Hell to Eternity
Encyclopedia
Hell to Eternity is a 1960
World War II
film starring Jeffrey Hunter
, David Janssen
, Vic Damone
and directed by Phil Karlson
. This film biopic is about the true experiences of Marine hero Pfc. Guy Gabaldon
(played by Hunter
), a Los Angeles
Hispanic
boy raised in the 1930s by a Japanese American
foster family, and his heroic actions during the Battle of Saipan
.
is adopted by a Japanese American family.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor
and the US entry into World War II
, Gabaldon's Japanese foster family is sent to an Internment Camp
at Camp Manzanar. Initially rejected from the US Navy, Gabaldon appeals to be enlisted in the Marines.
Gabaldon's ability to speak Japanese helps him become a lone-operating Marine hero. During the bloody campaign for the island of Saipan
, he convinces their general to order approximately 1000 Japanese soldiers to surrender.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
film starring Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter was an American film and television actor. His most famous roles are as Jesus in the film King of Kings, as Martin Pawley in The Searchers, and as Capt...
, David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
, Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
and directed by Phil Karlson
Phil Karlson
Phil Karlson was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s...
. This film biopic is about the true experiences of Marine hero Pfc. Guy Gabaldon
Guy Gabaldon
PFC Guy Louis Gabaldon was a United States Marine who was credited with capturing about 1,500 Japanese soldiers and civilians during the Battle of Saipan in World War II...
(played by Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter was an American film and television actor. His most famous roles are as Jesus in the film King of Kings, as Martin Pawley in The Searchers, and as Capt...
), a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
boy raised in the 1930s by a Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
foster family, and his heroic actions during the Battle of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
.
Plot summary
During the Depression-era, Los Angeles Orphaned street tough Guy GabaldonGuy Gabaldon
PFC Guy Louis Gabaldon was a United States Marine who was credited with capturing about 1,500 Japanese soldiers and civilians during the Battle of Saipan in World War II...
is adopted by a Japanese American family.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and the US entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Gabaldon's Japanese foster family is sent to an Internment Camp
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
at Camp Manzanar. Initially rejected from the US Navy, Gabaldon appeals to be enlisted in the Marines.
Gabaldon's ability to speak Japanese helps him become a lone-operating Marine hero. During the bloody campaign for the island of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
, he convinces their general to order approximately 1000 Japanese soldiers to surrender.
Cast
- Jeffrey HunterJeffrey HunterJeffrey Hunter was an American film and television actor. His most famous roles are as Jesus in the film King of Kings, as Martin Pawley in The Searchers, and as Capt...
as Guy Gabaldon - David JanssenDavid JanssenDavid Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
as Bill - Vic DamoneVic DamoneVic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
as Pete - Patricia OwensPatricia Owens (actress)Patricia Molly Owens was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood...
as Sheila Lincoln - Richard EyerRichard EyerRichard Ross Eyer is a former American child actor during the 1950s and 1960s who taught elementary school in the eastern Sierra city of Bishop in Inyo County until he retired in 2006. He is the older brother of Robert Eyer Richard Ross Eyer (born May 6, 1945, Santa Monica, California) is a former...
as Guy, as a boy - John LarchJohn LarchJohn Larch was an American film and television actor.After his lead role in the radio serial Captain Starr of Space , John Larch entered films in 1954. He usually appeared in westerns and action films, including Miracle of the White Stallions as General George S. Patton Jr...
as Capt. Schwabe - Bill WilliamsBill Williams (actor)Bill Williams was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early 1950 television show The Adventures of Kit Carson.-Career:...
as Leonard - Michi Kobi as Sono
- George Shibata as Kaz Une
- Reiko SatoReiko SatoReiko Sato was an American dancer and actress.Born in Los Angeles, California, Sato was interned at the Gila River War Relocation Center during World War II. Sato is best known for playing seamstress Helen Chao in the movie Flower Drum Song. After her death in 1981, she was cremated, and half...
as Famika - Richard Gardner as Polaski
- Bob Okazaki as Papa Une
- George Matsui as George, as a boy
- Nicky Blair as Martini
- George TakeiGeorge TakeiGeorge Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
as George (as George Takai)