some Hopalong Cassidy pictures and did bits in other films. In fact when its cowboy star Tim Holt enlisted in the armed forces, RKO pictures had signed Mitchum to be his replacement and he'd done two films Nevada and West of the Pecos when he read for the part of Lieutenant Walker.If it weren't for this film, Robert Mitchum might have continued to be a B picture cowboy star. For his portrayal of the stern, but compassionate officer in whom Pyle finds a kindred spirit, Robert Mitchum got his only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He lost that year to James Dunn for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. He never received another nomination, but he certainly became a legend although he'd have been the first to debunk that title.Lots of newsreel footage from the Mediterranean theater make The Story of GI Joe one of the most realistic war films ever done. That's remarkable too, considering most of the Hollywood product back then was propaganda hype, good and bad. It has remained a classic to this day and a wonderful tribute to that chronicler of the infantry, Ernie Pyle.