Introduction

The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American war film directed by Robert Wise in Panavision.

It tells the story of an independent, rebellious US Navy machinist’s mate, first class, aboard the fictional river gunboat USS San Pablo, on Yangtze Patrol in 1920’s China.

Robert Anderson adapted the screenplay from the 1962 novel of the same name by Richard McKenna.

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Outline

In 1926, Petty Officer, First Class Jake Holman transfers to the Yangtze River Patrol gunboat USS San Pablo. The ship is nicknamed the “Sand Pebble” and its sailors “Sand Pebbles”.

The crew have hired coolies to do most of the work. Holman, as chief Machinist’s Mate, takes hands-on responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the ship’s engine, upsetting the head engine room coolie, Chien. Holman also earns the antipathy of most of his fellow sailors, but does become close friends with Frenchy, a seasoned yet sensitive sailor.

While the ship is underway on patrol, Holman discovers a serious problem with the engine. He informs the captain, Lieutenant Collins, that they must stop for repairs, but Collins refuses until executive officer Bordelles declares a mechanical emergency. Chien insists on making the repairs, and Holman acquiesces so that Chien can save face. Chien is killed when the locked engine slips into gear, and chief coolie Lop-eye Shing blames Holman. Holman selects Po-Han to take on Chien’s work; in time, the two become friends.

Po-Han is harassed by a large, bullying sailor named Stawski, resulting in a boxing match on which the crewmen place bets. Holman is in the corner of his friend Po-Han, who, despite being badly beaten by Stawski, eventually prevails. His victory leads to more friction between Holman and the rest of the crew.

When news comes of an incident involving British gunboats, Collins orders the crew not to return any fire from the Chinese, to avoid a diplomatic incident. Lop-eye Shing purposely sends Po-Han ashore, where he is predictably chased down the beach, captured, and slowly tortured by a mob. When Collins is unable to buy Po-Han’s release, Po-Han begs for someone to kill him; Holman disobeys orders and shoots his friend.

The San Pablo remains moored on the Xiang River at Changsha, due to low water levels, through the winter of 1926–27. It must deal with increasingly hostile crowds surrounding it in numerous smaller boats. Lt Collins also fears a mutiny.

Frenchy has saved an educated Chinese woman, Maily, from prostitution by paying her debts. He marries her and regularly swims ashore to visit, but dies of pneumonia one night. Holman finds Maily sitting by Frenchy’s corpse. Some Chinese men burst in, beat Holman, and kill Maily for which they frame Holman. The next day several Chinese demand Holman be turned over to them as the “murderer” of Maily and her unborn baby. When the demand is rejected, the Chinese blockade the gunboat. The crew fear for their safety and demand that Holman surrender to the Chinese. Order is not restored until Collins fires a Lewis gun across the bow of one of the Chinese sampans.

With spring’s arrival, the crew can restart river patrols, but the Nanking Incident results in orders to return to the coast. Collins disobeys and travels upstream of Dongting Lake to evacuate idealistic, anti-imperialist missionary Jameson and his school-teacher assistant, Shirley Eckert, from a remote mission. Holman had met Eckert in Hangkow months earlier, and the two had fledgling romantic feelings for each other.

The San Pablo must break through a boom made up of junks linked by a massive bamboo rope blocking the river. A boarding party is sent to cut the rope. Fighting breaks out in which twelve US crewmen and many more Chinese are killed. Holman chops through the rope, with an axe, while under fire. He is forced to kill a young Chinese militiaman who attacks him, then recognises him as a friend of Jameson and Eckert. The ship continues upriver.

Collins leads Holman, Crosley, and Bronson ashore. Jameson refuses rescue, claiming that he and Eckert have renounced their US citizenship. Collins orders Holman to forcibly remove Eckert and Jameson, but Holman declares he is going to stay with them. Nationalist soldiers suddenly attack, killing Jameson. Collins orders the patrol to take Eckert to the ship, and remains behind to provide covering fire. Collins is killed, ironically leaving the normally rebellious Holman in command. Holman and Eckert have a tearful parting, finally making clear their love for each other, with Holman assuring her he will be following shortly. Holman kills a dozen soldiers but is fatally shot just when he is about to rejoin the others. His last bewildered words are, “I was home. What happened. What the hell happened?”

Eckert and the remaining two sailors reach the ship, and the San Pablo sails away.

Cast

• Steve McQueen as Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Jake Holman.
• Richard Attenborough as Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Frenchy Burgoyne.
• Richard Crenna as Lieutenant Collins.
• Candice Bergen as Shirley Eckert.
• Marayat Andriane as Maily.
• Mako as Po-han.
• Larry Gates as Jameson.
• Charles Robinson as Ensign Bordelles.
• Simon Oakland as Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Stawski.
• Ford Rainey as Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Harris.
• Joe Turkel as Gunners Mate 2nd Class Bronson.
• Gavin MacLeod as Signalman 2nd Class Crosley.
• Joseph Di Reda as Yeoman 2nd Class Red Dog Shanahan.
• Richard Loo as Major Chin.
• Barney Phillips as Chief Petty Officer Franks.
• Gus Trikonis as Gunners Mate 3rd Class Restorff.
• Shepherd Sanders as Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Perna.
• James Jeter as Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Farren.
• Tom Middleton as Pharmacist’s Mate Jennings.
• Paul Chinpae as Cho-jen.
• Tommy Lee as Chien.
• Beulah Quo as Mama Chunk.
• James Hong as Victor Shu.
• Stephen Jahn as Haythorn.
• Jay Allan Hopkins as Wilsey.
• Steve Ferry as Lamb.
• Ted Fish as Wellbeck.
• Loren Janes as Coleman.
• Glenn Wilder as Waldron.

Trivia

• The Sand Pebbles was a critical and commercial success at its general release.
• It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and eight Golden Globe Awards, with Attenborough winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
  • Steve McQueen received his only Academy Award nomination for this movie.
• Former child actor and career naval officer Frank Coghlan, Jr. was the technical advisor to the film regarding the US Navy, and made an uncredited appearance as one of the American businessmen stripping Maily.
• The film company spent $250,000 building a replica gunboat named the San Pablo, based on the USS Villalobos – a former Spanish Navy gunboat that was seized by the US Navy in the Philippine Islands during the Spanish–American War (1898–99) – but with a greatly reduced draft to allow sailing on the shallow Tam Sui and Keelung Rivers.
  • A seaworthy vessel that was actually powered by Cummins diesel engines, the San Pablo made the voyage from Hong Kong to Taiwan and back under her own power during shooting of The Sand Pebbles.
  • After filming was completed, the San Pablo was sold to the DeLong Timber Company and renamed the Nola D, then later sold to Seiscom Delta Exploration Co., which used her as a floating base camp with significant modifications, including removal of her engines and the addition of a helipad.
• The Sand Pebbles was filmed both in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Its filming, which began on 22 November 1965, at Keelung, was scheduled to take about nine weeks, but it ended up taking seven months.
• The cast and crew took a break for the Christmas holidays at Tamsui, Taipei.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Robert Wise.
• Producer(s): Robert Wise and Charles H. Maguire.
• Writer(s): Robert Woodruff Anderson.
• Music: Jerry Goldsmith.
• Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald.
• Editor(s): William Reynolds.
• Production: Argyle Enterprises (produced by) (as Argyle – Solar Productions), Solar Productions (produced by) (as Argyle – Solar Peoductions), Robert Wise Productions (uncredited), and Twentieth Century Fox (uncredited).
• Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox.
• Release Date: 20 December 1966.
• Running Time: 182 minutes (original release) and 196 (roadshow release).
• Country: US.
• Language: English and Mandarin.