

Take the High Ground!
"From its rowdy, ribald horse-play, to its rousing marching song... from its hard-boiled hates and slugging feuds to its tough-but tender love story... this is a drama of our times... exciting, exalting, young, brave and alive!"
Overview
Sgt. Thorne Ryan, who once fought bravely in Korea, now serves as a hard-nosed drill instructor to new Army recruits at Fort Bliss, Texas. But is he really the man he is often described as? His fellow instructor, and friend helps him to face the ghosts of his past experiences in Korea. One night in a bar across the border in Juarez, Mexico, Sgt. Ryan meets a lady who begins to turn his life around. Will this be enough to help him deal with the past? Or will he continue to be so hard on his troops?
Movie Details
Languages
English
Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Key Crew

Richard Brooks
Director

Dore Schary
Producer
Cast

Richard Widmark
Sgt. Thorne Ryan

Karl Malden
Sgt. Laverne Holt

Elaine Stewart
Julie Mollison

Carleton Carpenter
Merton "Tex" Tolliver

Russ Tamblyn
Paul Jamison

Jerome Courtland
Elvin C. Carey

Steve Forrest
Lobo Nagalaski

Robert Arthur
Donald Quentin Dover IV

Maurice Jara
Franklin D. No Bear
William Hairston
Daniel Hazard

Bert Freed
Sgt. Vince Opperman

Acquanetta
Bar Girl (uncredited)
Matilda Caldwell
Mrs. Hazard (uncredited)

Charlita
Mexican Girl (uncredited)
John Close
Military Policeman (uncredited)
Joe Dominguez
Shooting Gallery Proprietor (uncredited)

Lester Dorr
Army Doctor (uncredited)

Nacho Galindo
Mexican Man (uncredited)
Jack Gargan
Army Doctor (uncredited)

Dabbs Greer
Shorty (uncredited)