Sergeant Mike
Cast & Crew
Henry Levin
Larry Parks
Jeanne Bates
Loren Tindall
Jim Bannon
Robert Williams
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Private Tom Allen becomes incensed when he is transferred from his machine gun outfit to the canine corps. At the war dog training center near Baltimore, Allen meets his commander, dog trainer Patrick Henry, and is assigned to work with Mike, a German shepherd. Simms, an animal lover, is paired with the dog Pearl. Because Allen resents playing "nursemaid to a dog," Henry orders him to respond to a letter written by S. K. Arno, Mike's owner. Thinking that Arno is wealthy and may be of use, Allen decides to visit the Arno house as soon as he is granted a pass. At the house, Allen is surprised and disappointed when he is greeted by a small boy who introduces himself as S. K. Arno. Determined to leave as soon as possible, Allen asks to use the bathroom to clean up, and as the soldier shaves, S. K. tells Allen that he has wanted his beloved dog to serve his country ever since his father was killed in action. S. K. is heartbroken to learn that Allen regards Mike as just a piece of machinery. Soon after, the boy's mother, Terry, arrives home and invites Allen to stay for dinner. When S. K. fails to appear at the table, Allen volunteers to fetch him and finds the boy sobbing in his room because the soldier doesn't appreciate Mike. The boy's devotion forces Allen to rethink his attitude, and he promises to make Mike his comrade in arms. After dinner, Allen takes Terry and S. K. to a movie and promises to keep in contact with them. Upon returning to the post, Allen warmly embraces Mike, and the two begin to work as a team as the dogs are trained to act as scouts and messengers. Their training complete, the dogs and their masters are assigned to a mission in the Pacific. Before leaving, Allen surprises S. K. with a visit from Mike and tells Terry that he has fallen in love with her. On their voyage, Mike becomes seasick, and when they land in enemy territory, they are ordered directly into battle. Wounded in a skirmish, Simms is forced to remain at the message center while Pvt. Rogers takes charge of Pearl. Rogers, Allen and the others proceed in to the jungle, and Mike warns them of an ambush. When an enemy bullet kills their guide, Rogers sends Pearl back to the message center with a dispatch regarding their status. At the message center, Simms welcomes Pearl and then sends her back into the jungle with orders for the soldiers to continue. While capturing an enemy machine gun nest, Rogers and another soldier are wounded, and Rogers sends Pearl back to the message center with an order for reinforcements. As the wounded Americans take cover in their fox hole that night, Mike alerts them to the enemy's approach. Allen and the others dig in to defend their position, and soon after, reinforcements, led by Pearl, arrive to overpower the Japanese. During a ceremony back home, Allen and Mike are honored for their bravery, and afterward, Mike runs to greet the beaming S. K.
Director
Henry Levin
Cast
Larry Parks
Jeanne Bates
Loren Tindall
Jim Bannon
Robert Williams
Richard Powers
Larry Joe Olsen
Eddie Acuff
John Tyrrell
Charles Wagenheim
Mike, A Dog
Pearl, A Dog
Edwin Mills
Roque Espiritu
Chuck Hamilton
Nino Pipitone
Joe Haworth
John Gallaher
Forbes Murray
Crew
Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Reg Browne
Al Clark
Philip Faulkner
Milton Feldman
Mel Ferrer
Jack Fier
Stephen Goossón
Thelma Hoover
Edward Jewell
Robert Lee Johnson
Irving Klein
Juanita Lopez
Russell Malmgren
L. W. O'connell
Robert Priestley
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film opens with the following dedication: "To the dog who serves in war the same as his human master does, who gets through where machines and men might fail, who gives a life to save a life, we respectfully dedicate this motion picture. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Quartermaster Corps in filming this production." Although a Hollywood Reporter production chart adds Ross Hunter to the cast, his appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. The plot as described in both the Variety review and a studio synopsis differs from the viewed print. Those summaries state that the dog "Pearl" is killed by a sniper, but in the viewed print "Pearl" successfully completes her mission and returns unharmed. It is possible that two different prints of the film were screened, and that the dog died at the end of the print shown at the New York screening reviewed by Variety.
