This was certainly made as a B movie. It's clearly not a big-budget film, and with the exceptions of a very young Anne Baxter and Thomas Mitchell, who always played supporting rolls (often extremely well, but supporting roles nonetheless), there are no stars in it.The director, Lloyd Bacon, had made a lot of good movies before this, though, and that is probably the thing to focus on when trying to explain why this turned out so good.And it turned out very good.What makes this movie so powerful is what is does not do, in a sense. Most of the movie focuses on the childhood and young adulthood of the five Sullivan boys. They are not portrayed as cute kids, or angels, or anything out of the ordinary. They are feisty, but they are not "loveable." They are, in short, regular kids/young guys. They could be any American kids/young guys. They are, indeed, everymen, and we relate to them because of that.Part of why this is so is that the studio realized they should not be played by recognizable stars. They are played by unfamiliar faces who don't look like movie stars. They therefore look as if they could be your neighbors, or in fact your son or brother or .... So, when the five of them die on that ship in the war - as of course everyone who saw this movie knew that they would - it really hits hard, because they could be someone you know.And then you have to watch Ward Bond tell their family.The sister and the young wife behave as Hollywood portrayed young women: subject to their emotions. But they are quickly out of the picture.What hits us, right in the gut, are the reactions of their father, Thomas Mitchell, and their mother, Selena Royle, who holds us riveted by her refusal to break down, to dishonor her sons by being anything less than brave herself. It's a devastating scene, and the highlight of the movie."Less is more in movie-making," it has been said. No movie demonstrates that better than this one. There is no gushy sentiment, no over-dramatization. Everyone knows from the beginning that the five young men will die. There is no suspense. This movie exists to make these five young men real to us, so that we realize what a terrible loss any man's life in war is. And this movie does that superbly.Treat yourself. Watch it. You'll need Kleenex at the end, no matter how macho you are, and that's not fun. But this movie isn't designed to be fun. This movie is designed to make you feel the real horror of war. It kills men - and women - who are nice people and do not deserve to die.---------------After yet another viewing, especially of the last scenes, I found myself wishing I could have stopped the movie with the father's salute to the memory of his sons on the water tower. What follows, the christening of the ship named after them, made sense in the movie's World War II context. After all, if the ending had been too sad, Americans might have stopped supporting the war. But, now that it is over, I think it would be more powerful if we were left with the father's efforts to hold back his tears while he salutes the memory of his foolhardy and very brave sons.

First of all, be aware that several of the reviews here give away the ending of this story. Probably, at the time of release, most people knew about the tragic event, but you may want to enjoy the story without knowing what happens, exactly… In the years before World War II, small-town Iowa train conductor Thomas Mitchell (as Thomas "Tom" Sullivan) and his wife Selena Royle (as Alleta) raise five eventually draft-aged boys. When the Japanese attack American troops at Pearl Harbor, the US enters the war. Many young men volunteer. Close from birth to young adulthood, the Sullivan sons insist on serving together. Based on a true story, this film might qualify as the first five-handkerchief tear-jerker. It's manipulative and maudlin, but difficult to argue against...Of the five sons, the camera focus mainly on youngest Edward Ryan (as Albert "Al" Sullivan); he is played by Bobby Driscoll as a boy. Only Mr. Ryan gets a real romance – with pretty Anne Baxter (as Katherine Mary Roof). Secondary story concern goes to Buddy Swan (as George Sullivan); he is played by James Cardwell as a young man. Otherwise, the ten actors are treated as a unit, which certainly seems appropriate. Producer Sam Jaffe presents it as Americana –blissful family interaction with mishaps; notably, Mr. Mitchell's father has some management problems when it comes to disciplining his children. Director Lloyd Bacon guides the story well; the bracketing scenes involving Mitchell on his train, looking for his sons on a water tower, are beautifully done.******* The Sullivans (2/3/44) Lloyd Bacon ~ Edward Ryan, Thomas Mitchell, Anne Baxter, Selena Royle

No true stories touched America during World War II as that of The Sullivans. The five Irish Catholic brothers who grew up in Ames, Iowa and had the all American boyhood that is idealized who all died in the same ship at the battle for Guadalcanal. It was inevitable that a film be made of their lives as soon as it was feasible to do so.By that I mean that with war time restrictions on battle news the whole Solomon Islands struggle had to be well in the past before the Armed Forces would give out with any details. Although it's not spelled out in the film it was two months before the parents of The Sullivans were given details of what happened to all five of their sons. And it was two years before the film was made.The story of The Sullivans and the film made from it had special significance of course to Irish Catholics. It was sixteen years before that the first Catholic candidate ran for president on a major party. At that time Alfred E. Smith's loyalty was questioned, the whole notion that a Catholic would have first allegiance to a foreign church headquartered in Rome came into play in that campaign. The story of The Sullivans had a special significance for the time that we in this new century can't possibly appreciate.20th Century Fox opted to give five fairly unknown actors the roles of The Sullivans as adults. To have cast folks as Tyrone Power or Don Ameche as one or two of the brothers would probably have detracted from the story. Sad to say the five players, Edmond Ryan, John Campbell, James Cardwell, John Alvin, and George Offerman, Jr. stayed obscure even after the film was released.The parents were played by Thomas Mitchell and Selena Royle with Anne Baxter as their sister who joined the WAVES after her brothers were killed. Not mentioned, but in real life she was married and lost a husband at Pearl Harbor. Ward Bond plays the Navy recruiter who signed up the five Sullivan boys and who also brings the most awful news that any parent could possibly hear.The Sullivans still holds up well today as a fine piece of film making and a tribute to America's fighting spirit. Which we hope will never waver.

The USS Sullivans is now anchored in a Naval Park in Buffalo, NY. This destroyer was named in honor of the Sullivan Brothers who all lost their life during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. After Pearl Harbor they all enlisted in the Navy with the condition of not being separated. While serving on the USS Juno they perished together. Shipmates reported that three of the brothers, when out of harms way, returned to the burning ship for their brothers when it went under. When news of this tragic loss was learned, the government instituted the rule that stands today, no brothers will serve in the same combat theatre. This was due to the Sullivans.I saw this movie one night with my mother on late night TV in 1981. Let me tell you, the very memory of the ending of this movie brings me to tears. A mixture of pride and sorrow. Do not hesitate, purchase, and watch this film.