TO HELL AND BACK 325
Murphy received 60 percent of the $25,000 the studio paid for the rights, as well
as $100,000 and 10 percent of the net profits for starring in the picture and acting
as a technical advisor. Several U.S. generals who served in World War II were
considered for the role of performing the voice- over introduction to the movie,
among them Maxwell Taylor and Omar Bradley. General Walter Bedell “Beetle”
Smith was fi nally chosen for the role.
Plot Summary
Young Audie Murphy (Gordon Gebert) grows up in a large, poor sharecropper
family in east Texas. His father deserts the family around 1939–1940, leaving his
mother, Josie Belle (Mary Field), struggling to feed her nine children. Murphy starts
working early in life to make money for his mother and siblings. When his mother
dies, his siblings are sent to live with his oldest sister, Corrine (to whom Murphy will
send his G.I. allotment pay). Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Murphy attempts
to enlist but is turned away by every one except the Army. Murphy completes basic
training and is posted with the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa. As a result
of his youthful appearance, he is the butt of many jokes about “infants” being sent
into battle. Murphy proves himself, however, and is quickly promoted up the
ranks. Having earned the distinction of second lieutenant, Murphy leads men into
combat in Sicily, Italy, and France, forming friendships with fellow soldiers John-
son (Marshall Thompson), Brandon (Charles Drake), and Kerrigan ( Jack Kelly). In
January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, Murphy’s com pany is forced into a retreat
by the Germans, but Murphy stays behind to cover for his men. As the Germans
surround him, Murphy commandeers an abandoned M4 Sherman tank and rid-
dles the enemy with machine- gun fire. Murphy single- handedly foils the German
attack and saves his entire com pany. After being hospitalized for his wounds,
Murphy returns to active duty. The film concludes with Murphy’s Medal of Honor
ceremony shortly after the war ends.
Reception
To Hell and Back had its gala world premiere at the Majestic Theatre in San Anto-
nio, Texas, on 17 August 1955. The date was the 10th anniversary of Murphy’s
Army discharge at Fort Sam Houston, also in San Antonio. Surpassing expecta-
tions, the film garnered critical accolades, was an enormous commercial success—
Universal’s highest- grossing release until Jaws (1975)— and was a great boon to
Murphy’s film career and personal finances; it was estimated the actor earned $1
million from the film. The movie also pop u lar ized “dogface,” a slang term for U.S.
Army foot soldiers, mostly through the use of the 3rd Infantry Division song, “Dog-
face Soldier,” written by Lt. Ken Hart and Cpl. Bert Gold. Many of the film’s battle
scenes were reused in the Universal film The Young War r iors (1967). Murphy tried
to make a sequel called The Way Back, dealing with his postwar life, but could never
produce a script that attracted financing.
Reel History Versus Real History
In general terms, To Hell and Back is a fairly accurate depiction of Murphy’s war
experiences. The only glaring departure from fact is the use of a Sherman tank in