The Long Gray Line

About The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line is a 1955 drama film directed by John Ford. Inspired by the true life story of Marty Maher, Tyrone Power stars as the scrappy Irish immigrant whose 50-year career at West Point saw him transformed from dishwasher to non-commissioned officer and athletic instructor . Maureen O'Hara, one of Ford's favorite leading ladies, plays Marty's wife and fellow immigrant, Mary O'Donnell. The film costars Ward Bond as the athletic director who first befriends Maher, and Harry Carey, Jr. makes a short appearance as a young Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The phrase "The Long Gray Line" is used to describe, as a continuum, all graduates and cadets of the USMA at West Point, New York.