Hail the Conquering Hero
1944 · 101 MIN · IMDB 7.6 · 5,346 VOTES · DIR. Preston Sturges
Overview
Having been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith delays the return to his hometown, feeling that he is a failure. While in a moment of melancholy, he meets up with a group of Marines who befriend him and encourage him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge.
Dialogue Timeline — 1,482 lines
A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME — EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE
00:01:15 Two boilermakers.
00:06:01 Wise guy!
00:09:46 Right then I was being born in Oakridge, California.
00:13:39 No, I'm not in jail. What would I be doing there?
00:17:46 A hero. If you don't find it heart-warming...
00:21:02 Can anybody play Let Me Call You Sweetheart?
00:25:08 Home to the arms of your mother...
00:28:43 - You look so nice. - It's against regulations.
00:33:49 They should have done it a long time ago for your old man.
00:37:10 There's something I have to tell you.
00:41:27 I herewith ask you to vote for Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith!
00:45:25 (¢Ü Band strikes up)
00:49:04 But as Mayor of our fair city, I am to all of you, your servant.
00:52:43 - He doesn't want me. - You asked him?
00:57:20 - The lies they're telling out front. - Lies? Those boys are telling the truth.
01:00:52 - You don't know how well off you are. - You'll just make me feel worse.
01:04:41 Will you tell Libby I've never been in Guadalcanal and I'm a phoney?
01:08:16 - I'm waiting for Western Union. - You do this at your own peril.
01:13:55 - What are you trying to pull? - You'll find out.
01:17:47 I speak not as your candidate for Mayor, but as the humble voter.
01:22:06 I'm going to ask Woodrow himself to tell you the rest of the story.
01:26:36 to live this lie any longer.
01:31:44 - I thought you was running for Mayor. - I changed my mind.
200:03:00 preceded by a hail of bullets.
Cast & Characters
Eddie Bracken
Woodrow Truesmith
Ella Raines
Libby
Raymond Walburn
Mayor Everett J. Noble
William Demarest
Sgt. Heffelfinger
Franklin Pangborn
Reception Committee Chairman
Elizabeth Patterson
Aunt Martha
Georgia Caine
Mrs. Truesmith
Al Bridge
Political Boss
Freddie Steele
Bugsy
Bill Edwards
Forrest Noble
Dialogue Record
Lines indexed1,482
Dialogue density14.7 lines / min
First line00:01:15
Final line200:03:00
Production Record
DirectorPreston Sturges
LanguageEnglish
IMDb votes5,346