We would like to conclude our veterans honors week by paying tribute to an entire family of five brothers who, during WW II, gave the ultimate sacrifice--their lives. They became national heroes through this sacrifice. This post is in remembrance of those who bravely fought and/or died for our freedom.
The War Heroes Classic Movie we would like to review today is The Fighting Sullivans (1944). This film was based on a true story about five brothers from Waterloo,
Iowa, who grew up in a close-knit family, and served in the U.S. Navy during WW II. It chronicled the brothers' childhoods, their mischief, loyalty to each other, romances, and their decision to join up together after the tragic news of Pearl Harbor. The film resonated with a war-weary nation, a reminder of the values for which American troops were fighting.
Iowa, who grew up in a close-knit family, and served in the U.S. Navy during WW II. It chronicled the brothers' childhoods, their mischief, loyalty to each other, romances, and their decision to join up together after the tragic news of Pearl Harbor. The film resonated with a war-weary nation, a reminder of the values for which American troops were fighting. In November of 1942, the Sullivan brothers were all serving aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Juneau in the Pacific when the ship was torpedoed by the Japanese during the batt
le of Guadalcanal. The brothers, who had received special permission to serve aboard the same ship, were all killed. The family's tragedy captured the public imagination, and by March of 1943, Twentieth Century Fox revealed that they would make a film about the Sullivan brothers. The film was originally titled The Sullivans (the name was later changed to boost the box office results). In spite of its finale, The Fighting Sullivans is not considered a war film. The brothers' military service took up just a few minutes at the end of the film. As Bosley Crowther wrote in his New York Times review, "It is a story of typical Americans, with love of home and love of family at its core....This is a story of why the Sullivans fought, not how."
le of Guadalcanal. The brothers, who had received special permission to serve aboard the same ship, were all killed. The family's tragedy captured the public imagination, and by March of 1943, Twentieth Century Fox revealed that they would make a film about the Sullivan brothers. The film was originally titled The Sullivans (the name was later changed to boost the box office results). In spite of its finale, The Fighting Sullivans is not considered a war film. The brothers' military service took up just a few minutes at the end of the film. As Bosley Crowther wrote in his New York Times review, "It is a story of typical Americans, with love of home and love of family at its core....This is a story of why the Sullivans fought, not how." The Fighting Sullivans was made with the cooperation of both the Sullivan family and the U.S. Navy. The parents, sister, and Al's widow all watched parts of the filming, an
d served as technical advisors. Their participation assured that the film was mostly true to the facts, evidently one incident was not. In the film, the officer who signed up the brothers personally delivers the bad news to the family. In reality, the boys’ father, Thomas, was preparing to go to work when the parents were notified of their deaths. Three men in uniform a lieutenant commander, a doctor and a chief petty officer, approached their front door on January 12, 1943, two months after the incident. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Thomas. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five." The climactic scene of the Juneau's sinking was shot on the first anniversary of the actual event.
d served as technical advisors. Their participation assured that the film was mostly true to the facts, evidently one incident was not. In the film, the officer who signed up the brothers personally delivers the bad news to the family. In reality, the boys’ father, Thomas, was preparing to go to work when the parents were notified of their deaths. Three men in uniform a lieutenant commander, a doctor and a chief petty officer, approached their front door on January 12, 1943, two months after the incident. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Thomas. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five." The climactic scene of the Juneau's sinking was shot on the first anniversary of the actual event. After the deaths of the Sullivan brothers, the Navy declared that family members could not serve on the same ship during wartime. The “Fighting Sullivan Brothers” were national heroes. President Franklin Roosevelt sent a letter of condolence to the parents, Tom and Alleta. The Iowa Senate and House adopted a formal resolution of tribute to the Sullivan brothers. The Sullivan parents traveled at length making speaking appearances at war plants and shipyards on behalf of the war effort. Mrs. Sullivan christened a destroyer named USS The Sullivans after her sons on April 4, 1943. (Al's granddaughter christened another ship named after them twenty-three years later.)
In remembrance of all the soldiers who fought and died for the freedom of the United States, we have dedicated our blog this week. We hope and pray that our country will continue to have the freedoms that have cost our country and our families so dearly. May we never forget the sacrifices our servicemen and women made and still make to protect the love of home and family. We salute the American soldier: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you for making us safe.
**Trivia Question for Today: The Sullivan brothers also had one sister. What was her name?
Trivia Answer from Previous Post: Audie Murphy’s first starring role was in the movie Bad Boy (1949). His character name was Danny Lester.
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