The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
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The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

Year:
Duration:
100 min
Genres:
Biography | Drama | War
IMDB rate:
6.9
Director:
Otto Preminger
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win
Details
Country: USA
Release Date: 1955-12-31
Filming Locations: Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Cast
Actor
Character
Gary Cooper
Col. Billy Mitchell
Charles Bickford
Gen. Jimmy Guthrie
Ralph Bellamy
Congressman Frank R. Reid
Rod Steiger
Maj. Allan Guillion
Elizabeth Montgomery
Margaret Lansdowne
Fred Clark
Col. Moreland
James Daly
Lt. Col. Herbert White
Jack Lord
Lt. Cmdr. Zachary 'Zack' Lansdowne
Darren McGavin
Capt. Russ Peters
Robert F. Simon
Adm. Gage (as Robert Simon)
Charles Dingle
Sen. Fullerton
Dayton Lummis
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Tom McKee
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker
Stephen Roberts
Maj. Carl Spaatz
Herbert Heyes
General John J. Pershing
Robert Brubaker
Major H.H. Arnold
Phil Arnold
Fiorello La Guardia
Ian Wolfe
President Calvin Coolidge
Will Wright
Adm. William S. Sims
Abdullah Abbas
Officer (uncredited)
Peter Adams
Officer (uncredited)
Griff Barnett
George Carlson (uncredited)
Robert Bice
Naval Officer Aide (uncredited)
Marshall Bradford
Reporter (uncredited)
Charles Chaplin Jr.
Reporter (uncredited)
Mario Cimino
Italian Officer (uncredited)
Dan Dowling
Civilian (uncredited)
Jack Ellis
Court Martial Judge (uncredited)
Norman Field
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
William Forrest
Commandant at Ft. Sam Houston (uncredited)
William Fox
Reporter (uncredited)
Art Gilmore
Radio Broadcaster (voice) (uncredited)
Joe Haworth
Captain (uncredited)
William Henry
Officer (uncredited)
Lars Hensen
Reporter (uncredited)
Edna Holland
Mrs. Sturges (uncredited)
Steve Holland
Stu Stuart (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
Charles Anthony Hughes
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
Charles Keane
Major (uncredited)
Edward Keane
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
Fred Kelsey
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Adam Kennedy
Yip Ryan (uncredited)
Mike Lally
Reporter (uncredited)
Cy Malis
Reporter (uncredited)
Alan Marston
Military Policeman in Court
John Maxwell
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
George Mayon
Reporter (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Officer in Courtroom (uncredited)
Ewing Mitchell
Court-Martial Judge (uncredited)
Al Page
Reporter (uncredited)
Fred Perce
Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Perrin
Court Reporter (uncredited)
Hal Rand
(uncredited)
Manning Ross
Ted Adams (uncredited)
Bernard Sell
Photographer (uncredited)
Jordan Shelley
Reporter (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley
Court Martial Judge (uncredited)
G. Albert Smith
Clerk (uncredited)
Howard Smith
Committee Chairman (uncredited)
Joel Smith
Reporter (uncredited)
Max Wagner
Sergeant Major (uncredited)
Gregory Walcott
Howard Millikan (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox
Maj. Tom (uncredited)
Robert Williams
Carl Tuttle (uncredited)
William Yokota
Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Carleton Young
Pershing's Aide (uncredited)
Did you know?
Trivia
Film debut of Jack Lord.
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Although Gary Cooper had said long ago that he would make no more biopics, he signed for The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955). It was a poor Otto Preminger film and even Billy Mitchell's widow expressed disappointment with Cooper's performance. Possibly the story had appealed to Cooper on political grounds and Mitchell may have been a hero of his - the general who accused the government of neglecting military needs. Cooper went on Ed Sullivan's TV show to promote the film and home viewers were quite disappointed - David Shipman referred to Cooper's "effeminate mannerisms in his TV interviews".
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The Mitchell family was very unhappy with the film, especially the casting of the tall, laconic Gary Cooper in the lead role. The real Billy Mitchell was short with an explosive temper. The family thought James Cagney would have been ideal.
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Goofs
In the movie, Billy Mitchell is reduced in rank and transferred to Texas for disobeying orders during the bombing tests. Actually it was due to him talking to the press without permission and happened a few years after this event.
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In the opening sequence Colonel Mitchell arrives for the test he is flying a Grumman JF "Duck". This airplane was not first flown until 1932 when the date of the scene is 1921.
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The award ribbons on Billy Mitchell's uniform coat are arranged in rows of three. However, he actually wore them in rows of four.
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Quotes
Admiral William S. Sims: Just because you read a lot of books about golf, doesn't make you a good golfer.
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Admiral William S. Sims: The Navy hasn't got any policy on flying, they are ignoring the aeroplane in hopes that it will just go away.
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Photos from cast
Peter Graves
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