Sergeant York is one of the most thrilling war movies of all time, thanks in large part to the consultation of the тιтular hero the unbelievable true story was based off of. War movies that not only take place during World War I, but were actually released during World War II offer a fascinating insight into the bravery and heroics of their subjects. Of all the war movies based on a true story, few are truer to life than Sergeant York, who worked in close conjunction with the real Sergeant Alvin C. York.

Sergeant York is an autobiographical film that tells the story of the тιтular soldier, who became a legend in the armed forces of World War I when his battalion was pinned down by heavy German machine gun fire and artillery. Leading a counter-attack, York won the Medal of Honor by killing so many Germans with only a pistol that a mᴀssive force of soldiers surrendered to him, only to be marched back by York, who famously stated that he “Only” captured 132 Germans rather than the entire army. However, this isn’t the only story that Sergeant York concerns itself with.

Sergeant York spends the majority of its runtime in the United States detailing Alvin’s early life in rural Appalachia, examining his status as a walking contradiction prone to drunkenness and barfights, despite being a religious pacifist. While York initially tries to escape the draft as a conscientious objector for his religious views, he eventually relents to the inevitability of war. This arc reflects the changing American cultural values at the time, as the United States went from isolationist observers to active participants in World War II, the populace needing to be convinced of the war’s necessity, just like York himself.

Alvin C. York Had 3 Demands For A Sergeant York Movie

Staying True To His Beliefs, Even In the Face Of Celebrity Status

For a long time, York was approached with the idea of making a film from his story, staunchly refusing many attempts to sweet-talk him into signing over the rights to his life. He eventually relented on several key conditions. First, York insisted that his share of the profits go towards building an interdenominational Bible school back in his home state of Tennessee, staying true to his famed religious convictions even in the lucrative business of filmmaking. Secondly, York required that whoever played his wife, Gracie, wouldn’t be a cigarette smoker, as York disapproved of the practice even in the 40s.

York’s final condition of the Sergeant York film is the most famous, but also the most historically contentious. Allegedly, York insisted that Hollywood star Gary Cooper, known for his Westerns, would play his slightly fictionalized self. However, there is some debate as to whether York himself actually had a stake in who his own actor would be, or if the film’s producer, Jesse L. Lasky, simply signed off on the casting choice using a telegram bearing York’s signature.

Alvin C. York Was Right, Gary Cooper Was The Perfect Choice To Play Sergeant York

And The Academy Seemed To Agree

Whether or not York himself actually personally requested Gary Cooper for the role, it’s impossible to deny he was the perfect choice. Cooper was able to expertly embody what made York so appealing as a public figure, that being his salt-of-the-earth mountaineer spirit and rural Appalachian charm that so many Americans saw themselves in on the world stage of the Great War. Gary Cooper even won the coveted Best Actor Academy Award for the 1942 season, taking home one of the film’s two Oscar wins that year amid a litany of nominations.

Sergeant York is perhaps one of the best World War I movies ever made, largely due to its cultural proximity to World War II. A stirring piece of propoganda that supposedly caused young viewers to walk straight out of the theater and into the enlistment office, the film was the highest-grossing picture of 1941 for its relentless patriotism and fascinating acceptance of the grim necessity of war. It’s amazing just how much Sergeant York himself influenced his own movie.