Other mistake: About 1 1/2 hours into the movie, Ensign Bordelles, in the courtyard of the American facility in Changsha, prepares his shore party to march back to San Pablo with the Chinese military escort on either side. The Ensign lines up his men and orders, "Detail, forward March." The Chinese soldiers, unlikely to understand a word of English, also move off in lock step with the Americans.
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
1 other mistake
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Steve McQueen, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
Character mistake: Following McQueen's viewing of Naval Shipmate Attenborough's corpse, he then fails to recover the decedents dogtag; a United States Military Protocol.
Frenchy Burgoyne: If they obey orders then the Navy takes care of them. It's a way of life that appeals to a certain kind of man.
Trivia: Steve McQueen received his only Oscar nomination for his performance as Jake Holman in this film.
Question: Why was the movie called "The Sand Pebbles?
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Chosen answer: It's a pun on the name of the boat which features in the film: the fictional U. S. Navy ship USS San Pablo. The sailors on the San Pablo call themselves the sand pebbles.
Sierra1 ★