So Proudly We Hail (1943): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1943, So Proudly We Hail is a drama, war and romance film directed by Mark Sandrich, running about 126 minutes. “The First Great Love Story of Our Women at the Fighting Front!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. A group of U.S. Army nurses leaves San Francisco for their tour of duty in Hawaii in December 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor changes their destination and their lives. Sent to Bataan, Philippines, the nurses are led by Lt. Janet Davidson. She is faced with untested nurses who expected an easy time in Honolulu, but who quickly become battle-weary veterans dealing with daily bombardments by the Japanese, overwhelmed by the numbers of wounded, and dwindling supplies. Some of "Davey's" unit also have to deal with romantic entanglements with men they met onboard ship. When Bataan falls, the American forces flee to the offshore island of Corregidor, where they find the Japanese assault just as intense.

Who’s in it. So Proudly We Hail stars Claudette Colbert as Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson, Paulette Goddard as Lt. Joan O'Doul, Veronica Lake as Lt. Olivia D'Arcy and George Reeves as Lt. John Summers, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, So Proudly We Hail has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch So Proudly We Hail page.

If you liked it. Fans of So Proudly We Hail tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.