Lt. Carl A. Anderson Jack Palance as Pigeon Lane (as Walter {Jack} Palance) Reginald Gardiner as Sgt. Randolph Johnson Robert Wagner as Private Coffman Karl Malden as Doc Richard Hylton as Conroy Richard Boone as Lt. Col. Gilfillan Skip Homeier as Pretty Boy Don Hicks as Lt. Butterfield Jack Webb as Correspondent Sgt. Dickerman Bert Freed as Slattery Neville Brand as Sgt. Zelenko Martin Milner as Whitney Philip Ahn as Nomura Production Casting According to a January 1949 Los Angeles Times, actors Dana Andrews, Anne Baxter and Paul Douglas were originally set to star in the picture. However, they were not cast in the film. Filming The film used various locations around Camp Pendleton and the adjacent Pacific coast for the landing scenes. The USMC also provided accurate military equipment, such as weapons, tanks and uniforms, as well as providing the manpower to create the logistics of a wartime U.S. Marine battalion. USMC also provided expertise by assigning three time decorated, Major George A. Gilliland, as Technical Advisor for the film.He was the recipient of two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. Direction This was the last American-made World War II film directed by Lewis Milestone. After the Halls of Montezuma, he made films in Europe as well as other movie genres such as the Rat Pack caper film, Ocean's 11. In 1959 he directed the acclaimed Pork Chop Hill, starring Gregory Peck, his final war film set during the Korean War. Release Serving U.S. Marines and Second World War veterans attended the film's premieres in New York and Los Angeles. Proceeds from the premieres were donated to various charities associated with the United States Marine Corps. The studio also allowed the USMC to use the film for recruitment purposes. On January 11, 1951, The Hollywood Reporter noted that a full company of Marine recruits were to be sworn in at the film's premiere in San Francisco. References External links Aveleryman Film Credits 1951 films 1950s war films 20th Century Fox films Pacific War films Films directed by Lewis Milestone Films about the United States Marine Corps Films scored by Sol Kaplan American war films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films