Take the High Ground! (1953)
Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 41min
- Drama, War
- 30 Oct 1953 (USA)
- Movie
In 1953, at Fort Bliss, Texas, two former Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.
Director:
Writers:
Award:
- Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Richard Widmark | ... |
Sgt. Thorne Ryan
|
|
| Karl Malden | ... |
Sgt. Laverne Holt
|
|
| Elaine Stewart | ... |
Julie Mollison
|
|
| Carleton Carpenter | ... |
Merton 'Tex' Tolliver
|
|
| Russ Tamblyn | ... |
Paul Jamison
|
|
| Jerome Courtland | ... |
Elvin C. Carey
|
|
| Steve Forrest | ... |
Lobo Naglaski
|
|
| Robert Arthur | ... |
Donald Quentin Dover IV
|
|
 |
Chris Warfield | ... |
Soldier
|
|
|
William Hairston | ... |
Daniel Hazard
|
|
|
Maurice Jara | ... |
Franklin D. No Bear
|
| Bert Freed | ... |
Sgt. Vince Opperman
|
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Iris Adrian | ... |
Mrs. Butterfly (scenesDeleted)
|
|
| James MacArthur |
|
||
| Acquanetta | ... |
Bar Girl (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Matilda Caldwell | ... |
Mrs. Hazard (uncredited)
|
|
|
Charlita | ... |
Mexican Girl (uncredited)
|
| John Close | ... |
Military Policeman (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Mickey Contreras | ... |
Waiter (uncredited)
|
| Joe Dominguez | ... |
Shooting Gallery Proprietor (uncredited)
|
|
| Lester Dorr | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Billy Foster | ... |
Recruit (uncredited)
|
| Nacho Galindo | ... |
Mexican (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Jack Gargan | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
| Dabbs Greer | ... |
Shorty (uncredited)
|
|
| Don Haggerty | ... |
Commanding Officer (uncredited)
|
|
| Creighton Hale | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Harry Hines | ... |
Drunk (uncredited)
|
| Gordon Jones | ... |
Moose (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Richard Landry | ... |
Recruit (uncredited)
|
|
|
Bill Lee | ... |
Singer of "Julie" (uncredited)
|
|
|
Mickey McCardle | ... |
Soldier (uncredited)
|
|
|
Steve Mitchell | ... |
Quartermaster Sergeant (uncredited)
|
|
|
Tom Quinn | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
| Vernon Rich | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
| Suzanne Ridgway | ... |
Bar Girl (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Harry Stanton | ... |
Army Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
|
Clarence Straight | ... |
Cowboy (uncredited)
|
| Regis Toomey | ... |
Chaplain (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Tommy Walker | ... |
Soldier (uncredited)
|
| Guy Wilkerson | ... |
Carey's Father (uncredited)
|
|
| Robert B. Williams | ... |
Supply Sergeant (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Wilson Wood | ... |
Marine Friend (uncredited)
|
Directed by
| Richard Brooks | ||
Written by
| Millard Kaufman | ... | (story) |
| Millard Kaufman | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Herman Hoffman | ... | associate producer |
| Dore Schary | ... | producer |
Music by
| Dimitri Tiomkin | ||
Cinematography by
| John Alton | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| John D. Dunning | ... | (as John Dunning) |
Editorial Department
| Alvord Eiseman | ... | color consultant |
Art Direction by
| Edward C. Carfagno | ... | (as Edward Carfagno) |
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
Set Decoration by
| Alfred E. Spencer | ||
| Edwin B. Willis | ||
Makeup Department
| John Truwe | ... | makeup artist |
| William Tuttle | ... | makeup artist |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Jerry Thorpe | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Mentor Huebner | ... | production illustrator (uncredited) |
| Frank Wesselhoff | ... | painter (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording supervisor |
| Conrad Kahn | ... | sound (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Fritz Ford | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| George Robotham | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Ray Saunders | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Guy Way | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Dimitri Tiomkin | ... | conductor |
| Alex Alexander | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Morris Boltuch | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| John T. Boudreau | ... | musician: drums (uncredited) |
| Lucien Cailliet | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Manuel Emanuel | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| George Faye | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| Dominick Fera | ... | musician: clarinet (uncredited) |
| Arthur L. Frantz | ... | musician-french horn (uncredited) |
| Jakob Gimpel | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
| Virginia Majewski | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Paul Marquardt | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Jack Marshall | ... | musician: guitar (uncredited) |
| Peter Mercurio | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
| George Parrish | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Uan Rasey | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Milton Raskin | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
| Seymour Zeldin | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| Si Zentner | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Walter K. Sims | ... | technical advisor (as Major Walter K. Sims U.S.A.) |
| John Synowsky | ... | military advisor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1953) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1953) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Metro (1954) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- CBS (1972) (United States) (tv) (network premiere)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1954) (France) (theatrical)
- Warner Home Video (2016) (United States) (DVD) (dvdr)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Sgt. Thorne Ryan, who once fought bravely in Korea, now serves as a hard-nosed drill instructor to new Army recruits at Fort Bliss, Texas. But is he really the man he is often described as? His fellow instructor, and friend helps him to face the ghosts of his past experiences in Korea. One night in a bar across the border in Juarez, Mexico, Sgt. Ryan meets a lady who begins to turn his life around. Will this be enough to help him deal with the past? Or will he continue to be so hard on his troops? This movie was filmed mostly on location at Fort Bliss, Texas in El Paso.
Written by Vincent Merlaud |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Gripes ! Gags ! Girls ! Guts ! Guys ! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Box Office
| Budget | $1,166,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | At about 18 minutes into the film while Richard Widmark and Karl Malden's characters are shooting pool there is a sign on the wall that reads: Watch Your Language Single Men Present. A real "sign" of the times. See more » |
| Goofs | When Ryan and Holt have the troops on a training exercise in the field, Ryan tells Holt to "get back to base." The Army doesn't refer to its facilities as bases. An actual soldier would have said "get back to the post." See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Killer's Kiss (1955). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Take The High Ground! See more » |
| Quotes |
Sgt. Thorne Ryan:
This is your rifle, and not your gun; it's made for shooting, and not for fun! See more » |