Wake Island

Year:

1942

Duration:

87 min

Genres:

Action | Drama | War

IMDB rate:

7

Director:

John Farrow

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1942-08-11

Filming Locations: Salton Sea, California, USA

Cast

Actor

Character

Brian Donlevy

James Brown

Macdonald Carey

Lt. Bruce Cameron

Robert Preston

Pvt. Joe Doyle

William Bendix

Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall

Albert Dekker

Shad McClosky

Walter Abel

Cmdr. Roberts

Mikhail Rasumny

Ivan Probenzky

Rod Cameron

Capt. Pete Lewis

Bill Goodwin

Sgt. Higbee / Narrator

Damian O'Flynn

Capt. Bill Patrick

Frank Albertson

Johnny Rudd

Hugh Beaumont

Captain (uncredited)

Barbara Britton

Sally Cameron (uncredited)

Hillary Brooke

Girl at the Inn (uncredited)

Robert Carson

Marine Spotting Reconnaissance Plane (uncredited)

Don Castle

Pvt. Cunkle (uncredited)

Luke Chan

Japanese Admiral (uncredited)

Spencer Chan

Japanese Captain (uncredited)

Jack Chapin

Squeaky Simpkins (uncredited)

Dane Clark

'Sparks' (radioman #1) (uncredited)

Russ Clark

Sergeant Major (uncredited)

Max Cole

Marine Pilot (uncredited)

Chuck Connors

Soldier in meal queue (uncredited)

Angelo Cruz

Rodrigo (uncredited)

Lester Dorr

Marine in Trench (uncredited)

Edward Earle

Commander (uncredited)

Frank Faylen

Marine Finding Skipper's Litter (uncredited)

Mary Field

Miss Pringle, Woman with Cynthia (uncredited)

Charles Flynn

Marine Pilot (uncredited)

William Forrest

Maj. Johnson (uncredited)

Paul Fung

Japanese Pilot (uncredited)

Edmund Glover

Gun Captain (uncredited)

Fred Graham

First Civilian (uncredited)

Alan Hale Jr.

Sight Setter (uncredited)

Earle 'Tex' Harris

Tex Hannigan (uncredited)

Sam Hayes

Radio Reporter (uncredited)

Mitchell Ingraham

Admiral (uncredited)

Jerry Jerome

Private / First Lookout (uncredited)

Marvin Jones

Tommy (uncredited)

Pete G. Katchenaro

Japanese Officer (uncredited)

Mike Lally

Marine Captain (uncredited)

Tommy Lee

Japanese Pilot (uncredited)

James B. Leong

Secretary to Japanese Envoy (uncredited)

Richard Loo

Mr. Saburo Kurusu (uncredited)

George Magrill

Second Civilian (uncredited)

Patti McCarty

Girl at the Inn (uncredited)

Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart

Talker (uncredited)

Ivan Miller

Colonel (uncredited)

James Millican

Radio Operator (uncredited)

Dick Morris

Mechanic (uncredited)

Jack Mulhall

Dr. Parkman (uncredited)

Anthony Nace

Capt. Gordon

Mike Ragan

First Lieutenant (uncredited)

Joey Ray

Marine (uncredited)

Keith Richards

Sparks Wilcox (uncredited)

Willard Robertson

Col. Cameron (uncredited)

Rudy Robles

Triunfo (uncredited)

Jack Shea

Marine in Chow Line (uncredited)

John Sheehan

Pete Hogan (uncredited)

Phillip Terry

Pvt. 'Cookie' Warren (uncredited)

Mary Thomas

Cynthia Caton (uncredited)

Charles Trowbridge

George Nielson (uncredited)

Philip Van Zandt

Cpl. Gus Goebbels (uncredited)

Billy Wilkerson

Marine Lieutenant (uncredited)

Bruce Wong

Japanese Captain (uncredited)

Frank Wong

Japanese Pilot (uncredited)

Victor Wong

Japanese Commander (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Captain Henry Elrod, who is represented by Macdonald Carey's Lt. Bruce Cameron character, was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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In real life most of the survivors were sent to Japanese prison camps but 98 civilian construction workers were held on the island to help the Japanese with their defenses. After the Americans conducted a successful air raid in October 1943, the civilians were machine-gunned to death. A lone survivor escaped and later carved a message on a coral rock on the mass grave where they were hastily buried. He was later captured and beheaded. When the island fell in 1945, the commander responsible for the massacre was executed.

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According to Hedda Hopper's newspaper column of June 23, 1942, three different endings of this movie were shot. The ending to be used when released in August would depend upon how the war was going by then.

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Goofs

Wake island defenders did not have a dog.

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The scene showing a Japanese aircraft doing a recon of the island, has sharply tapered wing tips and fixed landing gear. However, the shadow of the aircraft has rounded wing tips.

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In a shot of the Japanese ships just before the Marines open fire, a patrol boat can be seen already on fire.

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Quotes

Maj. Geoffrey Caton: Boys, the honeymoon's over. From now on you're marines.

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Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: Any you guys who don't like this hat, you can come out here and try to knock it off.

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Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall: [Dressed in civilian clothes] World, here I come!

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