Tag Archives: The Steel Helmet

May 26 2021
Leave a comment
Film

Movies for Memorial Day 2021

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 31st, I would like to thank all veterans and active members of the Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice.

The combat/war movie is one of the first genres of film I remember watching consistently when I was young, mostly on a black and white television at my grandparents house back in the day. There were so many that I watched without learning the titles or knowing the actors that when I would recognize a scene watching it again by coincidence decades later, I would be transported back to the first time I watched it, developing a greater appreciation for the film. The first war film I can remember having that experience with was 1943’s Sahara starring Humphrey Bogart. Over thirty years had passed from my first screening to my rediscovery, and it quickly made its way to my list of personal favorites. Once my family got cable TV in the early 80’s I would be introduced to Peter Weir’s Gallipoli, Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One and Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory to name a few.

Each year leading up to Memorial Day I list the military themed films and documentaries available on streaming services and that will be broadcast on Turner Classic Movies, and make an effort to exclude any comedies or satires in this genre. This year TCM has a great lineup of films for Memorial Day weekend, including Sergeant York, The Steel Helmet and Battleground on Monday May 31st. On streaming services Amazon Prime leads with over forty notable films included with subscriptions (as of my gathering of this list on May 25th). HBO Max has nineteen, including 2001’s series Band of Brothers which I have always considered “must watch.” And for Tubi, in addition to the films listed below there are a large number of documentaries on the Civil War, World Wars I & II and the Vietnam War.

Turner Classic Movies

Friday May 28th:
8:00 PM Pride of The Marines (1945)
10:15 PM Til the End of Time (1946)

Saturday May 29th:
12:15 AM The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
9:00 AM Destination Tokyo (1943)
1:45 PM Darby’s Rangers (1958)
6:00 PM Imitation General (1958)

Sunday May 30th:
3:15 AM Merrill’s Marauders (1962)
12:00 PM The Devil’s Brigade (1968)
4:45 PM The Green Berets (1968)
7:15 PM Memphis Belle (1944)
8:00 PM The Great Escape (1963)

Monday May 31st:
7:00 AM Ace of Aces (1933)
8:30 AM Sergeant York (1941)
3:15 PM The Steel Helmet (1951)
4:45 PM Target Zero (1958)
6:30 PM The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
8:00 PM Battleground (1949)

Amazon Prime

Pork Chop Hill (1959)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Gallipoli (1981)
Go for Broke! (1951)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955)
Rescue Dawn (2007)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
The Great Escape (1963)
Journey’s End (2018)
The Devil’s Brigade (1968)
American Experience: The Battle of Chosin (2016)
A Farewell to Arms (1932)
War for a New Nation (2001)
Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (2015)
In Which We Serve (1942)
World War I: The Long Shadow (2006)
War in the Pacific: Eagle Against the Sun (2015)
The Ultimate Civil War Series (2012)
The Rats of Tobruk (1944)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
Target for Tonight (1941)

Gung Ho (1943)
Flying Tigers (1942)
Minesweeper (1943)
WWII in HD (2009)
Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII (2007)
Dick Winters: “Hang Tough” (2013)
Medal of Honor (2008)
The Rape of Europa (2007)
The Last Days of Patton (1986)
Prelude to War (1942)
Warriors Five (1962)
Journey Home to the USS Arizona (2017)
True Glory (1945)
The First World War: The Peoples Story (2018)
Heroes of the Forgotten War: The Battle of Kapyong (2011)
True War Stories (2015)
Jacknife (1989)
Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story (2019)
The First American (2015)

HBO Max

Band of Brothers (2001)
The Pacific (2010)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Dunkirk (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
When Trumpets Fade (1998)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (2001)
George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994)
Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops From the Battlefield (2004)
Taking Chance (2009)
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2013)
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
Hearts and Minds (1975)
War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend (2017)

Tubi

Tobruk (1967)
The Way Ahead (1945)
Journey’s End (2017)
Paths of Glory (1958)
Memphis Belle (1990)
The Hanoi Hilton (1987)

A Bond Unbroken (2017)
The Field Afar (2019)
Hell Squad (1958)
Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (2015)
Gung Ho (1943)
Go For Broke! (1951)

Hulu

Legion of Brothers (2017)
The Last Full Measure (2019)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Citizen Soldier (2016)
The Messenger (2009)

Netflix

Father Soldier Son (2020)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 22 2015
Leave a comment
Film

Movies For Memorial Day 2015

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 25th, I’d like to take this moment to thank all veterans and active members of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

The combat film has always been one of my favorite cinematic genres, with Peter Weir’s Gallipoli, Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One, and of course Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan ranking highly among my all time favorite films.  Memorial Day Weekend in my home also includes a screening of the amazing Band of Brothers.  

Every year I check the TV listings, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video for the best military themed films and documentaries to watch over the holiday weekend.  As always, Turner Classic Movies has several classics in their lineup this weekend.  Amazon Instant Video has an elaborate selection, but unfortunately few of those titles are available on Amazon Prime (though you can never go wrong with Band of Brothers, The Civil War, and Patton).  Netflix doesn’t have as many feature film options as Amazon Instant Video, but has a good selection of documentaries.  Here are some highlights:

On Turner Classic Movies (all times Eastern):

Saturday 5/23:

6:00 AM – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
5:30 PM – Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
10:30 PM – Glory (1989)
12:45 AM – The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Sunday 5/24:

6:00 AM – Sahara (1943)
12:00 PM – The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
2:00 PM – Bataan (1943)
6:00 PM – The Steel Helmet (1951)

Monday 5/25:

6:45 AM – The Green Berets (1968)
8:00 PM – Battleground (1949)
10:15 PM – Patton (1970)

Netflix (Streaming):

Wings (1927)
The Longest Day (1962)
Patton (1970)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
The War: A Ken Burns Film (2007)
The Civil War (1990)
The First World War From Above (2010)
Vietnam in HD (2011)

Amazon Instant Video:

Band of Brothers (2001)*
The Pacific (2010)*
Medal of Honor (2008)*
The War: A Ken Burns Film (2007)*
The Civil War (1990)*
American Sniper (2014)
Lone Survivor (2013)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Gallipoli (1981)
All Quiet On the Western Front (1930)
Sergeant York (1941)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
Patton (1970)*
The Big Red One (1980)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Longest Day (1962)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
The Green Berets (1968)
Glory (1989)
The Steel Helmet (1951)
* = Available on Amazon Prime

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 23 2014
Leave a comment
Film

Movies For Memorial Day 2014

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 26th, I’d like to take this moment to thank all veterans and active members of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

Every Memorial Day weekend I scan the TV listings, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video for some of the best military themed films to watch.  More than a few of the films listed below have been included on previous Movies For Memorial Day posts (Sergeant York, Band of Brothers, Gallipoli, The Big Red One, and The Best Years of Our Lives to name a few), but I also try to find a few lesser known films as well.  This year it’s an even mix of old favorites and new additions.  And while the films scheduled on Turner Classic Movies have made up the majority of my recommendations over the last couple of years, this year’s list is mostly made up of films available on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix.

On Turner Classic Movies (all times listed are EST):

Saturday, May 24th

1:45 PM – The Steel Helmet (1951)
3:15 PM – Objective, Burma! (1945)

Sunday, May 25th

12:00 PM – Mr. Roberts (1955)

Monday May, 26th

7:30 AM – Sergeant York (1941)
6:00 PM – The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
8:00 PM – Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
10:30 PM – The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

On Amazon Instant Video:

Medal of Honor (2008)*
Gallipoli (1981)*
Wings (1927)*
Taking Chance (2009)*
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)*
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Longest Day (1962)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The Big Red One (1980)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
The Green Berets (1968)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Hamburger Hill (1987)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
* = Amazon Prime

Netflix:

Restrepo (2010)
Ken Burns: The War (2007)

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 27 2012
Leave a comment
Film

Movies for Memorial Day

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday 5/28, I would like to thank the all active members and veterans of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

One of my favorite movie genres has always been the combat film.  Not so much for the action sequences, but for the characters.  Growing up in the 70’s, there was always a WWII or Korean War film playing on Saturday afternoons.  Some of my favorites:

Sahara, Battlefront, Von Ryan’s Express, The Great Escape, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Steel Helmet, The Green Berets, and Sergeant York

Some notable films to watch on TV this Memorial Day weekend:

Turner Classic Movies:

The Steel Helmet (Sunday 5/27 at 4:45 PM)
Sergeant York  (Sunday 5/27 at 8:00 PM)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (Sunday 5/27 at 10:30 PM)

The Green Berets (Monday 5/28 at 9:15 PM)
The Great Escape (Monday 5/28 at 11:00 PM)

Spike TV will run a marathon of all ten episodes of Band of Brothers on Monday 5/28 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Of all of the war films I’ve seen, Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One (1980) is my favorite of the bunch.

Written and directed by the legendary Sam Fuller, this film was a based on his personal experiences as a GI in World War II.  The main character Private Zab (played in the film by Robert Carradine) is based on Fuller.  The film follows The Sergeant (played by Lee Marvin) and four members of his squad called The Four Horsemen (played by Carradine, Kelly Ward, Bobby DiCicco, and Mark Hamill) through Africa and Europe from 1943-1945.  But this film only scratches the surface of Sam Fuller’s experiences during the war.  I highly recommend Fuller’s autobiography A Third Face for more about this part of his life.

I had the opportunity to interview Mark Hamill at the 2011 New York Comic Con.  He was there to promote a comic book project he was involved with, but I couldn’t help asking him about his experience working with both Sam Fuller and Lee Marvin on The Big Red One:

Hamill:  Oh my God, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I learned more about World War II from them than I ever learned in history books.  Because they were both veterans.  With all due respect to Steven Spielberg, it’s second hand from him.  With Sam you’d go “This is crazy, why would I do this?”  And he would say “Well I’ll tell ya it wasn’t you, it was a guy by the name of Colowitz, and he was handsome like you…”  And he would tell you what really happened!  It was just probably the most profound experience of my career.  I can’t think of a director I like better than Sam.  And Lee Marvin was not only a brilliant actor but an amazing storyteller and a hilarious person.  Boy was he funny.  And I could make him laugh, which he loved.  He loved to laugh.  He was not an attention hog, he loved to hear stories from you.  Yeah, he was fantastic.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,