To Hell and Back (1955)
Directed by Jesse Hibbs
Written by Gil Doud from Audie Murphy’s autobiolgraphy
1955/USA
Universal International Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Kerrigan: [after a jumpy Murphy shoots at his own image in a mirror] Man, that’s the first time I ever seen a Texan beat himself to the draw.[/box]
Here is a rare biopic in which the subject is played by himself.
This is the story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in U.S. combat history. He is raised by an abandoned single mother and quits school at age twelve to take a full time job with a nearby farmer and help care for his numerous younger siblings. The farmer is an ex-marine who constantly bemoans leaving the service. Pearl Harbor is attacked. Audie’s mother dies shortly thereafter and his brothers and sisters are placed in foster homes because Audie is still a minor. He tries to enlist as a seventeen-year-old and is rejected by the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force before being accepted by the Army.
Audie gets his wish and is assigned to combat duty. His commanding officer does not think he will be fit for combat based on his medical history but Audie prevails and stays with his unit. The unit is sent to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France in turn. The remainder of the story is devoted to the young soldier’s rise through the ranks and the acts of heroism that earned him 27 U.S. medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor, and several honors from France and Belgium by the time he was 19 years old. With Marshall Thompson as Audie’s army buddy and Susan Kohner, in her debut, as an Italian who befriends him.
Aside from his devotion to duty, Audie Murphy was blessed with good looks and fair acting ability. This is nothing earth shattering but is an enjoyable combat film.
Trailer
