"Hill Number One" - with James Dean!

[dhermann1]

Did anyone else catch this flick tomight on cable? It was a made for TV production, part of a series called Family Theater, made in 1951.
It starts with a group of GI's in Korea (this was the height of the Korean War).
It tells the story of the Disciples during the period just after the crucifixion. It's extremely heavy handed, histrionic and stagey. And wordy. And ponderous.
But it has an amazing cast, and in spite of all the extra dead dramatic weight, there's something really quite good about it. The cast includes Roddy MaDowell, Leif Erickson, Ruth Hussey, Michael Ansara, Charles Meredith (you'll recognize his voice, even tho his unmistakable bald head is smotherd in hair and beard), Jeanne Cagney (Jimmy's sister), Gene Lockhart (June's dad), Regis Toomey, and (are you ready for this?) a 19 year old James Dean as the disciple John.
As I said, for all its faults, it's worth a look.

 

[Edward]

Did anyone else catch this flick tomight on cable? It was a made for TV production, part of a series called Family Theater, made in 1951.
It starts with a group of GI's in Korea (this was the height of the Korean War).
It tells the story of the Disciples during the period just after the crucifixion. It's extremely heavy handed, histrionic and stagey. And wordy. And ponderous.
But it has an amazing cast, and in spite of all the extra dead dramatic weight, there's something really quite good about it. The cast includes Roddy MaDowell, Leif Erickson, Ruth Hussey, Michael Ansara, Charles Meredith (you'll recognize his voice, even tho his unmistakable bald head is smotherd in hair and beard), Jeanne Cagney (Jimmy's sister), Gene Lockhart (June's dad), Regis Toomey, and (are you ready for this?) a 19 year old James Dean as the disciple John.
As I said, for all its faults, it's worth a look.

Never seen more than a clip of him kneeling at the cross, but I do remember reading that that was Dean's first screen appearance (subject to whether you believ certain rumours).