Watch They Were Expendable (1945) Free Online

Release Date: 1945

Cast: Ward Bond, Donna Reed, Marshall Thompson, Cameron Mitchell, Donald Curtis, Robert Montgomery, Paul Langton, Jeff York, John Wayne, Jack Holt, Murray Alper, Leon Ames

Categories: Movies, Action, Black-and-white, Action/Adventure, War film, Combat Films

They Were Expendable is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and featuring Donna Reed. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a PT boat unit defending the Philippines against Japanese invasion during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) in World War II. It features the unit's commanding officer and Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, and Lieutenant (j.g.) Robert Kelly, one of his boat skippers. The characters of John Brickley... MORE

They Were Expendable is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and featuring Donna Reed. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a PT boat unit defending the Philippines against Japanese invasion during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) in World War II. It features the unit's commanding officer and Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, and Lieutenant (j.g.) Robert Kelly, one of his boat skippers. The characters of John Brickley (Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (Wayne) are fictionalizations of the actual subjects. Both the film and the book – which was a best seller and had excerpts published in Reader's Digest and Life – depict actions which did not occur, but were believed to be real during the war; the film is noted for its verisimilitude. A demonstration of the capabilities of PT boats is shown in Manila Bay, Philippines in December 1941. Lt.j.g. 'Rusty' Ryan (John Wayne) becomes disgusted when his superiors refuse to see the small boats as viable naval craft and is in the process of writing his request for a transfer to LESS