Go For Broke

Movie / Show Details

A bigoted Texan, Lieutenant Michael Grayson (Van Johnson), is assigned to command the U.S. 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Learning that the regiment is composed entirely of Japanese-American volunteers, he immediately requests a transfer. Suspicious and distrustful of his troops, the Lieutenant finds it hard to believe that “Japs” are fit to be American soldiers.
Denied his transfer, the unhappy commander and his regiment ship out to the raging battlefields of Europe. “Go For Broke” is the motto of the 442nd and the troops’ daring and bravery under fire prove it to be well-deserved. Lt. Grayson’s prejudices gradually turn to respect and admiration as his heroic subordinates acquit themselves with valor and a clear determination to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Taking on heavy casualties in carrying out its missions, the 442nd was one of the U.S. Army’s most decorated infantry regiments during WWII. Many of the actual veterans of the celebrated fighting unit play themselves in Go For Broke. Appearing in more than 100 films during his long career, Van Johnson became one of America’s top war film heroes during the 1940s and 1950s. In addition to Go For Broke, popular WWII-inspired movies include The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Command Decision (1948), Battleground (1949), and the Oscar-nominated film, The Caine Mutiny (1954), one of his most memorable starring roles.