bkoganbing No true stories touched America during World War II as that of The Sullivans. The five Irish Catholic brothers who grew up in Ames, Iowa and had the all American boyhood that is idealized who all died in the same ship at the battle for Guadalcanal. It was inevitable that a film be made of their lives as soon as it was feasible to do so.By that I mean that with war time restrictions on battle news the whole Solomon Islands struggle had to be well in the past before the Armed Forces would give out with any details. Although it's not spelled out in the film it was two months before the parents of The Sullivans were given details of what happened to all five of their sons. And it was two years before the film was made.The story of The Sullivans and the film made from it had special significance of course to Irish Catholics. It was sixteen years before that the first Catholic candidate ran for president on a major party. At that time Alfred E. Smith's loyalty was questioned, the whole notion that a Catholic would have first allegiance to a foreign church headquartered in Rome came into play in that campaign. The story of The Sullivans had a special significance for the time that we in this new century can't possibly appreciate.20th Century Fox opted to give five fairly unknown actors the roles of The Sullivans as adults. To have cast folks as Tyrone Power or Don Ameche as one or two of the brothers would probably have detracted from the story. Sad to say the five players, Edmond Ryan, John Campbell, James Cardwell, John Alvin, and George Offerman, Jr. stayed obscure even after the film was released.The parents were played by Thomas Mitchell and Selena Royle with Anne Baxter as their sister who joined the WAVES after her brothers were killed. Not mentioned, but in real life she was married and lost a husband at Pearl Harbor. Ward Bond plays the Navy recruiter who signed up the five Sullivan boys and who also brings the most awful news that any parent could possibly hear.The Sullivans still holds up well today as a fine piece of film making and a tribute to America's fighting spirit. Which we hope will never waver.

mikeswinehart I saw this movie when I was about 10 (1957) and still remember it today. I used to tell people about their story regularly and how the Sole Survivor Act came about. But after a while, well, you know, it just becomes redundant when people just don't seem to realize its importance. I have always remembered this story, but can't remember what I saw on TV last night. I didn't remember they were from Iowa, (where I am from). I was happy to see they weren't just forgotten after the War was over. The ships named after them, the museum, the Sole Survivor Act and the war posters are well deserved for such sacrifice. Now if I can just find the movie again....

paulpsyche The USS Sullivans is now anchored in a Naval Park in Buffalo, NY. This destroyer was named in honor of the Sullivan Brothers who all lost their life during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. After Pearl Harbor they all enlisted in the Navy with the condition of not being separated. While serving on the USS Juno they perished together. Shipmates reported that three of the brothers, when out of harms way, returned to the burning ship for their brothers when it went under. When news of this tragic loss was learned, the government instituted the rule that stands today, no brothers will serve in the same combat theatre. This was due to the Sullivans.I saw this movie one night with my mother on late night TV in 1981. Let me tell you, the very memory of the ending of this movie brings me to tears. A mixture of pride and sorrow. Do not hesitate, purchase, and watch this film.

rungmc Very seldom when I was small, we would be allowed to sit up late to catch a movie, but always to the distaste of my mother, who was adamant that bedtime was bedtime, movie or not. So I'll never forget the night that we were actually called out of bed to come up and watch this, the fighting Sullivan's. We sat, engrossed in the lives of these young men, convinced that it was a comedy we were watching. The little rascals-esquire capers of the boys always stuck with me, especially the "dentist" scene. As the Sullivan's grew, we grew closer and closer to them, until the tragic finale; words cannot describe the wave of emotion that flowed over me. In the end, i turned to my dad, teary eyed, to ask him if it really was a true story; more sensitive parents would have said yes, its all made up... A truly special movie, one for everybody.