"Tarawa Beachhead" (1958) Complete WW2 USMC War Movie

A Marine sergeant (Kerwin Mathews) witnesses an officer (Ray Danton). kill one of their men at Guadalcanal to cover his own incompetence, and fears he won't be believed because of rank, so finds the captain has gotten him assigned to his next command -- The sergeant falls in love with the widow (Julie Adams).
The original working title of the film was Flag over Tarawa and was originally to have starred Ronald Reagan. The film contained extensive amounts of actual footage of the Battle of Tarawa. While some actual footage was used, most of the supposed actual footage were from the 1943 film Guadalcanal Diary and the 1949 film, Sands of Iwo Jima. The United States Marine Corps refused to cooperate with the producers, due to the theme of an officer out for glory killing his own men and a sergeant out for revenge.
Originally released on November 2, 1958.
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[@tscully1504]

I watched all the war films I could growing up,, but never saw this one. Interesting story within a story.

[@Bernie5172]

i cant recall watching it before. ? its a bit like Iwo Jima with John Wayne

[@tscully1504]

@@Bernie5172 Yes. They even used a lot of the film footage from the sands of Iwo Jima film.

[@xxxxxx-tq4mw]

Sloan visiting the New Zealander widow, Ruth, reminded me of Aldo Ray who played Andy Hookens visiting the widow Pat Rogers in the 1955 movie, "Battlecry."

[@matrox]

Me too. Me neither. True.

[@anombrerose6311]

Same here. I am now 73.

[@jeffersonsmith1877]

This is a great movie. Thanks for uploading!

[@SirAceMcFly]

Thx for the upload!

[@michaelsuating2848]

Thanks for uploading this movie,1st.time I saw this movie kerning mathewd I'd one of my favorite actor,Ray Danton is good .

[@nobullshoot]

made me think about the two sergeants in Platoon, good and evil. Thought i saw all ww2 movies growing up in the 60’s, pleasure watching this one.

[@thewaywardwind548]

In 1964-65 my American History teacher was a widow whose husband had been a Marine killed at Tarawa.

[@jjboyd01]

bad luck. my dad was at Okinawa and Inchon. joined 1942 he was 14...

[@kylemartin2594]

My father was at Tarawa..Navy corpsmen. Never talked about it. 2 purple hearts. Said..everyone was a rifleman.

[@danor6812]

My uncle died there.

[@hamidmouloudj1041]

Merci pour le film 😊

[@BearInThePhillipines]

Watching from Phillipines. May they never be forgotten

[@XrayxRich]

I read "One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa" in 2012. One hell of a battle. The Marines paid dearly at Tarawa. I read it as Tare-a-wa but understand it was pronounced Ta-raw-wa

[@davewitter6565]

I am confused by that as well. I always called it Tar a Wa not Ta-raw-wa.

[@jessejames7757]

Wasn't no Peleliu!

[@XrayxRich]

@@jessejames7757 Tarawa showed the mistakes made. Bombardment was stopped early to save ammunition. Peleiu was just a clusterf... All of those guys were heroes. They were a different breed of men back then, raised in the Depression.

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

@@XrayxRichWell said! The Great Depression!

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

A lot of this live film footage is of the Army not the Marines, and there were no Army troops involved in the Tarawa operation.

[@Fuxerz]

Thank you for posting nice movie.

[@Riteaidbob]

I have read one account that put the temperature on Tarawa at 115F during this battle. Truly a hell hole. We were really untried, lacked any good information on the conditions. Unknown coral reefs. No tidal information, and a lack of tracked landing craft. Lessons were learned but at a high cost in Marine lives. A real hell hole.

[@randalldunkley1042]

Typical blending of footage from WW2, "Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Guadalcanal Diary" that I could see. They did a great job editing it. Kerwin worked with producer Charles Schneer on "Seventh Voyage of Sinbad".

[@glennchristie2316]

The Marine Corps I served in NEVER talked-back to an Officer. That Lieutenant could have had that Sergeant written up a dozen times. War or not..

[@harriettanthony7352]

That Marine Corp of OPs must have been pre -'Woke"!

[@petepanozzo6854]

I enjoyed watching this film!

[@morenonavarro6796]

I love ww2 story like this. I hope story of ww2 in the Philippines would show in your nxt video ,Thanks.

[@oscarn1454]

Thanks always

[@raulmaldonado5921]

At 1:59 1958 pop-up ??? The year the film was made?

[@LionHeartFilmWorks]

Yes. That is a year the film was made.

[@thomasmanning829]

I read a pretty good book about the battle for Tarawa. What a blood bath. I had to wonder if it was worth it.

[@willielongbotham7156]

Yes, .me too, and it stuck with me, cant find the words to describe what those marines went through. And contrary to what many believe, there are still many like them..

[@CHARLESMOELLER-y4r]

I'm very touched by your prayers at the closing

[@joseluiscastanorestrepo]

Great classic movie.

[@clarajohnson5184]

Hey, XrayxRich, Don’t worry about the pronunciation, if you’ve got this island as one of WWII’s island-hopping specials, then you’re definitely on the right track. After Gallippoli (Spelling?) the world seemed to think amphibious assaults were impossible and would, simply, never succeed. Somehow, nobody told the Marines! They tore up the Pacific and all those “names” have become a most important part of the study of the war in the Pacific. If you’re truly interested, make sure all the episodes of Victory at Sea are on your To Watch List.

[@pittsburghwill]

mistake at 50:02 ww2 m1 carbines did not have the bayonette lug the bl was a korean war addition

[@johncaldwell-wq1hp]

I have a W.W.2--M1-carbine made by "rockola"--very rare !!--still works fine.

[@79terrafirma]

Mine is a 1943 underwood m1. Beautiful little carbine. Love the rear flip sight.

[@johncaldwell-wq1hp]

@@79terrafirma Great !!-mine came with a 15 shot mag,-& a 30 round "curved"mag-also mine was made in 1943 too !!--I think the bulk of them,was made by "winchester" & there's a "story"of their history.

[@kennysherrill3471]

Late in the war a few did make it into action with the bayonet luge.

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Tarawa had no longer vegetation when the marines landed. Look at the photos and original footage. Almost all trees were down.

[@chuckokelley2448]

I had 3 uncles at Tarawa , the fighting Hampton brothers.

[@AlanMydland-fq2vs]

amazing❤

[@danor6812]

I had 1 uncle there. He died there.

[@AlanMydland-fq2vs]

@@danor6812 RIP my friend

[@dast540]

Thanks for sharing it! I always enjoy watching Great Movies though. 👍👌👏 And of course, I'm a subscriber! Thanks Again Though.

[@jeffreykoran4820]

SO MANY GREAT ACTORS IN THIS MOVIE 🎬....IV NEVER HEARD OF ANY OF THEM...

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

I've heard of one as the names flashed by: Julie Adams co-starred in and was wonderful in:" The Creature From the Black Lagoon."

[@JimOReilly-xk4vb]

That lieutenant had a quick shave at the start of the movie,

[@buckwheatsghettoghost4927]

"Keep Moving"

[@peterholmesgavleman]

Given that the Nelson family - at the farm - were either British or New Zealanders it’s a pity that the producers could not find some non Americans to play their roles!

[@ItsJustMorris]

The supposed New Zealand scenes are utter crap. This film , Tawara Beachhead, is an insult to the land and the people who fed and nursed the yanks, New Zealand and New Zealanders.

[@David77646]

I’m from New Zealand and the ladies don’t have a New Zealand kiwi accent or British accent

[@peterholmesgavleman]

@@David77646 the female members of my rugby club in Perth that hail from NZ certainly speak with a kiwi accent.

[@mikealvarez2322]

Believe or not I first saw this movie with my uncle in 1959 in Havana. They titled it, "Asalto a Tarawa" translation Assalt on Tarawa.😊

[@joanwayling]

Great movie!

[@mikeyoung9810]

I thought I'd seen everything about Tarawa in the movies but not this movie. I see they used quite a few bits of Sands of Iwo Jima footage on the Tarawa part. Lots of scenes not from Tarawa though.

[@jerrydonquixote5927]

That's pretty good for an old film! Blending Cinema and war footage.

[@SteepSix]

How much disbelief do you need to suspend? How much have you got?

[@jeffg.1615]

My Great Uncle fought there, then Saipan and finially to Nagasaki. He only told one person about it.

What bravery when you think he may have been 20-21 years old.

[@jeffg.1615]

He was 20 years old at the time. A really good man.

[@jeffg.1615]

@@andrewcastellane7802 The Marines went in after the occupation of Japan.

[@rodlaidlaw-b3f]

t thought the marines wore camouflaged uniforms and helmet covers?

[@shadowwolf9503]

That was later in the war.

[@martingainty9623]

Looks like real WWII Footage spliced in Very Realistic 10/10

[@reynaldoflores4522]

I also had relatives who fought in Guadalcanal and Tarawa. But they were on the other ( losing ) side .

[@martingainty9623]

IRS Section 280G "No deduction shall be allowed under this chapter for any excess parachute payment. The term “excess parachute payment” means an amount equal to the excess of any parachute payment over the portion of the base amount allocated to such payment"

[@ronhillard7040]

Bogus! Men do not throw their hands in the air before falling down when shot!

[@nyyt854tufc]

Posthumous medal 🏅 of honor

[@hughroney6342]

War part was ok,, to damn much romance for a war movie!

[@alexterieur4326]

Tarawa Atoll Sanglant Spirou

[@EBAYvillager]

Spiro-u?

[@joselopezmoya9786]

Aside from JULIE ADAMS, the rest of the cast is unknown.

[@miked6335]

Kerwin Mathews was in a few Ray Harryhausen films around 1960 and was pretty well known at the time. Ray Danton was maybe not as well known but showed up in a bunch of WB TV shows and some movies in the late 50's.

[@reynaldoflores4522]

The younger sister was the real hottie in this movie. Sloan probably had the hots for her. Too bad she was already spoken for.

[@jamespaul203]

My dad fought in world war II at Okinawa and a few other battles that was the greatest generation unlike the generation we have nowadays

Ray Caplan (Danton) fought for 4 years In Korea!

[@chadwedul1787]

Conflict was just over 3 years in length.

[@jessejames7757]

Didn't anyone tell you the war was over? The last year you fought is a war crime.

[@jessejames7757]

4years in a 3 year war last year must of been lonely.

[@TedBronson1918]

He must have started pissing some of the Koreans off after the 3rd year since the Cease Fire had been implemented and the fighting ended... or maybe he was just killing some of the tens of thousands of extra Chinese communist soldiers that were just hanging around and the Koreans and Chinese were denying their presence... yeah - that's it.

[@joeviking61]

Very little Beachhead, mostly Cornbread. Pass

[@re-donebyme8394]

Ray Danton - the other Victor Mature

[@janlipski5215]

Didn't look much like NZ,the 1st USMC were stationed at Paekakariki and the hospital was in Silverstream. There is a memorial to them at Mckays crossing. God bless them all.

[@diditsumo5220]

Watchiy TVRI before 1957

[@Midwest10]

Funny. Hollywood. I’ve stayed on Tarawa. They don’t have crickets like this movie protrays

[@bclmax]

i was there alot in the 90s..stayed at the Ootintai hotel..

[@riksim4242]

he said those words to me in those situations, he wont last too long !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@michaelpass2176]

Run straight line you can get shot real quick

[@rodlaidlaw-b3f]

oh yes,they did/

[@johnmayo27]

I like the movies 🎥 on WW2🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@BernardGoldstein-jy6og]

Great movie 5/22/24

[@glennchristie2316]

Still GREAT June 6, 2024.. Semper Fi..

[@mattsmelley5569]

A feud between 2 people probably happens more than one knows...this movie and Platoon are following same script...

[@FranckCastillo-yp5vq]

A Lot thousand heroísm stories from USMC at Pacific. I pride My grandpa Semper Fi

[@robertlast3052]

I see the Marines never change, hitting up your dead buddy's old lady...lol!😂

[@JStryker7]

Plugging open holes

[@reynaldoflores4522]

Why not ? Her husband's dead. You wouldn't want that pretty, young widow to be lonely, do you ?

[@morrismonet3554]

So much for the grieving widow. LOL

[@elchaconaso]

those were different times,who knows how long they were married,maybe a week before or a month before deployment.Hard times for both,men and women.

[@morrismonet3554]

@@elchaconaso She obviously likes hard things. LOL

[@craigelectric5241]

THAT'S RIGHT ! GOOD OLE BLOOD AND GUTS 😎 🤙

[@ricogo2447]

Sure looks like Wellington's countryside ...

[@willthorson4543]

What a melodramatic mess. Barely any of the fighting was on betio(tarawa). And a good 75% of the battle in the movie is either real footage of Tarawa and other battles but straight up taken from Sands of Iwo jima. Also. A movie called Tarawa Beachhead has about 15 minutes of the movie take place on Tarawa. Lol

[@lyndonhenderson816]

Let that stupid lieutenant take the point,bet he won’t.😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@rigger314]

Its a great movie but honestly destoyers did not carry landing craft.

[@wilsonpickett3881]

Not the stupidest movie I've ever seen. Close though.

[@BubbasndRayEarl]

Drought

[@peterchambers2832]

They were supposed to be in New Zealand, no has a Kiwi accent, and in NZ they didn't have House Maids. They really didn't do their homework on this.

[@MaryDenk-t4l]

BS story line, She just began a widow, yet she’s flirting with the guy who brings her letters from her dead husband. Real love. Real BS!

[@jessejames7757]

What a bunch of drama Queens.

[@desertdog3432]

Having been to Tawara three times, the the highest sea level is ten feet above the water level, No jungle.

[@animelech6004]

Great job

[@africanqueenproject]

Julie Adam's an incredible beauty...Creature From The Black Lagoon..she wad gorgeous in her bathing suit ..I was smitten 😊

[@andrewhirsch6472]

Quite lame that they didn't even attempt to do Kiwi accents.

[@babuzzard6470]

Even the kiwis have trouble with them!😂🇦🇺

[@trevorplows7494]

No doubt an entertaining movie but Tarawa had no hills or caves on the side of them. It was flat as a pancake . It's to bad Hollywood has to imagine other scenarios even though the real truth and battle were horrific enough , a virtual extermination of the Japanese garrison and 4000 US Marine casualties , 25 percent of it's Division strength.

[@kwakagreg]

the caves were on guadalcanal according to the script.

[@Snuffy03]

And very small land area.

[@yasserressay7755]

The caves scene was set in Guadalcanal

[@BertMerlin57]

Movie or documentary….. 😊

[@jimmyhaley727]

total waste, as we never used it for the airplanes they died for

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

No doubt that Sloan is going to bed her, resulting in her becoming pregnant. This will add tons of sickening female drama to the film. . .

[@frankadams2401]

A typical Hollywood bull shit movie.

[@chrisoulalakkas7935]

Just when you think that food cannot possibly call you on your phone....BOOM!!! Onion rings.😅

[@ihorkorotchenko9732]

+

[@aussiedownunder4186]

Rubbish film. Used footage from Sands of Iwo Jima & real footage of the battle. Scenes when Kerwin Matthews has scenes talking rubbish with the other actors Rubbish!! The Marines did not have time for this BULLSHIT! Typical Stupid Hollywood!!

[@kennysherrill3471]

What bullshit, who ever wrote this script should be in prison.😡

[@1mlannen]

Shitty ending. Needed to get back home to the girl. MKL

[@rogergirouard]

denton usally played unlikable charaters

[@Funkit891]

1958 ? WTF !

[@jjboyd01]

A Donald trump type would not have died in those caves

[@davidholder3207]

🍅🍅

[@J23-o7u]

Sorry but straight up GARBAGE movie unbelievable that they even put this S$&; out lol

[@Abdikadirmahamedfarah]

We the people we love usa all kinds of usa military, we love trump,trump2024WH ❤❤❤❤❤

[@petergibson2035]

💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@JuliusSiezure]

that sergeant in the opening scene seems like a biden voter

[@rodolfoponce1154]

Ang ganda naman talagang ng babaeng

@XrayxRich il y a 22 heures It @XrayxRich il y a 22 heures "It is all pretty physical" Those were the days when you wouldn't make love until you were in love!!! the good old times🥲 made my laugh