A Bell for Adano

A Bell for Adano is a 1945 American war film directed by Henry King and starring John Hodiak and Gene Tierney. It was adapted from the 1944 novel of the same title by John Hersey, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1945. In his review of the film for The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote, "... this easily vulnerable picture, which came to the Music Hall yesterday, is almost a perfect picturization of Mr. Hersey's book."[3]

This article is about the film. For the novel, see A Bell for Adano (novel).
A Bell for Adano
Theatrical poster for A Bell for Adano (1945)
Directed byHenry King
Screenplay byLamar Trotti
Norman Reilly Raine
Based onA Bell for Adano
1944 novel
by John Hersey
Produced byLouis D. Lighton
Lamar Trotti
StarringGene Tierney
John Hodiak
William Bendix
CinematographyJoseph LaShelle
Edited byBarbara McLean
Music byAlfred Newman
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • June 21, 1945 (1945-06-21) (USA)
  • [1] ([1])
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.5 million[2]

In addition to the Broadway play (Cort Theatre, (12/06/1944 - 10/27/1945),[4] which starred Fredric March, there have been several other versions of the story. In a 1955 Lux Video Theatre adaptation, Edmond O'Brien had the lead, with a young Charles Bronson playing the part William Bendix took in the movie.[5] Barry Sullivan and Anna Maria Alberghetti were in a 1956 CBS telecast,[6] and John Forsythe played the major in a 1967 Hallmark Hall of Fame broadcast.[7][8]

Plot

The story concerns Italian-American U.S. Army Major Joppolo (John Hodiak), who is placed in charge of the town of Adano during the invasion of Sicily. Major Joppolo asks the town elders what the town needs most: some say food but most say "a bell" and his curiosity is raised. The priest explains that the whole heart of the town's activities centred upon the bell ringing. He then starts a long struggle to replace the 700-year-old bell that was taken from the town by the Fascists at the start of the war to be melted down for weapons. Through his actions, Joppolo also wins the trust and love of the people.

Some of the changes Joppolo brings into the town include:

  • Democracy
  • Free fishing privilege
  • The freedom of mule carts
  • A bell from the American Navy to replace the town bell

The short-tempered American commander, General Marvin, fires Major Joppolo from his position when Joppolo disobeys an order to prohibit mule cart traffic in Adano, which has been disrupting Allied supply trucks, because the mule carts are vital to the survival of the town.

The character of Joppolo was based on the real life experiences of Frank Toscani, who was military governor of the town of Licata, Sicily after the Allied invasion.[9]

Cast

Production

It was in production from early November 1944 to mid-January 1945. Location filming was done at Brent's Crags, near Malibu, California.

References
  1. "A Bell for Adano". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  2. Solomon, Aubrey (June 15, 2002). Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810842441 – via Google Books.
  3. Crowther, Bosley (July 6, 1945). "A Bell for Adano (1945) The Screen; in military role". The New York Times.
  4. The Broadway League. "A Bell for Adano – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  5. "The Lux Video Theatre - A Bell For Adano - TheTVDB.com". www.thetvdb.com.
  6. "TELEVISION: Program Preview, Jun. 4, 1956". Time. June 4, 1956 – via content.time.com.
  7. "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Season 17 Episode 2 - A Bell for Adano". Archived from the original on 2018-08-01.
  8. "A Bell for Adano (1945) - Articles - TCM.com". www.tcm.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  9. Martin, Douglass. The New York Times: F.E. Toscani 89, Dies; Model for Hero of 'Bell for Adano' 28 Jan 2001
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