The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line (1955) is a film for confirmed John Ford afficionados. That's not to say it isn't good or worthwhile, but it contains most of Ford's faults and foibles and isn't likely to win the director many new converts. Nonetheless, it's a fine tribute to West Point and the United States Army, and is worth watching alone for Tyrone Power's marvellous lead performance.

Marty Maher (Tyrone Power) is an Irish immigrant who shows up to work as a cook at West Point in 1898. He enlists in the Army and is assigned to Captain Keeler (Ward Bond) as a phys ed teacher and football coach. Over the next sixty years, Marty continues to work for the Academy, gaining the love and respect of cadets, and brushing shoulders with soon-to-be bigwigs like John Pershing (Milburn Stone) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (Harry Carey Jr.). Though Marty and his wife Mary (Maureen O'Hara) cannot have children, they come to see the ever-changing Corps of Cadets as a surrogate family, and the Mahers become a beloved Army institution.

The Long Gray Line contains most of what turns some film buffs off of Ford: corny slapstick humor, sappy sentimentality, loud and broad Irishness, and reverence towards the military. The movie also suffers from uneven pacing and an episodic, oft-repetitve plot. The first hour or so is broad comedy, with the movie shifting to sentimental tragedy as it goes along. The big emotional scenes are hit-or-miss, and after awhile it becomes fairly schematic: Marty experiences a tragedy or loss, considers leaving the service, and is goaded into staying. Stretch this out near two-and-a-half hours, and you have a film definitely not for all tastes.

It's hard to fault Ford's intentions, though, and his movie is a splendid tribute to the military. With the West Point setting, Ford indulges his love of ritual and to the fullest, and integrates it perfectly into the story. Marty embodies Ford's patriotism, going from ignorant immigrant to devoted soldier and paterfamilias. Ford celebrates military duty and loyalty but isn't wholly laudatory: Marty, after all, never goes near a battlefield, and experiences great losses during his time at the Point. The film unquestionably whitewashes aspects of military life, belittling Kitty's (Betsy Palmer) concerns about her son (Robert Francis) following his father into the army, but it's a shining example of old-school patriotism that's gentle rather than bellicose.

The movie succeeds or fails on the shoulders of Tyrone Power, and fortunately Power is up to the task. Like Roger Livesey's Colonel Blimp, Marty becomes the embodiment of everything good about the US Army, and remains a compelling, sympathetic protagonist throughout. Power's sensitive and nuanced performance does credit to his character, even in his sillier moments, and he keeps the potentially maudlin film afloat.

The supporting cast is more uneven. Maureen O'Hara is ill-used as a demure housewife; her early scenes as a completely silent wallflower just don't work. Ward Bond (The Searchers) is in top form and Donald Crisp (The Man From Laramie) shines. Robert Francis (The Caine Mutiny), Martin Milner, Patrick Wayne (Cheyenne Autumn) and Harry Carey Jr. (Three Godfathers) are among Marty's cadets. Peter Graves also turns up as a campus troublemaker.

The Long Gray Line is a middling entry in Ford's resume, but it's definitely worth watching for fans of the director and military buffs.