03 Rifles in the Movies

[Duane Hansen]

Watched a very entertaining movie tonight. It is called "Buck Private" with Abbott and Costello starring and also the Andrew Sisters. It came out in 1941. In parts of the movie that they were out on drills they all had 03 Springfield rifles and they had 16" bayonets hanging from their belts with the old leather tipped scabbards. Very cool to see..

[bruce]

Buck Private is a fun flick! Abbott and Costello are always funny. For O3's in the movies... The Professionals. Also of course Sergeant York, Them Came To Cordura, The Wild Bunch. For my part, very much remember how impressed I was with the way the 03 was used in The Professionals. Sincerely. bruce.

[louis]

Let's not forget Guadalcanal Diary. Lots of 03's and other early USMC weapons. Another great movie.

[Rick the Librarian]

Look carefully - in a number of the WWII-era movies, either Bannerman or Sedgely rifles were used. "Sergeant York" and "Bataan", among them. Look for the Krag-type rear sights.

[Sunray]

The Wild Bunch with the '03A3 in 1913. Not as bad as no rear sight on Hank Fonda's M1.
My friends hate watching movies with me. Not sure if it's because of the, "I have one of those." or the "That's impossible and never happened." snicker.

[Rick the Librarian]

The Wild Bunch with the '03A3 in 1913. Not as bad as no rear sight on Hank Fonda's M1.
My friends hate watching movies with me. Not sure if it's because of the, "I have one of those." or the "That's impossible and never happened." snicker.

My family avoids me will watching WWII flicks, especially! You can imagine what I was like while watching the movie "Pearl Harbor" a number of years back!! LOL!

[dave]

Pearl harbor is a love flick (chick movie). Pearl was just the back drop, based very loosely on fact, VERY! My wife loves it, does not care about the, "facts".

[louis]

Loosely is being kind. But then they did have p-40's and zero's and there was a Pearl Harbor oh yea I know there were battleships in it also. Close enough for Hollywood.

[Rick the Librarian]

"Pearl Harbor" is quite routinely named on the list of 10 worst all-time war movies - sometimes #1 :)

[Griff Murphey]

A number of Cagney films come to mind, FIGHTING 69TH, the Shanghai Lil drill in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, and WHAT PRICE GLORY, great USMC flick ;the drill and nautical terminology is great.
Somebody surely mentioned SAND PEBBLES.
Speaking of inappropriate 03A3 use don't forget Karl Malden dragging one around as Omar Bradley at Kasserine. I guess he being a general officer might have gotten the first one off of the production line!?!?

[m1a_scoutguy]

"The Great Raid" also showed some 03 action ! LT Colonel Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) was doing a little damage on the river when the Japanese soldiers were down in it trying to get around the GIs !

[Rick the Librarian]

Speaking of inappropriate 03A3 use don't forget Karl Malden dragging one around as Omar Bradley at Kasserine. I guess he being a general officer might have gotten the first one off of the production line!?!?

I know that General Matthew Ridgeway routinely carried a M1903 with him. He was with the 15th Infantry Regiment before the war in China, and I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

[Chaz]

"The Soldier And The Lady" (1937) on TCM last weekend; 1870 Russia, and there were some Mosin Nagants in it.

[SgtSki]

I think you mean Gen. Joseph Stilwell. See Attached.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stilwell#Military_career_prior_to_World_War _II

[Allen Humphrey]

1925 silent movie The Big Parade has lots of 03's. Maybe they were Bannerman's ..


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[LAH]

they even used 1903's in the Red Badge of Courage, starring Audie Murphy.
In the movie where they cross the river, watch closely, you will see modern rifles
being carried by civil war soldiers.

[Doug Douglass]

Look at the Marine Memorial at Arlington....one Marine has a carbine with a bayonet lug. They call it artistic privilage. So did Hollywood.

[blackhawknj]

I haven't seen The Red Badge of Courage in a long time but the uniforms are 1870s style and the muskets are mostly Trapdoor Springfields.

[Rick the Librarian]

I think you mean Gen. Joseph Stilwell. See Attached.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stilwell#Military_career_prior_to_World_War _IIIf you're referring to me, I meant General Ridgeway. I've seen pictures of him taken in Korea.

[SgtSki]

I was unaware of Maxwell carrying an 03 in Korea. I saw a picture of Stilwell carrying one in China during WWII.

[ut1seabee]

Both versions of From Here to Eternity.

[Scott Wilson]

The Sand Pebbles shows off the 03 nicely.

[LAH]

they even can be seen crossing the river with Audie Murphy and Bill Mauldin in the movie "Red Badge of Courage".

http://www.movpins.com/big/MV5BMTM1MDYyNTIyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTQ3MzcxOA/still-of-audie-murphy-and-bill-mauldin-in-the-red-badge-of-courage-(1951)-large-picture.jpg