306 STORY OF G.I. JOE, THE
St. Louis, but in the end Cowan came back to his first choice. In late October 1944,
after much lobbying by Cowan, the Army granted Burgess Meredith permission
to make the film on condition that Cowan turn all profits from it over to Army
Emergency Relief (AER). After a six- month hiatus, production resumed on 15
November 1944 and wrapped up six weeks later, in mid- January 1945. The movie
was in post- production when news arrived that Ernie Pyle had been killed by a
Japa nese machine- gun bullet on le Shima, an island near Okinawa on 18 April 1945.Plot Summary
The new infantrymen of C Com pany, 18th Infantry, U.S. Army, travel to the front-
lines for the very first time. Lt. Bill Walker (Robert Mitchum) allows a green war
correspondent, Ernie Pyle (Burgess Meredith), to ride with the troops. Ernie shocks
Walker and his unit by following them right to the frontlines. On the way, Ernie
spends time getting to know the squadron: Private Robert “Wingless” Murphy
( John R. Reilly), Private Dondaro (Wally Cassell), Sergeant Warnicki (Freddie
Steele), and Private Mew (William Murphy). The men’s first battle is that of Kas-
serine Pass, which ends up being a major defeat with many casualties. Ernie and
the com pany initially part ways, but further into the year, Ernie looks for them,
having nurtured a fondness for the first outfit that he’d covered as a war time
reporter. He finds the battalion in Italy, set to stage an assault on a German- occupied
town. Ernie discovers that Com pany C is now practiced at killing without mercy
or guilt. The unit soon captures the town and tries to move on to Monte Cassino.
However, their advance is blocked, and they are forced to live in caves. Casualties
are heavy as replacement troops are killed before they can learn how best to sur-
vive (which Walker confesses to Ernie makes him feel like a murderer). As a result,
Walker finds himself short of lieutenants, and the veterans lose men, including
Wingless Murphy. Ernie returns to the correspondents’ quarters to discover that he
has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his war reporting. Ernie again reconnects
with the soldiers on their way to Rome. He greets some familiar unit members, but
is shocked when a mule passes by carry ing the dead body of Capt. Walker. One by
one, the old hands reluctantly come forth to express their grief in the presence of
Walker’s corpse. Ernie joins the com pany as it goes down the road, narrating its
conclusion: “For those beneath the wooden crosses, there is nothing we can do,
except perhaps to pause and murmur, ‘Thanks pal, thanks.’ ”Reception
The Story of G.I. Joe was released on 13 July 1945, 51 days before the end of World
War II. Nominated for four Oscars (Best Actor in a Supporting Role— Robert Mit-
chum’s only career nomination; Best Writing, Screenplay; Best Music, Original
Song; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture), G.I. Joe was named
one of the top 10 films of 1945 by the National Board of Review. It was also nomi-
nated for the Grand International Award at the 1947 Venice Film Festival. Film
critics were, likewise, enthusiastic. James Agee called the film “an act of heroism”
for its honesty, courage and artistic integrity (Agee, 1945, pp. 264–265). Joseph
Foster praised G.I. Joe’s emphasis on characterization rather than plot: “For a