# Carbine Williams > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Carbine_Williams > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Carbine_Williams.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbine_Williams > Source revision: 1354618579 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1952 film by Richard Thorpe Carbine Williams Directed by Richard Thorpe Written by Art Cohn Based on "The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met" 1951 Reader's Digest by Capt. H. T. Peoples Produced by Armand Deutsch Starring James Stewart Jean Hagen Wendell Corey Cinematography William C. Mellor Edited by Newell P. Kimlin Music by Conrad Salinger Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Release dates May 7, 1952 (1952-05-07) (New York)[1] May 16, 1952 (1952-05-16) (Los Angeles)[2] Running time 92 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $1,111,000[3] Box office $2,589,000[3] ***Carbine Williams*** is a 1952 American [drama film](/source/Drama_(film_and_television)) directed by [Richard Thorpe](/source/Richard_Thorpe) and starring [James Stewart](/source/James_Stewart), [Jean Hagen](/source/Jean_Hagen) and [Wendell Corey](/source/Wendell_Corey). The film follows the life of its namesake, [David Marshall Williams](/source/David_Marshall_Williams), who invented the operating principle for the [M1 carbine](/source/M1_carbine) gun while in a North Carolina prison. The carbine was used extensively by the U.S. military during [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War) and the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War). Originally filmed in black-and-white, the film has also been [colorized](/source/Film_colorization).[4] ## Plot David Marshall "Marsh" Williams of the [Winchester Repeating Arms Company](/source/Winchester_Repeating_Arms_Company) company takes leave to tend to family matters. His embittered young son David has been teased in school and Marsh decides that the time has come to inform his son about his past. He takes David to a prison and leaves him with his friend Capt. H. T. Peoples, who tells David that Marsh had served time there for murder and describes the circumstances in a series of flashbacks. Marsh is a young man who leaves the Navy after several hitches and returns home. His strict father and the family of his girlfriend Maggie believe Marsh to be irresponsible. Marsh marries Maggie and takes a laborious job with a railroad, where he is introduced to the illegal practice of distilling [corn whiskey](/source/Corn_whiskey) during the era of [Prohibition](/source/Prohibition_in_the_United_States). Marsh hides his new source of income from Maggie but she learns the truth when he is badly burned after a still explodes. She threatens to leave him if he will not quit the business. He promises to stop distilling moonshine but continues to expand the operation. When federal agents raid his operation, Marsh opens fire and escapes into the woods. Maggie finds Marsh and informs him that a federal agent had been killed in the gunfight. She convinces him to surrender and pledges that she will stand by him. Marsh stands trial but the jury is deadlocked. He pleads guilty to second-degree murder to avoid a retrial and the possibility of a death sentence. The judge sentences him to 30 years in prison at hard labor. Maggie promises to wait for him. In prison, a guard finds a knife on Marsh and he is ordered to work on a [chain gang](/source/Chain_gang). The work is excruciating and the guards abuse the prisoners. The men are transferred to a different prison, where Marsh meets Peoples, the warden. Marsh refuses to communicate with his family. Peoples orders him to [solitary confinement](/source/Solitary_confinement) for insolence and Marsh remains there for 30 days, much longer than any man had previously endured. Peoples grants Marsh 24 hours of leave and Marsh spends the day with Maggie. After returning, Marsh tells Peoples of his love of guns and shares his innovative design for an automatic rifle with a floating chamber. Marsh is allowed to work on his gun in the prison shop, but two other inmates steal it for a failed escape attempt. Marsh denies any complicity with the escape attempt and Peoples allows him to continue developing his concept. Peoples writes to Maggie to inform her of Marsh's progress with both the invention and his character. Newspaper accounts report how Peoples has allowed an inmate to serve his time as a gunsmith, and the angry state prison commissioners hold a hearing. Peoples argues that he believes in Marsh's invention and vouches for him, offering to serve the remaining 22 years of Marsh's sentence himself if Marsh uses the gun to escape from prison. Marsh is allowed to demonstrate the carbine, which is an overwhelming success. A Winchester representative offers Marsh a job, and he is soon pardoned by the governor. Back in the present day, Peoples tells David how his father holds 68 patents and developed the [M1 carbine](/source/M1_carbine), which has changed the face of war. David tearfully reconciles with Marsh. ## Cast - [James Stewart](/source/James_Stewart) as David Marshall "Marsh" Williams - [Jean Hagen](/source/Jean_Hagen) as Maggie Williams - [Wendell Corey](/source/Wendell_Corey) as Capt. H. T. Peoples - [Carl Benton Reid](/source/Carl_Benton_Reid) as Claude Williams - [Paul Stewart](/source/Paul_Stewart_(actor)) as Dutch Kruger - [Otto Hulett](/source/Otto_Hulett) as Mobley - [Rhys Williams](/source/Rhys_Williams_(actor)) as Redwick Karson - [Herbert Heyes](/source/Herbert_Heyes) as Lionel Daniels - [James Arness](/source/James_Arness) as Leon Williams - [Porter Hall](/source/Porter_Hall) as Sam Markley - [Fay Roope](/source/Fay_Roope) as District Attorney - [Ralph Dumke](/source/Ralph_Dumke) as Andrew White - [Leif Erickson](/source/Leif_Erickson_(actor)) as Feder - [Henry Corden](/source/Henry_Corden) as Bill Stockton - [Frank Richards](/source/Frank_Richards_(actor)) as Truex - [Howard Petrie](/source/Howard_Petrie) as Sheriff - [Stuart Randall](/source/Stuart_Randall_(actor)) as Tom Vennar - [Dan Riss](/source/Dan_Riss) as Jesse Rimmer - Bobby Hyatt as David Williams ## Production The film is based on a story by Capt. H. T. Peoples titled "My Most Unforgettable Character" (misidentified in the film as "The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met") that was published in the March 1951 issue of *[Reader's Digest](/source/Reader's_Digest)*.[5] MGM announced the film project in March 1951, with Marsh Williams hired as a technical adviser.[6] Production began in mid-December 1951[7] and wrapped by mid-January 1952.[8] ## Reception In a contemporary review for *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, critic [Bosley Crowther](/source/Bosley_Crowther) noted the plot's irony of freeing a man from a murder conviction because he has developed a weapon that will cause many more deaths, writing: "A certain degree of sentiment is aroused that may not be entirely supported when the elements are carefully analyzed. ... [T]he sympathy is loaded too heavily on the hero's side. His obvious indiscretions, not to mention his out-and-out crimes, are softened much too glibly with pity or comedy. If this is, indeed, the true story that it purports to be, it falls very neatly into the pattern of inspirational romance. Finally, there is the question of whether the invention of a gun is a humanitarian accomplishment worthy of the enthusiasm that is generously enjoined."[1] Critic [Philip K. Scheuer](/source/Philip_K._Scheuer) of the *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)* wrote: "The clash of wills between warden and prisoner—and one's realization of the odd and interesting fact that this was how and where the modern light automatic rifle came into existence—constitutes the film's pertinent highlights. There's not too much else."[2] According to MGM records, the film earned $1,787,000 in the U.S. and Canada[9] and $802,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $575,000.[3] ## Comic-book adaptation - [Fawcett](/source/Fawcett_Comics) Movie Comic #19 (October 1952)[10] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-crowther_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-crowther_1-1) Crowther, Bosley (May 8, 1952). "The Screen in Review". *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. p. 37. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-scheuer_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-scheuer_2-1) Scheuer, Philip K. (May 17, 1952). "'Carbine' Discloses Odd Fact". *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. p. 9. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mannix_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mannix_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Mannix_3-2) *The Eddie Mannix Ledger*, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Maltin, Leonard](/source/Leonard_Maltin), ed. (2007). [*Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide*](https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltins2000leon/page/211). New York: Signet. p. [211](https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltins2000leon/page/211). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-451-22186-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-451-22186-5). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Peoples, H. T. (March 1951). "My Most Unforgettable Character". *[Reader's Digest](/source/Reader's_Digest)*. **58** (347): 6. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Schallert, Edwin (March 20, 1951). "Colorful Inventor Saga Bought; Shaye Cogan Due to Play Fairy Princess". *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. p. 27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** "Production Schedule". *[Citizen-News](/source/Community_newspapers_in_Hollywood%2C_California#Citizen-News_(1931–1970))*. [Hollywood, California](/source/Hollywood%2C_California). December 15, 1951. p. 9. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "Production Schedule". *[Citizen-News](/source/Community_newspapers_in_Hollywood%2C_California#Citizen-News_(1931–1970))*. [Hollywood, California](/source/Hollywood%2C_California). January 12, 1952. p. 5. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** "Top Grossers of 1952". *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. **189** (5): 61. January 7, 1953. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Fawcett Movie Comic #19"](https://www.comics.org/issue/245431). [Grand Comics Database](/source/Grand_Comics_Database). ## External links - [*Carbine Williams*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044480/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [*Carbine Williams*](https://web.archive.org/web/1/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/751/enwp) at the [TCM Movie Database](/source/Turner_Classic_Movies#TCMdb) (archived) - [*Carbine Williams*](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/50447) at the *[AFI Catalog of Feature Films](/source/AFI_Catalog_of_Feature_Films)* - [*Carbine Williams*](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Carbine_Williams) at [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) v t e Films directed by Richard Thorpe Fast and Fearless (1924) Battling Buddy (1924) Bringin' Home the Bacon (1924) Thundering Romance (1924) Rough Ridin' (1924) Double Action Daniels (1925) Full Speed (1925) Gold and Grit (1925) Galloping On (1925) The Desert Demon (1925) A Streak of Luck (1925) The Saddle Cyclone (1925) Fast Fightin' (1925) On the Go (1925) Double Daring (1926) The Bonanza Buckaroo (1926) Deuce High (1926) The Twin Triggers (1926) College Days (1926) The Bandit Buster (1926) The Dangerous Dub (1926) Rawhide (1926) Twisted Triggers (1926) Josselyn's Wife (1926) The Meddlin' Stranger (1927) The First Night (1927) The Obligin' Buckaroo (1927) Ride 'em High (1927) The Galloping Gobs (1927) The Desert of the Lost (1927) Tearin' Into Trouble (1927) The Ridin' Rowdy (1927) Roarin' Broncs (1927) White Pebbles (1927) Skedaddle Gold (1927) The Cyclone Cowboy (1927) Pals in Peril (1927) The Soda Water Cowboy (1927) The Ballyhoo Buster (1928) Desperate Courage (1928) The Cowboy Cavalier (1928) The Valley of Hunted Men (1928) Vultures of the Sea (1928) Saddle Mates (1928) The Vanishing West (1928) The Flyin' Buckaroo (1928) The Fatal Warning (1929) Border Romance (1929) The King of the Kongo (1929) The Lone Defender (1930) The Utah Kid (1930) The Dude Wrangler (1930) Wings of Adventure (1930) Under Montana Skies (1930) The Thoroughbred (1930) Grief Street (1931) King of the Wild (1931) The Lawless Woman (1931) Murder at Dawn (1931) Forgotten Women (1931) The Devil Plays (1931) Neck and Neck (1931) Forgotten (1931) Beauty Parlor (1932) Escapade (1932) Forbidden Company (1932) Cross-Examination (1932) The King Murder (1932) The Midnight Lady (1932) Probation (1932) Slightly Married (1932) The Secrets of Wu Sin (1932) Thrill of Youth (1932) Women Won't Tell (1932) A Man of Sentiment (1933) Murder on the Campus (1933) Rainbow Over Broadway (1933) Love Is Dangerous (1933) City Park (1934) Stolen Sweets (1934) Green Eyes (1934) Cheating Cheaters (1934) Secret of the Chateau (1934) The Quitter (1934) Strange Wives (1934) Last of the Pagans (1935) The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936) Tarzan Escapes (1936) Dangerous Number (1937) Night Must Fall (1937) Double Wedding (1937) Man-Proof (1938) Love Is a Headache (1938) The First Hundred Years (1938) The Toy Wife (1938) The Crowd Roars (1938) Three Loves Has Nancy (1939) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) The Earl of Chicago (1940) 20 Mule Team (1940) Wyoming (1940) The Bad Man (1941) Barnacle Bill (1941) Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) Apache Trail (1942) Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) White Cargo (1942) Three Hearts for Julia (1943) Above Suspicion (1943) Cry 'Havoc' (1943) Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) Thrill of a Romance (1945) What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945) Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) Fiesta (1947) This Time for Keeps (1947) On an Island with You (1948) A Date with Judy (1948) The Sun Comes Up (1949) Big Jack (1949) Challenge to Lassie (1949) Malaya (1949) Black Hand (1950) Three Little Words (1950) Vengeance Valley (1951) The Great Caruso (1951) The Unknown Man (1951) It's a Big Country (1952) Carbine Williams (1952) Ivanhoe (1952) The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) The Girl Who Had Everything (1953) All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) Knights of the Round Table (1954) The Student Prince (1954) Athena (1954) The Prodigal (1955) The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957) Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957) Jailhouse Rock (1957) The House of the Seven Hawks (1959) Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) The Tartars (1961) The Honeymoon Machine (1961) The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962) Follow the Boys (1963) Fun in Acapulco (1963) The Golden Head (1964) The Truth About Spring (1965) That Funny Feeling (1965) The Last Challenge (1967) The Scorpio Letters (1967) This article about a biographical film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Bio-film-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3ABio-film-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Bio-film-stub) This article related to an American drama film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:1950s-US-drama-film-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3A1950s-US-drama-film-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:1950s-US-drama-film-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Carbine Williams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbine_Williams) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbine_Williams?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.