Shanghai Jack

After seeing this and being familiar with the series, The Pacific, it seems this is a fictional and weaker version of the real story of Sgt. John Basilone.

Nevertheless, this is a decent film and does convey some of the hell our men went through in the early stage of the war over there.

The Pacific portrayed it all much better.

I saw this movie as a kid when it first came out in 1967. My father let me use his automobile to go to the local drive in theater to see this movie. I was quite impressed with it as a young lad and join the Marine Corps six months later. This movie has a lot of sentimental value for me. But, I'm a little confused as to why it cost so much at $49.00 and change on VHS. Can anyone give me some insight as to why this movie is so valuable? I want to purchase this movie but not at the current asking price.

Thanks

Claude W. Butler

I've always had a warm spot in my heart for this "B" movie because I watched some of it being made and some scenes were shot immediately in front of the quonset hut in which I lived at that time, at the Second Infantry Training Regiment, San Onofre area, Camp Pendleton, where I was stationed in the training section. It was pretty neat to watch and is the only movie I've ever seen "made" and I had the pleasure of driving Chad Everett and Dean Jagger around in a Jeep for two or three days. (Some other lucky Marine got to drive the heroine!) I got Chad Everett's autograph, but way back then he wasn't as famous as he would be later.

The movie itself is pretty good - but I'm favorably prejudiced toward any USMC movie!

Chad Everett is a Marine who survives a brutal Japanese attack on his unit, and because of his heroism is sent Stateside on a morale-building tour, where he falls for the beautiful woman assigned as his guide. This film is actually better than it sounds; Everett is quite effective as the Marine who didn't think much about his own mortality while in combat, but begins to realize that circumstances are entirely different now that he has a wife to worry about. The supporting performances are generally competent, though Marilyn Devin's inexperience as an actress is obvious in her role as Everett's new wife (she later left the industry and became a newscaster). Gene Hackman and James Best are quite good as two of Everett's fellow Marine combat veterans. The battle scenes are well done, the story moves along at a good clip, though it does lag in spots, and overall it's one of director Christian ("The Thing") Nyby's better efforts.

Starting out an old school hunkered-in-the-trenches World War II action flick with heroic Chad Everett holding off approaching Japanese soldiers in an off-river jungle setting, FIRST TO FIGHT... produced and narrated by William Conrad with direction by Christian Nyby... makes an abrupt shift into a budding Stateside romance...

Progressively ignited between Everett's surviving and returning Sgt. Jack Connell and the lovely, classy and hard-to-get war bond touring chief Marilyn Devin; yet the best scenes have our true blue veteran competing with cocky cad Bobby Troup, who's not good enough to win this lady over...

She's been through the ringer with a dead husband from Pearl Harbor, and the inevitable, unforced chemistry between Everett and Devin is genuine... until, when becoming a drill sergeant at Camp Pendleton, reunited with former colonel Dean Jagger (with best friend James Best back in the jungle), Connell wants another mission, and as the saying goes... be careful what you wish for...

For true war movie fanatics the third act is the best when the jungle warrior gets cold feet on a Normandy Beach style invasion, and, while it's cringe-worthy experiencing the hero becoming a coward, scenes with non-famous Gene Hackman as a strong/silent sergeant make this FIGHT, in attempting three stories in one, sustain patriotic entertainment without being too corny or nostalgic.