Take the High Ground (1953)
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, (more)
- Director(s):
- Richard Brooks
Synopsis of Take the High Ground
"You guys will never be soldiers!" With these words, Richard Widmark opens and closes Take the High Ground. Widmark plays tough drill sergeant Thorne Ryan, whipping his recruits through basic training in preparation for shipment to Korea. Merton Tolliver (Carleton Carpenter) is the standard-issue private who just can't seem to cut it, despite Ryan's (Widmark) relentless special attention. To prove that the behemoth sergeant has a tender side, the script contrives a romantic triangle involving Ryan, Julie Mollison (Elaine Stewart), and Sgt. Laverne Holt (Karl Malden). The film is an amalgam of rugged realism and Hollywood hokiness, with Widmark terrific as the topkick you love to hate. Filmed at Fort Bliss, TX, Take the High Ground utilizes several real-life soldiers in the drill sequences (you can recognize the real ones; they aren't afraid of Richard Widmark). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Complete Cast of Take the High Ground
- Richard Widmark - Sgt. Thorne Ryan
- Elaine Stewart - Julie Mollison
- Carleton Carpenter - Merton Tolliver
- Jerome Courtland - Elvin Carey
- Maurice Jara - Franklin D. No Bear
- Regis Toomey - Chaplain
- Karl Malden - Sgt. Laverne Holt
- Russ Tamblyn - Paul Jamison
- Steve Forrest - Lobo Naglaski
- Robert Arthur - Donald Q. Dover IV
- Bert Freed - Sgt. Vince Opperman
- Chris Warfield - Soldier
- Director(s):
- Richard Brooks
- Writer(s):
- Millard Kaufman
- Producer(s):
- Dore Schary
- Looking for special editions of Take the High Ground?
- See All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
