Hell Is for Heroes (film)
Encyclopedia
Hell Is for Heroes is a 1962
war film
directed by Don Siegel
and starring Steve McQueen
. It tells the story of a squad of American soldiers, who in the fall of 1944 must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line
until reinforcements reach them.
) and his men are getting ready to take a long deserved rest after being on the front-line for several weeks. During an interlude at a church and later at a tavern, the senior non-commissioned officer, Technical Sergeant
Pike (Fess Parker
), happens upon former fellow sergeant, now Private, John Reese (Steve McQueen
). Reese is the quintessential troubled loner, managing to alienate himself from almost everyone in the squad right from the beginning. The company commander, Captain Loomis (Joseph Hoover), is worried because Reese goes crazy when there is no fighting, but Pike comments that he is a good soldier in combat.
Sergeant Pike informs the men that they will be going back on the line. After much complaining, the men get ready to move out. The remaining members of 2nd Squad include con-man/thief Corby (Bobby Darin
), the mechanic-who-can-fix-anything Corporal
Henshaw (James Coburn
), the easy-going, somewhat-naive kid, Cumberly (Bill Mullikin), Polish refugee Homer Janeczek (Nick Adams), and family man Kolinsky (Mike Kellin
). The morning after they arrive at their appointed post and dig in, the men realize they are spread so thin that any reconnaissance by the Germans will quickly reveal how weak the American defenses are.
One stroke of good luck is the sudden and mistaken arrival of an Army company clerk, Private First Class
James Driscoll (Bob Newhart
in his first film role). Larkin quickly puts Driscoll’s jeep
to use by having Henshaw rig it to backfire and sound like a tank
. Driscoll himself is put to use improvising misleading radio messages for a hidden microphone left by the Germans in an abandoned pillbox (Newhart was noted for his telephone conversation skits in his stand-up comedy
routines).
A German raid results in Cumberly's death, but Reese manages to kill three Germans in close combat. Reese, so wound up he can barely stand still, recommends hitting the German pillbox on the other side of a field filled with mines and barbed wire to make the enemy think the Americans are at normal strength. Larkin decides to go find some help and see if he can get permission from Pike for the attack, but is killed by artillery. Reese decides to proceed without orders and persuades the others to go along. The attack fails, with Henshaw fatally burned by his exploding flamethrower
tanks and Kolinsky dying screaming from shrapnel through the back and abdomen.
Reinforcements do arrive soon thereafter, along with Sergeant Pike and Captain Loomis, who berates Reese and decides not to court-martial
the insubordinate private only so he can be at the front of the American assault at dawn. The pillbox fires on the advancing Americans. Reese throws a satchel charge
into the pillbox. When it is tossed out by the defenders, he grabs it and, by now gravely wounded, carries it in, blowing up the fortification and himself.
, and soon after Hell Is for Heroes, created the World War II TV series Combat!. Originally, Pirosh was also to have directed and produced the film as well, but he walked away from the project after trouble with McQueen.
Many of the cast were angry over the studio's budget restrictions, which resulted in phony looking props, malfunctioning
firearms, and the same German having to be killed three or four times. In the last battle scene, McQueen can be seen experiencing multiple failures firing the M3 Grease Gun
. These malfunctions were due to problems with the blanks
used.
McQueen was reportedly furious with his agent for having induced him to sign onto the film and not securing the fee that he had been promised up front and for passing on another movie that McQueen wanted. Thus, his angry, detached "loner" look may not have been entirely from his method acting
. Columnist James Bacon visited the set and said that, "Steve McQueen is his own worst enemy". Bobby Darin overheard the remark and replied "Not while I'm still alive."
Parker, Coburn, and others in the cast were doing other projects during the making of the film and would repeatedly show up in the nick of time and do their lines without makeup and little or no rehearsal (Coburn also appeared with McQueen in The Magnificent Seven
and another World War II film, The Great Escape
).
During the production, Newhart's comedy albums sold unexpectedly well, resulting in higher-fee offers for stand-up comedy night-club appearances. As a result, he sought ways to have his character killed off so that he could leave the production. The director consistently told him that he would be in the film until the end.
episode "The Siege of AR-558
" are named after characters and actors from this film. These include Patrick Kilpatrick
's character Reese, Annette Helde's character Larkin and Bill Mumy
's character Kellin (named after the actor Mike Kellin). Other unseen characters to be named after characters from the film include Captain Loomis and Commander Parker. The episode has a similar plot, where Starfleet troops have been holding off multiple attacks from enemy forces for five months.
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by Don Siegel
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...
and starring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
. It tells the story of a squad of American soldiers, who in the fall of 1944 must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
until reinforcements reach them.
Plot
Squad leader Sergeant Larkin (Harry GuardinoHarry Guardino
Harry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
) and his men are getting ready to take a long deserved rest after being on the front-line for several weeks. During an interlude at a church and later at a tavern, the senior non-commissioned officer, Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant is the name of one current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States military.-United States Air Force:Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is...
Pike (Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
), happens upon former fellow sergeant, now Private, John Reese (Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
). Reese is the quintessential troubled loner, managing to alienate himself from almost everyone in the squad right from the beginning. The company commander, Captain Loomis (Joseph Hoover), is worried because Reese goes crazy when there is no fighting, but Pike comments that he is a good soldier in combat.
Sergeant Pike informs the men that they will be going back on the line. After much complaining, the men get ready to move out. The remaining members of 2nd Squad include con-man/thief Corby (Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
), the mechanic-who-can-fix-anything Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Henshaw (James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
), the easy-going, somewhat-naive kid, Cumberly (Bill Mullikin), Polish refugee Homer Janeczek (Nick Adams), and family man Kolinsky (Mike Kellin
Mike Kellin
-Early life:Kellin was born Myron Kellin in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian Jewish immigrants. He was educated at Boston University and Trinity College...
). The morning after they arrive at their appointed post and dig in, the men realize they are spread so thin that any reconnaissance by the Germans will quickly reveal how weak the American defenses are.
One stroke of good luck is the sudden and mistaken arrival of an Army company clerk, Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
James Driscoll (Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
in his first film role). Larkin quickly puts Driscoll’s jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
to use by having Henshaw rig it to backfire and sound like a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
. Driscoll himself is put to use improvising misleading radio messages for a hidden microphone left by the Germans in an abandoned pillbox (Newhart was noted for his telephone conversation skits in his stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
routines).
A German raid results in Cumberly's death, but Reese manages to kill three Germans in close combat. Reese, so wound up he can barely stand still, recommends hitting the German pillbox on the other side of a field filled with mines and barbed wire to make the enemy think the Americans are at normal strength. Larkin decides to go find some help and see if he can get permission from Pike for the attack, but is killed by artillery. Reese decides to proceed without orders and persuades the others to go along. The attack fails, with Henshaw fatally burned by his exploding flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
tanks and Kolinsky dying screaming from shrapnel through the back and abdomen.
Reinforcements do arrive soon thereafter, along with Sergeant Pike and Captain Loomis, who berates Reese and decides not to court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
the insubordinate private only so he can be at the front of the American assault at dawn. The pillbox fires on the advancing Americans. Reese throws a satchel charge
Satchel charge
thumb|right|250px|Weapons used in [[Winter War]]. The original Finnish satchel charge at left.A satchel charge is a demolition device, primarily intended for combat, whose primary components are a charge of dynamite or a more potent explosive such as C-4 plastic explosive, a carrying device...
into the pillbox. When it is tossed out by the defenders, he grabs it and, by now gravely wounded, carries it in, blowing up the fortification and himself.
Cast
- Steve McQueenSteve McQueenTerrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
as Pvt. John Reese - Bobby DarinBobby DarinBobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
as Pvt. Dave Corby - Fess ParkerFess ParkerFess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
as T/Sgt. Bill Pike - Harry GuardinoHarry GuardinoHarry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
as Sgt. Jim Larkin - James CoburnJames CoburnJames Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
as Cpl. Frank Henshaw - Bob NewhartBob NewhartGeorge Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
as Pfc. James E. Driscoll - Mike KellinMike Kellin-Early life:Kellin was born Myron Kellin in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian Jewish immigrants. He was educated at Boston University and Trinity College...
as Pvt. Stan Kolinsky - Joseph Hoover as Cpt. Roger Loomis
- Bill Mullikin as Pvt. Joe Cumberly
- L.Q. Jones as Supply Sergeant Frazer
- Michele Montau as Monique Ouidel
- Don HaggertyDon HaggertyDon Haggerty was an American film actor appearing in films in the 1940s and 1950s. Before entering films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the US military...
as Cpt. Mace - Nick Adams as Pvt. Homer Janeczek
- Chuck Hicks as a Soldier (uncredited)
- Robert Phillips as the Jeep driver (uncredited)
Production
Writer Robert Pirosh gained quite a name for himself after writing the script for the 1949 film Battleground, about the American 101st airborne paratroopers’ defending of BastogneBastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
, and soon after Hell Is for Heroes, created the World War II TV series Combat!. Originally, Pirosh was also to have directed and produced the film as well, but he walked away from the project after trouble with McQueen.
Many of the cast were angry over the studio's budget restrictions, which resulted in phony looking props, malfunctioning
Firearm malfunction
A firearm malfunction is the partial or complete failure of a firearm to operate as intended. Malfunctions range from temporary and relatively safe situations, such as a casing that didn't eject, to potentially dangerous occurrences that may permanently damage the gun and cause injury or death...
firearms, and the same German having to be killed three or four times. In the last battle scene, McQueen can be seen experiencing multiple failures firing the M3 Grease Gun
M3 submachine gun
The M3 was an American .45-caliber submachine gun adopted for U.S. Army service on 12 December 1942, as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3. The M3 was designed as a more cost-effective alternative to the Thompson, optimized for mass production...
. These malfunctions were due to problems with the blanks
Blank (cartridge)
A blank is a type of cartridge for a firearm that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. When fired, the blank makes a flash and an explosive sound . Blanks are often used for simulation , training, and for signaling...
used.
McQueen was reportedly furious with his agent for having induced him to sign onto the film and not securing the fee that he had been promised up front and for passing on another movie that McQueen wanted. Thus, his angry, detached "loner" look may not have been entirely from his method acting
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
. Columnist James Bacon visited the set and said that, "Steve McQueen is his own worst enemy". Bobby Darin overheard the remark and replied "Not while I'm still alive."
Parker, Coburn, and others in the cast were doing other projects during the making of the film and would repeatedly show up in the nick of time and do their lines without makeup and little or no rehearsal (Coburn also appeared with McQueen in The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
and another World War II film, The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
).
During the production, Newhart's comedy albums sold unexpectedly well, resulting in higher-fee offers for stand-up comedy night-club appearances. As a result, he sought ways to have his character killed off so that he could leave the production. The director consistently told him that he would be in the film until the end.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Several of the guest characters in the Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "The Siege of AR-558
The Siege of AR-558 (DS9 episode)
The Siege of AR-558 is an episode from the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The number 558 is also the production code of the episode. First aired November 18, 1998. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and directed by Winrich Kolbe...
" are named after characters and actors from this film. These include Patrick Kilpatrick
Patrick Kilpatrick
Robert Donald Kilpatrick, Jr. is an American character actor with over 85 film and TV appearances to his credit. He made his film debut relatively late in 1985 with The Toxic Avenger.-Life and career:...
's character Reese, Annette Helde's character Larkin and Bill Mumy
Bill Mumy
Charles William "Bill" Mumy, Jr. is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist and a figure in the science-fiction community. He is known primarily for his work as a child television actor....
's character Kellin (named after the actor Mike Kellin). Other unseen characters to be named after characters from the film include Captain Loomis and Commander Parker. The episode has a similar plot, where Starfleet troops have been holding off multiple attacks from enemy forces for five months.