To Hell and Back (film)

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To Hell and Back

Directed by	Jesse Hibbs
Produced by	Aaron Rosenberg
Written by	Gil Doud Audie Murphy
Starring	Audie Murphy
Running time	106 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

For the 2000 album, see To Hell and Back (album).

To Hell and Back is a war film released in 1955. It was directed by Jesse Hibbs and starred Audie Murphy as himself. It is based on the 1949 autobiography of the same name and is an account of Murphy's World War II experiences. He was at the time the most decorated soldier in American history. Among his many awards is the Medal of Honor.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Murphy grows up in a large family with an absent father, leaving his mother barely able to feed her children. He works from an early age to help support his siblings, and when his mother dies, he becomes head of the family.

When war breaks out, Murphy is eager to enlist, but is rejected by nearly every branch of the armed forces due to his small size. Only the army is (reluctantly) willing to take him. After basic training, he is assigned to an infantry unit, where, because of his youth and baby face appearance, he endures jokes about the "infants" being sent in as replacements.

He soon proves his mettle however and is steadily promoted, eventually making it to lieutenant. He gains the respect of his men, becoming especially close to Johnson (Marshall Thompson), Brandon (Charles Drake) and Kerrigan (Jack Kelly). They fight first in Italy and then in southern France.

The action for which Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor is also depicted. When his unit is forced to retreat from a fierce German attack, he remains behind to direct the artillery. As the Germans get closer, he jumps onto a burning tank destroyer and uses its machine gun to hold them at bay, even though the vehicle may blow up at any moment.