Commandos in Vietnam

I've been waiting for years for this movie to come out on VHS or DVD. I wanted to give it to my father, Donald Seely, who acted the role of Major Kastens in the movie. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 85 last year. One of the most memorable parts of his, and our, life was living in Vietnam from 1961-1963 when he met Marshall Thompson, who was from his hometown of Peoria, IL. My dad was a MACV adviser in Saigon with the U.S. Army. He and Marshall Thompson hit it off immediately and the friendship began. Kieu Chinh, who also starred in a Yank In Vietnam, was my father's secretary and a local Vietnamese film actress. During the filming of the movie the entire cast would frequently come to our house for dinner and parties. Marshall Thompson invited our family to Hollywood to view the film prior to its release to the public. It may not have been the best film about Vietnam, but it was the most authentic. It was filmed in Vietnam at the beginning of the war. Until Marshall Thompson's death, he and my father remained in touch. Kieu Chinh kept in touch with my dad until he passed away. This movie definitely has sentimental value to the Seely family.

1963's "A Yank in Viet-Nam" marked the very first American attempt to dramatize the brewing overseas conflict, a pet project for director/star Marshall Thompson, shooting on actual locations in South Vietnam after first scouting the Philippines. Thompson plays a Marine Corp major who survives a helicopter crash only to evade the Vietcong with female freedom fighter Kieu Chinh, the film crew apparently working under the same dangerous conditions to deliver authentic atmosphere (Thompson himself was grazed in the back by sniper fire). "Across the Mekong" was the original script title (Jack Lewis a real life former Marine and screenwriter for Edgar G. Ulmer's "The Amazing Transparent Man"), changed to "The Year of the Tiger" during filming for seven weeks into Oct. 1962 for Thompson's Kingman production company, the actor replacing Alex Nicol ("The Screaming Skull") at the helm just after its August start. While MGM showed some interest, Thompson decided that Allied Artists would be better able to promote a small picture, seeming to have long vanished well before the star's death in 1992. Ironically, its theatrical cofeature was a far better known war picture, "The Thin Red Line," starring Keir Dullea and Jack Warden.

I first saw this movie as a kid and was really taken with it. It's spin was totally supportive of Americas involvement. My reccolection also was that it was much deeper than John Waynes' Green Barrets which came out four years later. Marshall Thompson as the only recognizable star in the picture performed passionately as to the seeming plight and struggle that the U.S. government assured us at the time was occurring in South Viet-Nam. Over the following years since it's release, it seemed to disappear. As public sentiment towards our involvement in South East Asia waned, this movie was shown less often. I personally have not seen this picture in over 35 years and until I found this site could not remember the title. If this movie were on video, I would purchase it. It is a splendid flick and great example of a "period" piece from our film archives!

I saw this movie many years ago and always loved the action scenes and acting, but I cannot find where I can stream or buy this movie...I really want to get this movie and see it!! HELP!!

This movie was filmed entirely in Vietnam and to the best of my knowledge it was the only one that was filmed entirely in Vietnam.The soldiers were real Vietnamese soldiers and the US military were actually assigned to the US Army in Vietnam.This movie should have been out on Video so that the present generation can know something about what it was all about.Kieu Chinh is still acting in California and others in the movie are still around. Please try to get this on Video and available to the public