Two more "Bataan" movie stills

[rickthelibrarian]

A couple of months ago, I posted some movie stills from my favorite war movie, "Bataan", made in 1943 with a stellar cast. Although opinions on the quality of the movie are decidedly mixed, I still like it. For 1943, one of the better war movies. It still regularly shows up on the "Top 10 World War II Movies" list.




1. Here is a still of probably the most famous "remembered" actor from the movie, Desi Arnez. Arnez (who married Lucille Ball in 1940), was know best for small roles in musicals featuring Latin American songs and dancing. He was about 9 years away from his most famous role in "I Love Lucy" with Ball. In "Bataan", he had a serious role as a jitterbugging Mexican-American from Los Angeles, Felix Ramirez. He stated his unit as the 192nd Tank Battalion, which really did serve on Bataan ("Wheel counter's" note - technically, he would have served with the 192nd's sister unit, the 194th, which contained a company from the California National Guard). Note the rifle he is holding. It appears to be a Bannerman or Sedgely rifle with a Krag-type rear sight



2. Lloyd Nolan, who played Corporal Barney Todd, the "tough guy" soldier with a hidden past, props up a "dead Japanese" (actually most of the extras in the film were Filipinos from the LA-area IIRC) to draw enemy fire. Note the Krag bayonet on the M1903 that Nolan is using. The rifle also appears to be a Sedgely/Bannerman with a Krag rear sight.

[VeeVee]

Thanks Rick. I forgot about that scene when he propped up the dead Japanese.

Err... what's a Sedgely/Bannerman '03 rifle? How can you tell?

[rickthelibrarian]

Sedgely and Bannerman (working as two separate companies) built a number of complete rifles containing M1903, M1917, Krag and sometimes "non-military parts (a few used Winchester Model 1895 barrels). A fairly large number of these were sold to Hollywood, where they were used as "prop" rifles.

Both rifles in the pictures above have Krag-type "ramp" rear sights. I remember seeing another such rifle in the movie "Sergeant York". I have seen all types of M1903s in Hollywood movies of the 1930s and 1940s -- all the way from originals to these mixmasters. In another still from "Bataan", Lloyd Nolan is using what appears to be a "stock" M1903. Technically, many of the characters in the movie should have been using M1s -- but the M1s were being used for other purposes in 1943!!

A few pictures of one in my friend's collection. A low-numbered receiver, M1917 trigger guard and bands and Krag Model 1902 rear sight.