Saying this film is "propaganda" is not an insult. No, it was deliberately crafted to encourage Americans that we can and will win the war if we stand firm. And what better image of this than the ever-vigilant John Wayne--the embodiment of the Hollywood image of heroism.

This film reminds me a lot of The Flying Tigers, though the plot isn't so melodramatic. It's about a crew of civilian engineers sent overseas to do construction for our troops (such as building runways and other projects). BUT, the evil Japanese in the movie take advantage of the fact that these are unarmed civilians and butcher them at every opportunity. So, what is The Duke and his trusted pals to do? Take up arms and use their own equipment when necessary to beat the stuffing out of the Japs! Yes, guys with bulldozers and clubs NEVER could have inflicted the casualties you witness in the movie, but man if it isn't entertaining to watch--particularly the explosive ending.

It's quite understandable that wartime this ultra nationalism propaganda make sense,war is war including this unreliable movie even more with John Wayne leading the process,works to Americans who needed to be convincing your people to die for the country....typical movie that didn't add to much in nothing...only to Americans whose are blind about the war!!

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First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 6

To me, this wartime morale booster succeeds admirably in its main goals, emphasizing the importance of specialized construction crews in war efforts, and their need to be able to defend themselves against enemy fire. I can't think of another film that acknowledges the importance of specialized military construction and repair crews. Without them, in modern warfare, it would be like having singers with no song writers.

The name Seabees was created by one Frank Iafrate, who was asked to draw a cartoon-like insignia for the newly anointed construction battalions. He decided to characterize them as busy bees, which don't bother others unless they are bothered themselves, in which case they retaliate with a painful sting. Serendipitously, Seabees can also be thought of as standing for CBs: Construction Battalions.

One reviewer commented that the typical age of Seabees was 40s and 50s, not the 20s and 30s of most members shown. According to Wikipedia, initially, when recruits were volunteers, the mean age was 37. Later, when new recruits were all drafted, the mean age dropped considerably.

Reviewers often lament the characterization of Japanese soldiers and airmen as 'bug-eyed monkeys' with fiendish grins, implying they were racially inferior to Caucasians. Remember that Americans were still hopping mad about Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, and that anti- Japanese and anti-Chinese sentiments of most Caucasian Americans was a long established tradition. If I remember, Japanese combatants weren't much better portrayed in other war films of this era..

Twice, John Wayne, as commander of the Seabees on this island, disobeys orders not to allow his men to defend themselves against snipers and Japanese mass attacks. This emphasizes the greater danger that Seabees often suffered than regular combatants in war zones, and thus their need to be trained to use firearms and to have firearms available when deemed necessary. Thus, in a pinch, Seabees might function as sort of a ground force for the Navy.

In the first instance of disobedience, Wayne should have contacted Commander Yarrow(Dennis O'Keefe) before he armed his men and sent them looking for Japanese. He would have found out that the naval forces under Yarrow had set up a cross-fire ambush. But Wayne's men were moving right into the line of fire, and too many were killed by Japs.

Probably, the 2 most important structures the Seabees built on this island were a pair of petrol tanks and the air strip. The workers were shown laying down sections of Marston Mats, made of perforated steel sheets, often used to make short term airfields quickly.

Susan Hayward's character, serving as the love interest for both Wayne and Yarrow, was essentially decorative, she being quite a cutie. Perhaps she should have been cast as a Navy nurse rather than a war correspondent. Then, perhaps she wouldn't have largely disappeared in the second half of the film, until the ending.

"The Song of the Seabees",quite memorable, was sung during the opening and closing credits, and I believe once during the film. "Where Do You Work a, John" was also a pleasant ditty for a group sing.

The construction sets, such as housing, the oil tanks and airfield, were often filmed and used in the finished film. It was filmed at the Iverson Movie Ranch, where many a movie was largely filmed. It is said to have had the biggest budget in the history of Republic Films.

You can see it at YouTube