When it comes to classic movies, I am totally crazy about William Holden and Gary Cooper. They're pretty much neck and neck as my all-time favorite actor, but if I was forced to pick an absolute favorite, it would be William Holden. I think he was FABULOUSLY good-looking...and also a VERY good actor. Stalag 17, from 1953, garnered him the Best Actor Academy Award.
Stalag 17 is somewhat of a man's movie. There are almost zero women in the cast, and the storyline deals with prisoner of war camps, attempted escapes, and spies...however, daughter and I, as well as some of her girlfriends, love this movie, so it's definitely not just for men only.
The story begins around Christmas, 1944, at a German prisoner of war camp (Stalag 17). Stalag denoted that it was a prison camp for non-officers; 17 denoted the territory where the camp was located. Two men of barracks 4 are attempting escape from the prison, and as they slide out the trap door, which was hidden beneath the stove in their barracks, the remaining men of the barracks are rooting them on. One man, however...J.J. Sefton (William Holden)....is cynical and unsupportive. He doesn't think the two men will reach freedom, and he even offers up a bet of cigarettes that they won't be successful. His attitude, of course, doesn't make him very popular with the other men in the barracks. In fact, he basically has only one friend in the barracks.
Within a few minutes of the escape, machine gun fire is heard....the Nazi guards were lying in wait for the men. Sefton was right...their escape attempt was not successful...and he collects his winnings of dozens of cigarettes, adding them to his trunk of "bartering goods." Determined to make life as comfortable as possible for himself, Sefton makes trades with the Nazi guards...another thing that has made his fellow prisoners dislike him.
The day after the attempted escape, the Nazi guards remove the stove from Barracks 4, because they knew the stove was covering the trap door. They also know that a radio has been smuggled into the barracks...and exactly where that radio is kept. The prisoners wonder how the guards knew those things...then it dawns on them that there is a traitor among them, that one of them is a "stool pigeon" and is supplying the guards with information. And, J.J. Sefton is the prime suspect.
Shortly after the two men are killed in the attempted escape, two other prisoners are brought in...one an officer, the other a non-officer. They had been involved in blowing up a German train, and they tell their barracks-mates how they did it. Suddenly, the officer is removed from Barracks 4 and is about to be brought up on sabotage charges. Somehow, someway, the information they shared with the men in the barracks has been passed on to the Nazi prison guards...and since Sefton is the one they deem responsible, the whole barracks join together to beat him up.
Is Sefton really the "stoolie?" Or is there another man in Barracks 4 who is betraying his comrades? Well, to find out, you MUST watch this movie. I must admit here, although I own this movie and have seen it about ten times, it is absolutely BEST the very first time you watch it...when you really don't know who the traitor is. Repeated watchings are enjoyable (especially when you are a die-hard Holden fan), but the suspense aspect isn't there after the first viewing. Also, although the movie is an action/drama, there are several comical moments, mostly because of a few of the prisoners, especially "Animal," who has a HUGE crush on actress Betty Grable.
Stalag 17 is out on DVD, so it should be readily available through Net Flix or your local library.
Happy viewing!!
