The D.I.

Well as you can see, I got to this party quite late but, have the advantage of reading all the previous entries before making my comments. I found this site by happen chance, when I was looking for other Marine Corps films. So, let me start by telling you that I played a Marine Boot in the movie, Pvt. Labarsky, and was stationed at MCRDep, San Diego at the time. Jack Webb and his crew selected 15 Permanent Personnel, of which some of us had the speaking parts, and another 15 Marines that had just completed Boot Camp. That made up the Platoon and the Marines who portrayed the various "DIs". To the best of my recollection, The Capt. and Pvt. Owens (Don Dubbins) were not in the Marines. We spent about three weeks up in Hollywood (Studio City Film Lot), CA shooting the section of the movie that we were involved with, and then they completed the other shots after we left.

So as I ramble along here, let me clarify some of what has been questioned in previous entries as best I can. "Cuff Daddy" was commenting about the ability of our Platoon to yell "Yes Sir" without moving and etc,, Yes we did the yelling for the Sound Guys, and it was while shooting the scene. As you fellow Marines remember, when the DI or who ever started to ask a question and before they completed it, you had already taken your breath of air enabling you to yell at the top of your lungs the proper response. That is how it was done.

"74Sooner" commented about walking through the same building at Paris Island, however, as I mentioned earlier all the scenes were shot in Studio City, CA . They were built from photos taken at Paris Island and from on site trips and Marine advisers from Paris Island. Sorry, you were in the real buildings, not the sets.

"schappe1" brought up many good points, but, about the incident with the platoon at Paris Island at the time all that jack Webb said to us was, "The movie came about because of the accident, and the Marine Corps didn't want to put out anything that would impact any of the family members of the Marines that died that night. Although, the Marine Corps would provide any Marines and assistance needed for a movie answering to the public why a Marine DI does what he does".

As mentioned by a few of you, I also at the time we were shooting the scenes caught my self thinking this dialog has been cleaned up to much and obviously isn't how it goes down in real life. Back in the 50's,that is how it had to be done.

One story I would like to pass on is about the interaction that occurred between us Marines and the Movie Crew, and between the Movie Crew and Jack Webb. From the start by custom the Marines replied "Yes Sir" to anybody that moved. Going into the second week it was getting more common to hear "Yes Sir" coming from all directions. On stage someone would bark out a request for something to be done with the lighting and from out of nowhere up on a catwalk above the set a reply of "Yes Sir" would sound out. To all of this at one of our informal gatherings, Jack Webb stated. "If I had known that I would have gotten this much respect from this crew, I would have brought you guys up here years ago." There was a Lt. brought up from San Diego to play the role of the DI from the other platoon and the one Jack Webb fights with, but during one shooting secessions He was up to take number 32, and still Webb kept trying to work him through how he wanted it done and didn't show any lack of patience with him. The next day they used the Paris Island adviser who was a DI Sgt. from Paris Island and He worked out fine.

At the time I was somewhat of a camera buff and got to know the Still Camera Man to get some pointer from him and as it turned out He would give me still shots and some of the 35mm film of the daily shooting that were not going to be used. Those film strips I cut up and made slides out of them. After the movie came out in VHS tape (The DI, 11706 B&W/106 min.) my kids and the grand kids have a blast when they try to se who can find me the most times on the screen.

I am a Sergeant in the US Army who has had ten years experience on active duty and six years in the National Guard, I also served in Operation Desert Storm. I think I am in a better position to review this film then many others have done. Jack Webb always wanted realism in his films and television shows. He made The DI between the Dragnet series that he did and it is an excellent film that has not aged at all. It is as tough-hitting and realistic as ever. Maybe Jack isn't as good as Louis Gosset or Lee Ermey was in his portrayal of a Marine drill instructor, but he is damn close I can tell you! Maybe people think that drill sergeants are so mean, but I can tell you from my experience that they HAVE to be that way! You don't train young Marines or soldiers effectively by being kind. You have to get in their face and let them know that its all business. You tear them down and build them up all over again. That is the purpose of military training that they show in this film. The year before this film was made, on April 8, 1956 as a matter of fact, a Marine drill instructor marched his platoon into Ribbon Creek swamp at Parris Island as punishment. There was an unexpected storm and tidal wave and six Marines drowned as a result. This black mark on The Marine Corps resulted in a very negative thing. They have made military training far TOO easy as a result. Did you know that today drill sergeants are not even allowed to swear at privates when they do something dumb! They are not allowed to touch them and its like they have made basic training like a girl scout summer camp! I hated Private Owens because he reminded me of a lot of soldiers I have known in my career that were just babies who had been passed thru training and would have been killed on day 1 in combat!

I had the good fortune to be at Perris Island in the fall of 1959. The DI showed one evening at the outdoor theater directly in front of our barracks, Plt 162, B Co, 1st Bn, 1st ITR.

Although we hadn't been there long enough to even think about seeing a movie, we could hear those that were laughing. It's one of the many indelible memories of my thirteen weeks at PI.

At some later date, I got to actually see it in a theater. I'm still convinced that, to date, it remains the most realistic portrayal of the experience in the late 1950's ever done. No one has done it better than Jack Webb...

Jack Webb does a big career departure--playing a tough as nails drill instructor in the US Marine Corps. While he does a very credible job in this role, I just marveled because I kept thinking of his as his more familiar character, Joe Friday! Webb is having two difficulties in the film. The most obvious is a cadet named Owens (Don Dubbins--who frequently guest starred on "Dragnet")--who seems emotionally unfit and unlikely to make it out of boot camp. His other problem is struggling with being a human being. His tough as nails approach to life is a serious drawback when it comes to real relationships--and he treats women almost like recruits! Why Annie (his real-life wife, Jackie Loughery) likes him is beyond me--perhaps she likes a fixer-upper--and this sergeant needs a lot of work.

The film apparently is very accurate about boot camp and D.I.s--though I have no direct experience to know if this is or isn't the case. I do know, however, that it IS entertaining. And, the story of Private Owens is compelling--especially when his mother (Virginia Gregg--a VERY familiar actress in Jack Webb's productions) comes to visit--and is probably the best part of the film. Well worth watching.

By the way, if you ever get a chance, there's an interesting biography about Jack Webb. You learn that, in some ways, Webb was a lot like the guy in this film as well as Sgt. Friday from "Dragnet"--a guy who struggled to be able to relate to people and seemed very ill at ease with feelings. Kind of sad...though a terrific actor/producer/director.

I was a working DI at MCRD San Diego when I was selected to play in the movie. I was the first Marine so selected by Webb. I am (or was, Technical Sergeant Charles A Love, USMC. Concerning the sun glasses scene which we shot at DelMar..I was wearing the glasses because I had supposedly gotten a black eye while scuffling with Dubbins at the wash rack scene. If you look closely you can see the makeup of such on my face. They originally had normal looking glasses but Colonel Carneal had them changed to the silly ones so as to make it not look they were medically unnecessary...Semper Fi Marines..I will be glad to answer any queries you may have about the making of the movie. I presently live in Deland, Florida. TechSgt Lou Lazarko lives nearby. (He had a run in with Webb in the bar) I have been in touch with some of the Marines.Notably Pete O'Neal, whose face I slapped to kill the supposedly one that Dubbins had killed and which I subsequently took up to Webb who visually verified that this was a female flea and not the male one that Dubbins had slapped. Some of the other Marines have written on this site with good information. Actually Lou Lazarko is the one who took Lt. Schmidt's role when he couldn't properly deliver the line of "What's this, the brand called X" in the Duty hut when Jack threw the cup at him and hit the door. Lou originally went to Hollywood with us as a troop handler and then took Schmidts place. Lou and I then were the handlers of the thirty five recently graduated Marines who were use in the movie. At that time Lou was a working DI at MCRD San Diego, not PI as someone has indicated. Jack took the four of use with the main parts to Chicago for what they called the World Premiere where we appeared on stage between each showing of the movie. As someone pointed out Jack never could quite get down the real DI cadence and they used Sgt Prutzman's and my cadence calling in the movie. I will probably write more about the movie as time goes on. I will be happy to answer any emails about it...Semper Fi. (sandfleaii@aol.com)