Sergeants 3: The Rat Pack & Gunga Din

This 1962 western is really a remake of 1939's "Gunga Din," made by RKO Pictures, but this movie changes the setting from late 1800's India to the American West of the 1870s. I saw this picture three times at a movie theater when it was released in 1962: with my dad and with my older brother. The third time was with my mother, my grandmother and 2 of my great aunts, all of whom were taken with Frank Sinatra in those times. As in "Gunga Din," "Sergeants 3" is a drama with numerous bits of comedy injected. The main cast of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop were part of what had come to be known as, "the Rat Pack." The group often performed on stage together in Las Vegas and elsewhere, as well as being featured in some films together. 

The basic plot involves a group of Indians rallying to a call by a religious leader to unite to defeat U.S. army personnel and settlers in the region. The movie opens with a raid by a group of Indians on a small town. The town's telegraph office is able to send a message to the army stationed in a fort some miles away, prompting the fort's commander to decide to send three sergeants and a small troop of men to the town to investigate what has happened. The three sergeants are close friends and we first meet them at a fight in a saloon (see "Word History," below). Sergeant Mike is played by American actor and entertainer Frank Sinatra, Sergeant Chip is played by American actor and entertainer Dean Martin and Sergeant Larry is played by English born actor Peter Lawford.* Larry is planning to leave the army when his soon to expire enlistment runs out. He'll then marry Amelia, played by Canadian born actress Ruta Lee.** Mike and Chip plan to keep the trio together by finding some way to get Larry to sign a new enlistment form. At the saloon we also meet Jonah, a former slave who is a trumpet playing entertainer at the saloon, who wants to be in the army. Jonah is played by American actor and entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. The sergeants are all rounded up at the saloon by Sergeant Boswell, played by American actor and entertainer Joey Bishop.

The three sergeants lead a troop of men to the town that was attacked, only to come under attack by Indians themselves. The Indians are called to attack by one of their religious leaders, played by American actor Henry Silva. Later, we learn that this Indian leader is the son of the main leader and medicine man, Watanka. The troops hold off the attack and return to the fort, only to be ordered back to the town, but without Larry, whose enlistment is nearly over. The commander orders Sergeant Boswell to replace Larry, a thought Mike and Chip find repulsive, as Boswell is a proper soldier, all spit and polish. So Mike and Chip proceed to get Boswell drunk, and thus, sick. Larry is ordered back with his pals until his enlistment runs out. Later Chip and Jonah slip off to try to discover just where the Indians are located. They find a large cave where the Indians hold religious ceremonies. While there, the Indians show up, led by Watanka, played by Australian actor Michael Pate, and Chip is captured, even though he comically tells the Indians that he is arresting them in the name of the President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant.*** Hahahaha! Meanwhile, a disguise and the diversion of Chip's capture help Jonah to escape and he returns to the town to alert Mike and Larry about Chip's plight. Mike is under strict orders from the unit's commander, Colonel Collingwood, played by American actor Dick Simmons,**** not to get involved in any other mission except to garrison the town. Mike tells Larry he can't go on any rescue mission, because he's now a civilian, but that he can go along to help Chip if he signs another enlistment form, which he does, and Mike puts the signed form into his pocket. Mike, Larry and Jonah set out to free Chip. The three men arrive at the cave and find Chip tied up. Watanka, his son and many other Indians emerge and take the three wannabe rescuers prisoner. Watanka tries to make Mike tell him where the colonel is with the main body of soldiers. Mike grabs the knife of one of his captors and holds it to the throat of Watanka's son, bringing Watanka and his men to go down the mountain, leaving his son as a captive of the soldiers. (Note: One of the Indians in the group is Eddie Little Sky, a true Oglala Lakota, who was born on a reservation in South Dakota. He appeared in many films and television shows over the years.)

Watanka has assembled a large force to attack Colonel Collingwood's column of troops. Two of Watanka's scouts gallop up and tell him the Colonel and his men are approaching. Mike gets Watanka's son and tells the medicine man to disburse his men, or he will kill his son. The son tells his father to go ahead with the attack and he jumps off the cliff and plunges to his death. Without the medicine man's son as hostage, the sergeants and Jonah are now in peril. Some Indians ascend the mountain path and take the men prisoner again, but Jonah is severely wounded and left for dead and Chip is knocked unconscious. Watanka has Mike and Larry brought over to watch as the Colonel and his men are attacked. Jonah looks over and sees his trumpet. He takes the trumpet and goes into the cave, where there is a small opening in the upper part of the cave. Jonah struggles and climbs to the opening and then outside. He stands and blows the trumpet, alerting the Colonel and the column. He is then hit with an arrow.

The Indians attack, but the element of surprise is now gone. A large battle takes place, with much hand to hand fighting, but the soldiers are able to deploy artillery they have and the Indians turn in retreat, only to finally surrender. Up on the mountain, Chip has regained consciousness, and he comes at Watanka from behind and knocks him off the cliff, as Larry knocks one of the other captors off of the cliff. Larry now schemes to get his reenlistment paper from Mike's shirt pocket by pretending to be seriously hurt. When Mike kneels down to help him, Larry reaches into Mike's shirt and gets the reenlistment form.

The scene shifts back to the fort where Colonel Collingwood reads a special citation to honor the three sergeants and private citizen Jonah, who has been granted a place in the army with the rank of private. Jonah is shown with bandages on his wounds, but in his new uniform. Larry and Amelia get ready to leave, and Chip takes Larry's reenlistment paper from Larry's possession and tears it up, making Larry think everything is clear for him to leave. BUT... Chip had concealed a blank piece of paper in his hand, and that was what he had destroyed. When Larry and Amelia drive off in a buggy, Chip hands the real form to Mike, who then orders Sergeant Boswell to, "Arrest that man.... he's a deserter."    


* Though Peter Lawford was born in England, he spent much of his adult life in the United States, where he became a citizen. He became well known in the U.S. when he married the sister of then Senator John F. Kennedy, who would later be elected president of the United States.

** Ruta Lee was born in Canada, but her family moved to the United States, where she later became a citizen. Her parents were immigrants to Canada from Lithuania.

*** Grant was president from March of 1869 until March of 1877. Until the Constitution was changed by the 20th Amendment in 1933, presidents and vice presidents assumed office on March 4 following a presidential election of the previous November. The amendment moved the assumption of office to January 20.

**** Those who can remember the 1950s may not remember Simmons' name, but you will likely recall the television show, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon." Well it was Dick Simmons, also known by his proper name, Richard Simmons, who played Sergeant Preston. The show also "starred" the Sergeant's faithful dog, "Yukon King." Simmons is not to be confused with exercise promoter and entertainer, Richard Simmons, who later became popular on television, more so in the 1980s and thereafter. 


 Photo is of the 2008 MGM DVD ...

WORD HISTORY: 
Salon (Saloon)-"Salon" goes back to Indo European "sel," which had the notion of, "settlement, living area." This gave Old Germanic "salaz," with the meaning, "living area, living quarters." This gave Lombardic (also known as: Langobardic) "sala," meaning, "abode, large room." This was borrowed by Latin (or the developing northern Italian dialects?) as "sala," meaning, "large room/hall." This then became Italian "salone," with the same meaning and this was borrowed by French as "salon," with the meaning, "room for receiving guests." English borrowed the word from French circa 1700 with the meaning, "large room, often in a palace or in the residence of well to do people, used for entertaining guests." The meaning expanded to include dining and entertainment rooms on ships, especially in first class sections. Later still, the term was often used for the dining car on trains. "Saloon" was initially simply a variation in the spelling of "salon," but by the mid 1800s it had come to be used as a term for a public tavern/bar in American English, where its meaning has remained ever since. NOTE: The Old Germanic form was passed to its offspring in various forms, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sele" (house, large hall, often used for dining and entertainment). German still has "Saal" (large hall for dining and entertainment, and also a large room for displays of art or other collections), East Frisian "soal" (large hall), Swedish "sal" (ward). Low German had "sel'/"sal," but seems to have borrowed "Saal" from standard German in more modern times.