The D.I.

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...

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)

Of course I'm a bit prejudiced but for the time it was the most accurate portrayal of Marines ever shown on the big screen.

I was at Camp Pendleton undergoing infantry training when Webb brought his crew down to film some outdoor scenes and our company was asked to participate. It took about two or three days as best I can recall.

Webb and Don Dubbins were serious and businesslike.

During the filming of our short scene--which seemed to take forever to an 18 year old--Webb was very conscientious about getting things (Marine things) right and he did a good job with one exception--that scene where a recruit was wearing sunglasses. Never happen for a host of reasons.

I have a video of the movie and will bore my grandkids anytime I can make them sit still for a few seconds as I show them their Papaw when he was a young stud and part of the world's greatest fighting force (no brag, just fact).

What amazed me then was how well the real Marines carried out their acting roles. That was before I realized that DIs have to have some acting genes to get their job done.

The only film I've seen since that is the equal of the DI is the first half of Full Metal Jacket and that part is superior only because of the foul language. When the DI was made, cursing wasn't allowed on screen.

Despite the lack of profanity, it's still a great movie to rent.

Ooooo-rahhhhhh!!!!!

Semper Fi, Do or Die

THE D.I. (4 outta 5 stars) Wow, I certainly did not expect to be enjoying this movie as much as I did. I had never even heard of it until I saw it sitting in the discount video bin one day. I figured Jack Webb playing an army drill instructor might be good for a chuckle but figured the drama would pale in comparison to such recent movie D.I.s as portrayed in "Full Metal Jacket" or "An Officer and a Gentleman". Boy, was I wrong. This is probably the best work Webb has ever done... far and away better than his one-note "Dragnet" performances. The delivery of his tough guy dialogue is just brilliant... done in his patented deadpan monotone and yet you *know* that the guy means every word of it. The story might seem a little hokey compared to the grittier military movies that have followed but I still found the movie fascinating and compelling. Even a completely unnecessarily musical interlude in an army nightclub had me hooked. Anyone know where I can get a copy of that terrific Ray Coniff song "If'n You Don't, Somebody Else Will"? Webb plays the toughest dang drill instructor ever... and he's under pressure to kick out the deadbeat Private Owen but, by golly, he sees a man buried somewhere in that sissyboy and he's gonna drag him out kicking and screaming! Great stuff!

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!