| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| James Cagney | ... | ||
| Dennis Weaver | ... |
Lt. Cmdr. Andy Lowe
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Ward Costello | ... |
Capt. Harry Black
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| Vaughn Taylor | ... |
Cmdr. Mike Pulaski
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| Richard Jaeckel | ... |
Lt. Cmdr. Roy Webb
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| Les Tremayne | ... |
Capt. Frank Enright
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| Walter Sande | ... |
Capt. Horace Keys
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| Karl Swenson | ... |
Capt. Bill Bailey
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Leon Lontoc | ... |
Manuel
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| Robert Burton | ... |
Maj. Gen. Roy Geiger
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| Carleton Young | ... |
Col. Evans Carlson
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| Raymond Bailey | ... |
Maj. Gen. Archie Vandergrift
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Harry Landers | ... |
Capt. Joseph Foss
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| Richard Carlyle | ... |
Father Frederic Gehring
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James Yagi | ... |
Rear Adm. Jiro Kobe
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The Gallant Hours depicts the crucial five-week period in October-November 1942 after Admiral Halsey took command of the beleaguered American forces in the South Pacific Area. That period of combat became a turning point in the struggle against the Japanese Empire during the World War II. The story is told in flashback, framed by Halsey's ceremony of going on inactive duty in 1947. Written by Anonymous
Arrgghh!! Whether or not this is a good film, I am surprised that most of the reviewers don't mention the god-awful men's chorus that inappropriately drones on and one with even greater solemnity than a Biblical epic!! It's horrible and annoying--and undermines much of the film. Why this was chosen for the soundtrack I have no idea, as it grates on the nerves like no other soundtrack I can recall! Yes, it's that bad and after a while it sounds almost like bees swarming--I kid you not! Aside from the demoniacally-inspired chorus, the next thing you'll probably notice is the unusual style of the film. Instead of a typical bio-pic, this one is told in a semi-documentary style--with very serious narration punctuating various vignettes of a very small portion of Admiral Halsey's life. This small cross-section of his life consists of just five weeks!! So, it's hard to exactly call this a 'bio-pic' as it would seem to imply more than just a tiny portion of the subject's life.
The film is also surprisingly different from what you'd expect because the telling of the story is very straight-forward and without adornment. Simple and direct seem to be the motto for this film...and have a male chorus that sounds worse than cats begin tortured.
If you want a film version of all of Halsey's life or a warts-and-all film, this is not the movie for you. However, it is very competently made and worth seeing...even with the evil chorus from Hell--though I AM deducting two points for this!