Carbine Williams

Carbine Williams
Carbine Williams
Directed by	Richard Thorpe
Written by	Art Cohn
Based on	The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met; 1951 Reader's Digest ; by Capt. H. T. Peoples
Produced by	Armand Deutsch
Starring	James Stewart; Jean Hagen; Wendell Corey
Cinematography	William C. Mellor
Edited by	Newell P. Kimlin
Music by	Conrad Salinger
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	May 1952;
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,111,000
Box office	$2,589,000

Carbine Williams is a 1952 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring James Stewart, Jean Hagen and Wendell Corey. The film follows the life of its namesake, David Marshall Williams, who invented the operating principle for the M1 Carbine while in a North Carolina prison. The M1 Carbine was used extensively by the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Originally filmed in black-and-white, it is also shown in a computer-colorized version.^[2]

Plot

The film follows the life of David Marshall Williams, who was a member of the Winchester team that invented the semi-automatic M1 Carbine used in World War II. Williams was found distilling illegal moonshine, and was held responsible for the death of a sheriff's deputy during a raid on his still. He was sentenced to thirty years' hard labor. He cycled through the prison system until a firm but compassionate warden, H.T. Peoples, allowed him to work in a prison tool shop. There, he invented the gas system for his famous rifle. Williams was released from prison in 1929 and worked with Winchester Firearms on development of the M1 Carbine.

Cast

James Stewart as David Marshall 'Marsh' Williams
Jean Hagen as Maggie Williams
Wendell Corey as Capt. H. T. Peoples
Carl Benton Reid as Claude Williams
Paul Stewart as 'Dutch' Kruger
Otto Hulett as Mobley
Rhys Williams as Redwick Karson
Herbert Heyes as Lionel Daniels
James Arness as Leon Williams
Porter Hall as Sam Markley
Fay Roope as District Attorney
Ralph Dumke as Andrew White
Leif Erickson as Feder
Henry Corden as Bill Stockton
Frank Richards as Truex
Howard Petrie as Sheriff
Stuart Randall as Tom Vennar
Dan Riss as Jesse Rimmer

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $1,787,000 in the US and Canada^[3] and $802,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $575,000.^[1]

Comic book adaptation

Fawcett Movie Comic #19 (October 1952)^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Maltin, Leonard, ed. (2007). Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide. New York: Signet. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-451-22186-5.
^ See also 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
^ "Fawcett Movie Comic #19". Grand Comics Database.