The Fighting Sullivans (“The Sullivans”)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Mary C. McCall Jr.; story by Edward Doherty and Jules Schermer
1944/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Naval Officer at Boat Launching: Today, as we launch the destroyer, U.S.S. The Sullivans, the parents of the five Sullivan boys are here to share in the tribute to their sons, even as they shared their fighting spirit. As this ship slides down the ways, it carries with it a special armor all its own: The flaming and undaunted spirit that is the heritage of its name. The five Sullivan boys are gone; the U.S.S. The Sullivans carries on. May God bless and protect this ship. May her destiny be as glorious as the name she bears.[/box]
I liked this story of five brothers and their short lives far better than I expected to. Could Thomas Mitchell ever be bad? Not here, that’s for sure.
This is based on the true story of the Sullivan boys, all five of whom were famously killed when their cruiser sank during the naval battle of Guadalcanal. But that is only a tiny part of their story, which sees them growing up in a large Irish Catholic working-class family in Iowa.
The family is characterized by a lot of love and a Catholic value system. The pater familias is Thomas (Mitchell), a freight train router who lends a firm but humorous presence to their lives. Mother Alleta is more tender-hearted. The boys are best friends who tease one another relentlessly but always stick together in their adventures and in taking on anybody who wants to fight one of them. We follow lives from boyhood on.
Al is the youngest but the first to have a sweetheart, Mary Catherine (Anne Baxter) whom he meets in high school. After some missteps, they marry and have a baby. When Pearl Harbor is attacked, the unmarried brothers decide to enlist in the Navy. Al feels he must stay at home but Mary Catherine urges him to go and not separate the fighting team. The boys refuse to sign up unless they can serve together. The local draft board will not agree but a letter to the Navy Department sees that they are all assigned to the same ship.
The ending is of course heartrending, but perhaps even more so for the affection that has been built up for the entire family through the antics of the boys. This is actually a fun film to watch and not mawkish in the least. There is also very little to no speechifying until the very, very end when a cruiser is christened The Sullivans by the Navy. Recommended for those who like family stories.
The Sullivans was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey_lqxZdU3Q
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