Film

They Were Expendable

1945 · 2h 15m · Drama · War

A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!

IMDb

7.2

Rotten Tomatoes

91%

Metacritic

86

After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

Robert Montgomery

Lt. John Brickley

John Wayne

Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan

Donna Reed

Lt. Sandy Davyss

Jack Holt

General Martin

Ward Bond

"Boats" Mulcahey, Chief Boatswain's Mate

Marshall Thompson

Ens. 'Snake' Gardner

Paul Langton

Ens. 'Andy' Andrews

Leon Ames

Major James Morton

Arthur Walsh

Seaman Jones

Donald Curtis

Lt. (J.G.) 'Shorty' Long

Cameron Mitchell

Ens. George Cross

Louis Jean Heydt

'Ohio'

Jeff York

Ens. Tony Aiken

Murray Alper

'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c

Harry Tenbrook

'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c

Jack Pennick

'Doc'

• John FordDirector · Producer
• Frank WeadScreenplay
• Christina SteadScreenplay
• Joseph H. AugustDirector of Photography
• Herbert StothartOriginal Music Composer
• Douglass Biggs Editor
• Frank E. HullEditor

Trailer

Release date

December 7, 1945

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

2h 15m

Rated

NR

Genres

Drama, War

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