In 1898, Irish immigrant Martin Maher is hired as a civilian employee at West Point where, during a 50-year career, he rises to the rank of NCO and instructor.In 1898, Irish immigrant Martin Maher is hired as a civilian employee at West Point where, during a 50-year career, he rises to the rank of NCO and instructor.In 1898, Irish immigrant Martin Maher is hired as a civilian employee at West Point where, during a 50-year career, he rises to the rank of NCO and instructor.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Charles 'Chuck' Dotson
- (as Phil Carey)
- Mrs. Koehler
- (as Erin O'Brien Moore)
- Mike Shannon
- (as Walter D. Ehlers)
- McDonald
- (uncredited)
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohn Ford cast Jack Lemmon as Ensign Frank Pulver in Mister Roberts (1955) after having seen him test for this film.
- GoofsAccording to the plot line of the movie, Martin "Marty" Maher retired from the Army in the 50's (Eisenhower was President). In real life Maher retired from the Army in 1928 and stayed at West Point as a civilian employee in the athletic department and retired from that in 1946. He died on Jan. 17, 1961, at the age of 84 and is buried in the West Point cemetery.
- Quotes
Jim O'Carberry: This is Marty Maher. Whitey Larson.
Martin 'Marty' Maher: How do you do, sir?
Jim O'Carberry: If you have any trouble with horses, drop around and see Marty.
Whitey Larson: But he's in the infantry!
Jim O'Carberry: Well naturally! He knows horses. You don't think they'd put him in the cavalry, do ya?
- ConnectionsFeatured in I've Got a Secret: Episode dated 15 January 1962 (1962)
From personal view though, 'The Long Gray Line' was another case of promising more than delivering. Not in a very bad way, as it's not bad at all and has a fair share of good things. 'The Long Gray Line' more an uneven film, with it getting better as it went on after a deceptively not so good start. Well made and acted in particular but the script and story could have done with more work and been more consistent, it's not a misfire for Ford but it's not one of his must sees. Nor is it quite one of his worst, 'Tobacco Road' for example was worse and 'The Long Gray Line' felt more like it was directed by Ford.
A lot of great things can be seen here. The best asset to me was the acting. Power is excellent, while knowing that he could do comedy and quite well (and he shows that here) he really stretches his dramatic acting chops here as well and in an authoritative and moving way. O'Hara is alluring and looks as if she was having fun in her role, being at ease with her role. Crisp is in the type of role he played well and plays the role with ease. Ford's direction is much better here than in 'Tobacco Road', it's still not inspired as such but there is more of his recognisable style here and he seemed more involved and opened up. The film looks great, especially the photography which is at its best gorgeous. The costumes are handsome enough and the settings don't look phony. The music has jauntiness and elegance.
Moreover, Ford directs with an expert hand. He doesn't seem uncomfortable with the material, nor is he uninterested in it, even if it is not some of his most inspired. The script does have intelligent moments, when the film gets going a good deal of it is quite touching and even though there is a strong sentiment it is not too over-powering. And the characters at least feel like real people.
However, 'The Long Gray Line' doesn't start off all that promisingly. There is more of a comedic tone and the comedy is not particularly funny and can feel a bit corny and try hard. Some of the dialogue early on is banal and doesn't always flow.
Story-wise, it is a case of starting off dully and in a forced way but gets better if stuck with. It would have been even better if the storytelling wasn't as conventional and took more risks.
Concluding, worth seeing but not an essential. 7/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 7, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- John Ford's The Long Gray Line
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,748,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 18 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1