The Red Beret

Last updated

The Red Beret
The Red Beret.jpg
Australian release poster
Directed by Terence Young
Written by
Based onThe Red Beret
1950 novel
by Hilary Saint George Saunders
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography John Wilcox
Edited byGordon Pilkington
Music by John Addison
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • 14 August 1953 (1953-08-14)(London/Suez Canal Zone)
  • 30 December 1953 (1953-12-30)(New York City)
Running time
88 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$700,000 [1]
Box officeUS$8 million [1]

The Red Beret (aka The Red Devils, The Big Jump and retitled Paratrooper for the US release) is a 1953 British-American war film directed by Terence Young and starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen.

Contents

The Red Beret is the fictional story about an American who enlists in the British Parachute Regiment in 1940, claiming to be a Canadian. It was the first film made by Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli's Warwick Films, with many of the crew later working on various films for Warwick Films and Broccoli's Eon Productions. [2] It is partly based on the 1950 non-fiction book with the same title written by Hilary Saint George Saunders, about the Parachute Regiment and its second operation, Operation Biting, in February 1942.

Plot

Steve MacKendrick (Alan Ladd), nicknamed "Canada" because he claims he is from the country, volunteers in 1940 for the British military's parachute training facility. He has much more experience and leadership skills than he admits. Canada tries to become better acquainted with a pretty parachute rigger named Penny Gardner (Susan Stephen). She is initially put off by his attitude, but they eventually start dating. Both Penny and his new commander, Major Snow (Leo Genn), see potential (and a mystery that does not add up) in him, despite his strong efforts to avoid assuming any responsibility. Canada turns down Snow's offer to send him to officer school.

After completing parachute school, Canada's unit goes on a raid on the German radar station at Bruneval. An RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant Box (John Boxer), accompanies the raiders to retrieve a key component to take back to Britain. The mission is a success, but Corporal Dawes (Michael Kelly), one of the men in Canada's outfit, hurts both his legs in the drop.

Back in Britain, after visiting Dawes, Canada is recognised by an American airman. He tells Penny that he resigned his commission from the USAAF after ordering his best friend and co-pilot to parachute out of their bomber when an experimental rocket got stuck. His friend was killed when his parachute did not open properly. Canada blamed himself and refuses any responsibility that might endanger anyone's life. When Snow confronts Canada with what he has learned (from a security investigation that he has ordered), Canada wrongly assumes that Penny told what she learned, and he breaks up with her. However just before he boards his plane on his next mission, they exchange a smile suggesting they have made up.

The unit's next operation involves attacking and destroying an airfield at Bône during the invasion of North Africa. With Lt Col Snow wounded and the men trapped in a minefield, Canada must risk others to extricate the unit. One of his friends, Poleski (Anton Diffring), who is Polish, finds a bazooka, so he decides to use it to blow a path though the minefield. Canada, the Pole and Taffy Evans (Donald Houston) use it to extricate their unit, while Snow and the rest of the men cover them. Although Snow and most of the men get out, the regimental sergeant major (Harry Andrews) dies from the wounds he received when he entered the minefield. Afterward, Canada promises to think about the commission Snow offered him.

Cast

Production

The Red Beret was based on a novel published in 1950. [3] Film rights were bought by Irving Allen who announced Trevor Howard and Leo Genn for the leading roles. [4] Hillary St George Saunders, who wrote the novel, was to work on the screenplay, but died during pre-production. Terence Young was signed to direct and write a script. The working title was The Red Devils. [5]

The Red Beret was originally intended to be a co-production with RKO Pictures, but they and Warwick were unable to come to terms, so Warwick made a deal with Columbia instead. [6]

Terence Young's original choice for the lead, former Second World War Para Richard Todd turned the role down as being "too far fetched". [7] Ray Milland was also originally announced as landing the leading role. [8]

Former agent Albert R. Broccoli knew that Alan Ladd was unhappy with Paramount due to a new contract for much less money. [9] Broccoli met Ladd and his wife and agent Sue Carol who agreed to a three-picture contract with Warwick provided Ladd's scriptwriter Richard Maibaum was allowed to rewrite the screenplay for Ladd. [10]

Although Ladd's most popular and critically acclaimed film, Shane , was filmed earlier. it was also released in 1953, making him a prime box office attraction. Ladd was paid US$200,000, first class travel and accommodations for himself, his wife, their four children and their nurse, and 10 per cent of the gross receipts over US$2,000,000 for his 11 weeks work filming The Red Beret. [11]

Ladd wanted work done on the script and recommended Richard Maibaum, with whom he had worked several times while at Paramount. Warwick hired him and this began a long professional relationship between Broccoli and Maibaum. [12] In addition to director Young and screenwriter Maibaum, camera operator Ted Moore and stuntman Bob Simmons worked extensively on future Warwick and Eon Productions films, as did actor Walter Gotell, who appeared as a German sentry. Johanna Harwood who worked on the continuity co-wrote the screenplays for the first two Bond films.[ citation needed ]

Although there was some public criticism of an American playing the lead in a British war film, British cinema owners responded that Hollywood stars filled their cinema seats, unlike most local actors. Ladd himself explained that his character had enlisted in the Parachute Regiment to learn from them. The Parachute Regiment provided extras, facilities and locations at the RAF Abingdon Parachute School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire and at Trawsfynydd, North Wales. [13] Studio work took place at Shepperton. [14]

The female lead was originally meant to be played by Dianne Foster but she was unable to make it due to a scheduling conflict. She was replaced by Susan Stephen. [15]

Actor Leo Genn served in the British Army in World War Two, reaching the rank of Lt. Colonel. Alan Ladd was initially attached to the American Air Force Film Unit but was discharged due to stomach disorders. Subsequently he was classified as A1 but thanks to pressure from film studios, his draft was postponed and finally in 1945 was removed from the draft along with all men over 30.[ citation needed ]

The budget was £209,980 plus $315,000 to cover the fees of Ladd, Allen and Broccoli, Maibaum and American publicity. [16]

Release

The film had a simultaneous premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square in London and at Moascar in the Suez Canal Zone staged by the Army Kinema Corporation on 14 August 1953. [17]

Reception

The Red Beret was a hit at the British box office. According to producer Allen, it recouped its cost from the British market alone. [18] The film cost US$700,000 to make and grossed US$8 million worldwide. [1] It earned US$225,000 in France. [19] It made $1,750,000 in rentals in the US and Canada. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Ladd</span> American actor (1913–1964)

Alan Walbridge Ladd was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in films noir, such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Whispering Smith (1948) was his first Western and color film, and Shane (1953) was noted for its contributions to the genre. Ladd also appeared in ten films with William Bendix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert R. Broccoli</span> American film producer (1909–1996)

Albert Romolo Broccoli, nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and Eon Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the producer of many of the James Bond films. He and Harry Saltzman saw the films develop from relatively low-budget origins to large-budget, high-grossing extravaganzas, and Broccoli's heirs continue to produce new Bond films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Young (director)</span> British film director and screenwriter (1915–1994)

Stewart Terence Herbert Young was a British film director and screenwriter who worked in the United Kingdom, Europe and Hollywood. He is best known for directing three James Bond films: the first two films in the series, Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963), and Thunderball (1965). His other films include the Audrey Hepburn thrillers Wait Until Dark (1967) and Bloodline (1979), the historical drama Mayerling (1968), the infamous Korean War epic Inchon (1981), and the Charles Bronson films Cold Sweat (1970), Red Sun (1971), and The Valachi Papers (1972).

<i>The Cockleshell Heroes</i> 1955 British film by José Ferrer

The Cockleshell Heroes is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the December 1942 raid on German cargo shipping by British Royal Marines Commandos, who infiltrated Bordeaux Harbour using folding kayaks.

Richard Maibaum was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his screenplay adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Genn</span> English actor (1905–1978)

Leopold John Genn was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocratic or gentlemanly, sophisticate roles.

Euan Lloyd was a British film producer.

<i>Zarak</i> 1956 British film

Zarak is a 1957 CinemaScope adventure film based on the 1949 book The Story of Zarak Khan by A.J. Bevan. It was directed by Terence Young with assistance from John Gilling and Yakima Canutt. Set in the Northwest Frontier, the film stars Victor Mature, Michael Wilding and Anita Ekberg and features Patrick McGoohan in a supporting role.

<i>The Black Knight</i> (film) 1954 film by Tay Garnett

The Black Knight is a 1954 British-American Technicolor adventure film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Alan Ladd as the title character and Peter Cushing and Patrick Troughton as two conspirators attempting to overthrow King Arthur. It is the last of Ladd's trilogy with Warwick Films, the others being The Red Beret and Hell Below Zero based on Hammond Innes' book The White South.

<i>The Great Gatsby</i> (1949 film) 1950 film directed by Elliott Nugent

The Great Gatsby is a 1949 American historical romance drama film directed by Elliott Nugent, and produced by Richard Maibaum, from a screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume. The film stars Alan Ladd, Betty Field, Macdonald Carey, Ruth Hussey, and Barry Sullivan, and features Shelley Winters and Howard Da Silva, the latter of whom later returned in the 1974 version. It is based on the 1925 novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set during the raucous Jazz Age on Long Island near New York City, the plot follows the exploits of enigmatic millionaire and bootlegger Jay Gatsby who attempts to win back the affections of his former lover Daisy Buchanan with the aid of her second cousin Nick Carraway.

<i>A Prize of Gold</i> 1955 film by Mark Robson, Max Catto

A Prize of Gold is a 1955 British Technicolor film noir crime film directed by Mark Robson partly filmed in West Berlin. The film stars Richard Widmark as a United States Air Force Air Police Master Sergeant motivated by love and compassion to begin a life of crime. It was based on the 1953 novel of the same title by Max Catto.

<i>O.S.S.</i> (film) 1946 film by Irving Pichel

O.S.S. is a 1946 American war spy film directed by Irving Pichel and starring Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Patric Knowles. Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it portrays the activities of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. The screenplay was written by Richard Maibaum, a World War II veteran who would later write twelve of the first fifteen James Bond films. Maibaum, a former Broadway actor, also narrates the film.

Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in New York where Broccoli and his wife were staying at the time of the final negotiations for the company's creation. Their films were released by Columbia Pictures.

<i>The Man Inside</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by John Gilling

The Man Inside is a 1958 British crime adventure film directed by John Gilling and starring Jack Palance, Anita Ekberg, Nigel Patrick, Anthony Newley and Bonar Colleano. It was produced by Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli for Warwick Film Productions. The screenplay by David Shaw was based on the 1954 novel of the same name by M. E. Chaber. It was Bonar Colleano's final film role.

This article is about the British Parachute Regiment. For other nations airborne forces, see List of paratrooper forces

<i>Saskatchewan</i> (film) 1954 film by Raoul Walsh

Saskatchewan is a 1954 American Northern adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Alan Ladd, Shelley Winters and J. Carrol Naish. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The title refers to Fort Saskatchewan in present-day Alberta, Canada. Shooting took place in Banff National Park not far from the headwaters of the Saskatchewan River.

<i>Hell Below Zero</i> 1954 film by Mark Robson

Hell Below Zero is a 1954 British-American adventure film directed by Mark Robson and starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel The White South by Hammond Innes, and presents interesting footage of whaling fleets in action. It was the second of Ladd's films for Warwick Films.

<i>Killers of Kilimanjaro</i> 1959 British film by Richard Thorpe

Killers of Kilimanjaro is a 1959 British CinemaScope adventure film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor, Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey and Donald Pleasence for Warwick Films.

<i>No Time to Die</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Terence Young

No Time to Die is a 1958 British war film directed by Terence Young and starring Victor Mature, Leo Genn, Anthony Newley and Bonar Colleano. It is about an American sergeant in the British Army during the Second World War.

Johanna Harwood, a.k.a. J. M. Harwood, is a retired Irish screenwriter. She was born and raised in County Wicklow, Ireland. She co-wrote two James Bond films, and went uncredited for adaptation work on a third.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chapman 2001, p. 55.
  2. ↑ Mackenzie 2007, p. 131.
  3. ↑ Henriques, R. "Review: 'Pegasus'." The Observer, 15 October 1950.
  4. ↑ Schallert, E. "Boyer to portray Hindu; sally forrest dramatic; Monroe deal simmering." Los Angeles Times, 8 March 1951.
  5. ↑ Schallert, E. "Devils' on hot schedule; Coleen Gray in 'Models'; Laughton may do Pirate." Los Angeles Times, 1 January 1952.
  6. ↑ "Special to The New York Times: Studios planning 2 Alan Ladd films; Warwick and Columbia to join in offering 'The Red Beret' and 'The White South'." The New York Times, 15 July 1952, p. 17.
  7. ↑ Todd 1986 p. 187.
  8. ↑ "Movieland briefs." Los Angeles Times , 1 April 1952 .
  9. ↑ Broccoli and Zec 1999, p. 178.
  10. ↑ "Special to The New York Times: Studios planning 2 Alan Ladd films." The New York Times, 15 July 1952.
  11. ↑ "309 F.2d 51: Alan W. Ladd and Sue Carol Ladd, Appellants, v. Robert A. Riddel, District Director of Internal Revenue, Los Angeles, California," United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit, 22 October 1962.
  12. ↑ Maibaum 1986, p. 283.
  13. ↑ "Films: Red Beret, The." reelstreets.com. Retrieved: 20 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Grenville, Harvey. "Index: 'The Red Beret'(1953)". paradata.org. Retrieved: 21 November 2015.
  15. ↑ Pryor, Thomas M. (18 October 1952). "Lubin will do film of St. Johns story; Director buys screen rights to 'Wisdom of the Serpent', Irene Dunne to star". The New York Times . p. 16.
  16. ↑ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 358
  17. ↑ "Ladd Pic, 'Beret', Preems In West End and Suez". Variety . 19 August 1953. p. 13. Retrieved 17 March 2024– via Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood cheer: Eric Johnston predicts good year for industry; Producer's point of view." The New York Times, 10 January 1954, p. X5.
  19. ↑ Meyers, Harold (21 November 1956). "Row Looms on Granting Licences for Brit Pix Made by US Outfits". Variety. p. 14.
  20. ↑ "1954 Box Office Champs". Variety . 5 January 1955. p. 59. - figures are rentals in the US and Canada

Bibliography

  • Broccoli, Albert R.; and Donald Zec. When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Trans-Atlantic Publications, 1999. ISBN   978-0-7522-1162-6.
  • Chapman, James. Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. ISBN   978-1-8451-1515-9.
  • Mackenzie, S.P. British War Films, 1939–1945: The Cinema and the Services. London: Hambledon, 2007. ISBN   978-1-8528-5586-4.
  • Maibaum, Richard, Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1988, first edition 1986. ISBN   978-0-5200-5689-3.
  • Todd, Richard. Caught in the Act: The Story of My Life. London: Hutchinson, 1986. ISBN   978-0-0916-3800-9.

The use of the names 'Box' and 'Snow' for the Bruneval raid section of the film , is a deliberate tribute to Sgt 'Cox' and Col 'Frost' who took part- hence the play on names. The 'Czech' played by Jewish Refugee actor Anton Differing is a tribute to the actual German Jewish Para Pte P. Newman, real Name Peter Nagel, who went on the raid to question and bring back German prisoners. He later went on the St Nazaire raid as Pte Walker and was POW but survived the war;he was the only British Commando to take part in both raids. For his full story see chapter in book 'Fighting Back' by Martin Sugarman (Valentine Mitchell 2017)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.