To Hell and Back (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To Hell and Back

Directed by	Jesse Hibbs
Produced by	Aaron Rosenberg
Written by	Gil Doud Audie Murphy
Starring	Audie Murphy
Music by	Irving Gertz William Lava Henry Mancini Lou Maury (all uncredited)
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	22 September 1955
Running time	106 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

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. The book was actually ghostwritten by his friend, David "Spec" McClure.^[1]

[edit] Plot

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

When World War II breaks out, Murphy is eager to enlist, but is rejected by the Marines, the Navy, and the paratroopers due to his small size and youthful appearance. Finally, the Army accepts him (reluctantly) as an ordinary infantryman. After basic training, Murphy is assigned to an infantry unit, where he endures jokes about the "infants" being sent in as replacements.

He soon proves his mettle in combat, however, and is steadily promoted, eventually receiving a battlefield commission to second lieutenant. During his many battles, he eventually gains the respect of his men, and becomes especially close to Johnson (Marshall Thompson), Brandon (Charles Drake) and Kerrigan (Jack Kelly). Together, they fight in Sicily, mainland Italy, and France with the 3rd Infantry Division.

The action for which Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor is also depicted. In January 1945, near Holzwihr, France, his unit is forced to retreat from a fierce German attack. However, Murphy remains behind at the edge of a forest to direct artillery fire on the advancing enemy infantry and armor. As the Germans get closer, Murphy jumps onto a burning tank destroyer and uses its .50-caliber machine gun to hold them at bay, even though the vehicle is on fire and may explode at any moment. Although wounded and dangerously exposed to enemy fire, he single-handedly stops the German attack.