The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line is a 1955 American drama film directed by John Ford based on the life of Marty Maher. Tyrone Power stars as the scrappy Irish immigrant whose 50-year career at West Point took him from dishwasher to non-commissioned officer and athletic instructor. Maureen O'Hara, one of Ford's favorite leading ladies, plays Maher's wife and fellow immigrant, Mary O'Donnell. The film costars Ward Bond as Herman Koehler, the Master of the Sword and Army's head football coach , who first befriends Maher. Milburn Stone appears as John J. Pershing who in 1898 swears Maher into the Army. Harry... Carey, Jr. makes a brief appearance as the young cadet Dwight D. Eisenhower. Philip Carey plays Army football player and future general Chuck Dotson. The story follows Maher's arrival at West Point and his progress from servant to beloved leader and teacher. The film also covers Maher's personal life, his romance and marriage to Mary O'Donnell, and his declining years after her death. The phrase "The Long Gray Line" is used to describe, as a continuum, all graduates and cadets of the USMA at West Point, New York.
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