The Silence (1975 film)

Last updated
The Silence
GenreDrama
Written by Stanley R. Greenberg
Directed by Joseph Hardy
Starring Richard Thomas
Cliff Gorman
George Hearn
Music by Maurice Jarre
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Edgar J. Scherick
ProducersBridget Potter
Robert Greenhut (associate producer)
Cinematography Jack Priestley
Editor Alan Heim
Running time74 min.
Production company Palomar Pictures
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseNovember 6, 1975 (1975-11-06)

The Silence is a 1975 made-for-TV movie about James Pelosi, a West Point cadet who was charged in 1971 with cheating on an exam. [1] He remained at West Point but was subjected to "The Silence", a policy that ostracized cadets who broke the Cadet Honor Code.

Contents

Alleged cheating incident

During his junior year at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Cadet Pelosi was accused of cheating on an exam. He was found guilty by the cadet honor committee. Although the officers’ review board's committee exonerated him, his fellow cadets imposed "The Silence" anyway. At the time, West Point's "Honor Instruction" stated that a cadet who broke the Honor Code and did not leave the academy "will not be allowed to have roommates. He will eat at a separate table. He will be addressed only on official business and then as Mister." [1] Pelosi endured "The Silence" for 19 months until he graduated from West Point in 1973.

Television dramatization

A television dramatization was first shown on NBC on November 6, 1975. [1] The dramatization does not judge Pelosi's guilt or innocence. Rather, it depicts his version of the incident and the systematic ostracism that followed his decision not to resign from the academy. [1] Scriptwriter Stanley R. Greenberg based the drama on interviews he had with Pelosi. [1]

Aftermath

"The Silence" was abolished by the Corps of Cadets in 1973. Many attribute that decision to Pelosi's experience. [1] Pelosi went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in Army's Berlin Brigade's Special Troops Unit, he received a medal for a May 17, 1975, incident for heroism in rescuing wounded civilians in a nonmilitary traffic accident. [2]

General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a 1936 West Point graduate, also endured "The Silence" from his arrival to the academy to his graduation because he was one of the first African-American cadets.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Military Academy</span> U.S. Armys service academy in West Point, New York

The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Academy</span> United States service academy in Colorado

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It is the youngest of the five service academies, having graduated its first class 65 years ago in 1959, but is the third in seniority. Graduates of the academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Schofield</span> United States Army Medal of Honor recipient and Union Army general

John McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later served as Commanding General of the United States Army (1888–1895).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massanutten Military Academy</span> School in Woodstock, Virginia , United States

Massanutten Military Academy (MMA) is a coeducational military school for grades 8 through 12 and one academic postgraduate year, located in Woodstock, Virginia, United States.

<i>School Ties</i> 1992 American drama film by Robert Mandel

School Ties is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff, Andrew Lowery, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck, and Anthony Rapp. Fraser plays the lead role as David Greene, a Jewish high school student who is awarded an athletic scholarship to an elite preparatory school in his senior year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul D. Harkins</span> United States Army general

Paul Donal Harkins was a career officer in the United States Army and attained the rank of general. He is most notable for having served during World War II as deputy chief of staff for operations in George S. Patton Jr.'s commands, and as the first Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) commander, a post he held from 1962 to 1964.

<i>The Long Gray Line</i> 1955 film by John Ford

The Long Gray Line is a 1955 American Cinemascope Technicolor biographical comedy-drama film in CinemaScope directed by John Ford based on the life of Marty Maher and his autobiography, Bringing Up the Brass, co-written with Nardi Reeder Campion. Tyrone Power stars as the scrappy Irish immigrant whose 50-year career at West Point took him from a dishwasher to a non-commissioned officer and athletic instructor.

Code Breakers is a 2005 American sports drama television film directed by Rod Holcomb and written by G. Ross Parker, based on the 2000 non-fiction book A Return to Glory by Bill McWilliams. The film chronicles the real-life 1951 cheating scandal at the United States Military Academy, and the impact on its football team. It stars Zachery Ty Bryan, Jeff Roop, Jake Busey, Corey Sevier, Theo Rossi, Robin Dunne, Adam Grimes, Jude Ciccolella, Dan Petronijevic, Richard Zeppieri, and Scott Glenn as Coach Earl "Red" Blaik.

The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an honor given annually by the United States Military Academy at West Point to an individual whose character and accomplishments exemplifies the motto of West Point. The award is named after the "Father of the Military Academy", Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. The awardee is selected by, and the award is endowed by, a committee formed from the West Point Association of Graduates. It has been awarded annually since 1958 and is the closest recognition West Point has to granting an honorary degree.

<i>Neal of the Navy</i> 1915 film

Neal of the Navy is a 1915 American adventure film serial directed by William Bertram and W. M. Harvey. The film is considered to be lost. Neal of the Navy was the first use of a man's name in the title of a serial.

The Eisenhower baseball controversy refers to the allegations that the former general and President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, played minor league baseball for the Junction City Soldiers in the Central Kansas League the year before he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. The story goes that he did so under the assumed name of "Wilson." The question of whether Dwight Eisenhower played minor-league baseball is not well documented and is subject to various interpretations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadet Honor Code</span>

In the United States, a Cadet Honor Code is a system of ethics or code of conduct applying to cadets studying at military academies. These codes exist at the federal service academies, such as the United States Military Academy and the United States Air Force Academy and at the senior military colleges, as well as other military schools and colleges. The United States Naval Academy and United States Coast Guard Academy have a related standard, known as the Honor Concept.

The Honor Concept and Honor Treatise are parts of the United States Naval Academy's Honor Program. Similar to the Cadet Honor Codes of the United States Military Academy and United States Air Force Academy, the Concept formalizes the requirement for midshipmen to demonstrate integrity while refusing to lie, cheat or steal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter F. Ulmer</span> United States Army general

Walter Francis Ulmer Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army.

The eggnog riot, sometimes known as the grog mutiny, was a riot that took place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on 24–25 December 1826. It was caused by a drunken Christmas party in the north barracks of the academy. Two days prior to the incident, a large quantity of whiskey was smuggled into the academy to make eggnog for the party, giving the riot its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Military Academy</span> Public college in Benguet, Philippines

The Philippine Military Academy also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on December 21, 1936, by the virtue of National Defense Act of 1935. It is patterned after the United States Military Academy, in West Point, New York. The academy is located in the city of Baguio, and serves as the primary training school for future officers of the AFP.

<i>Beyond Glory</i> 1948 film by John Farrow

Beyond Glory is a 1948 American drama film directed by John Farrow and starring Alan Ladd and Donna Reed. Written by William Wister Haines, Jonathan Latimer, and Charles Marquis Warren, the film is about a former soldier who thinks he may have caused the death of his commanding officer in Tunisia. After visiting the officer's widow, they fall in love, and she encourages him to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.

<i>The Duke of West Point</i> 1938 film by Alfred E. Green

The Duke of West Point is a 1938 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Louis Hayward, Joan Fontaine and Tom Brown. It was described as "A Yank at Oxford in reverse".

<i>Dress Gray</i> 1986 American television miniseries

Dress Gray is a 1986 American television miniseries starring Alec Baldwin, Lloyd Bridges and Hal Holbrook. The program, about a cadet at a West Point-like military academy who investigates the murder of a fellow cadet, was adapted for the screen by Gore Vidal from the novel of the same name by Lucian Truscott IV. Dress Gray originally aired March 9–10, 1986 on NBC.

James Webster Smith was an American professor and a cadet at the United States Military Academy. A former slave, Smith became a scholar and is recognized as the first black person appointed to a cadetship at West Point. His tenure at the academy, from 1870 to 1874, was fraught with racial prejudice and ended with Smith's formal dismissal a year before completing his studies. Embittered by his experience, Smith nonetheless found success as a professor at South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute. He died of tuberculosis in 1876.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 TV Guide , November 1–7, 1975, pg A-55
  2. www.nytimes.com