Name: Ten Gentlemen from West Point
Genre: Western, Drama
Released: 1942-06-26
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 6.4
Cast: George Montgomery, Maureen O'Hara, John Sutton, Laird Cregar, Shepperd Strudwick

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

It's the attraction for showmen to stand up and cheer !

This historical drama tells the story of the first class to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In the early 19th Century, Congress appropriated the money to build the school, but opponents who believed it to be an illegitimate expansion of the powers of the federal government decided to sabotage the school. They put the hard-as-nails Major Sam Carter in charge of the academy, and he ruthlessly put the recruits through grueling training -- until only ten prospective soldiers remained. They include Dawson, a patriotic farm boy and Howard Shelton, a selfish playboy who has come to West Point only because of its prestige. The two vie for Carolyn Bainbridge, while they, along with the other eight, try convince Carter that the school is worth keeping.

WesternDrama

DirectorHenry Hathaway

WritersRichard Maibaum, Ben Hecht

StatusReleased

LanguageEnglish

Release DateJune 26, 1942

Runtime1h 42m

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

May 17, 20266/10

The choice is quite simple. The US Army can either have it's annual ration of whisky or it can have an academy at West Point. With the votes pretty evenly split, they decide to give the college a chance for a year, under the command of the highly sceptical "Maj. Carter" (Laird Cregar). He's a no-nonsense officer who has little respect for adacdemia in the military and so is fairly disdainful of his group of cadets when he takes up his post. As if his regime wasn't going to be tough enough, two of the would-be soldiers take an instant dislike to each other. "Shelton" (John Sutton) is affianced to firebrand "Carolyn" (Maureen O'Hara) - a long term advocate of this facility; "Dawson" (George Montgomery) is a more rustic gent from Kentucky who takes rather a shine to her too. With that simmering away in the background, their austere conditions prove disheartening for many of these young men - but can they persevere and prove their commander wrong, or will they capitulate? When the squadron are posted to an active command against some hostile Indians, the major manages to get himself captured and so the troop, along with bombardier "Scully" (Ward Bond), have to come up with a rescue plan else they and their boss might end up toast - literally. Thankfully the romantic elements are kept under control for most of this and so we can enjoy Cregar being all dandified and imperious whilst his charges engage in a very dangerous game of Indian Lacrosse and some early transvestite frolicking amongst the trees. I've no idea if it's even remotely historically accurate, but as a breezy bit of history it's amiable enough and I quite enjoyed it.