Battle Circus
Encyclopedia
Battle Circus is a 1953 film directed by Richard Brooks
, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Humphrey Bogart
and June Allyson
, and costars Keenan Wynn
and Robert Keith.
The film is set in Korea
during the Korean War
. Bogart (in his sole film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
) plays a surgeon and commander of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
(MASH) 66, with Allyson playing a newly-arrived nurse.
According to Brooks (in an interview filmed for the 1988 Bacall on Bogart documentary), the film was originally called MASH, a title rejected by MGM because the studio thought people would think the film had something to do with potatoes. Brooks also noted that Bogart agreed to do the film because the script's humor, set in a story showing the tragedy of war, would make the film seem more realistic to an audience.
The title of the film refers to the speed and ease with which a MASH unit, with its assemblage of tents, can, like a circus, pick up stakes and move to where the action is.
Richard Brooks
Richard Brooks was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and occasional film producer.-Early life and career:...
, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
, and costars Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
and Robert Keith.
The film is set in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Bogart (in his sole film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
) plays a surgeon and commander of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital refers to a United States Army medical unit serving as a fully functional hospital in a combat area of operations. The units were first established in August 1945, and were deployed during the Korean War and later conflicts. The U.S...
(MASH) 66, with Allyson playing a newly-arrived nurse.
According to Brooks (in an interview filmed for the 1988 Bacall on Bogart documentary), the film was originally called MASH, a title rejected by MGM because the studio thought people would think the film had something to do with potatoes. Brooks also noted that Bogart agreed to do the film because the script's humor, set in a story showing the tragedy of war, would make the film seem more realistic to an audience.
The title of the film refers to the speed and ease with which a MASH unit, with its assemblage of tents, can, like a circus, pick up stakes and move to where the action is.
Cast
- Humphrey BogartHumphrey BogartHumphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
as Major Jed Webbe - June AllysonJune AllysonJune Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
as Lieutenant Ruth McGara - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Sergeant Orvil Statt - Robert Keith as Lieutenant Colonel Hilary Walters
- William CampbellWilliam Campbell (film actor)William Campbell was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in major film productions and also starred in several low-budget B-movies, including two cult horror films.-Career:...
as Captain John Rustford - Perry Sheehan as Lieutenant Laurence
- Patricia Tiernan as Lieutenant Rose Ashland
- Adele Longmire as Lieutenant Jane Franklin
- Jonathan Cott as Adjutant
- Ann Morrison as Lieutenant Edith Edwards
- Helen Winston as Lieutenant Graciano
- Sarah Selby as Captain Dobbs
- Danny Chang as Korean child
- Philip Ahn as Korean prisoner
- Steve Forrest as Sergeant
See also
- List of American films of 1953
- M*A*S*H
External links
- Synopsis from American Movie Classics
- Film summary from the official June AllysonJune AllysonJune Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
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