Wake Island (1942) on Netflix
Major Geoffrey Caton takes command of the Marine garrison on Wake Island and clashes with contractor Shad McClosky. News of the attack on Pearl Harbor puts the island on alert.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb6.6/102,519 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
Major Geoffrey Caton arrives on Wake Island from Pearl Harbor to lead its Marine garrison, which shares the base with a civilian construction crew. Shad McClosky holds the contract for trenches and living quarters and pushes his men to finish on schedule, and the two camps collide over work and air raid drills. An inspection singles out Privates Randall and Doyle as troublemakers, and Caton has them dig a slit trench by hand. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Randall's enlistment ends and he waits to board the Clipper. Instead the news arrives that Pearl Harbor has been attacked, the island is put on alert, and Japanese planes are coming.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Wake Island (1942)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Brian Donlevy's Major Caton was based on Major James P. S. Devereux, commander of the 1st Defense Battalion detachment on Wake, and Macdonald Carey's Lieutenant Cameron on Major Henry T. Elrod and Captain Frank Cunningham; Walter Abel's naval commander was Commander Winfield S. Cunningham in real life.
- The crew had to battle intense sand storms on Sand Island during the location shoot; afterwards the main unit returned to Paramount for three weeks of filming while a second unit under Hal Walker stayed at the Salton Sea to shoot bombing scenes.
- MacDonald Carey, who played Lieutenant Bruce Cameron, was so inspired by working on Wake Island that he joined the United States Marine Corps after filming ended.
- Real Marines were used: a special weapons detail from Camp Elliott near San Diego manned machine guns in the land battle scenes, and Marine crews served as extras and operated equipment.
- The California desert doubled for Wake Island: most exteriors were shot at Sandy Beach on the Salton Sea for three weeks, the aerial battles were filmed over Utah's Great Salt Lake, and the big guns were fired at a coastal firing range near San Diego.
