A Message to Garcia (film)

A Message to Garcia
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Marshall
Screenplay byW.P. Lipscomb
and Gene Fowler
Sam Hellman (uncredited)
Gladys Lehman (uncredited)
Based onSuggested by Elbert Hubbard's immortal essay
and the book by
Lieut. Andrew S. Rowan
Produced byRaymond Griffith
(associate producer)
StarringWallace Beery
Barbara Stanwyck
John Boles
Alan Hale
Mona Barrie
Herbert Mundin
CinematographyRudolph Maté, A.S.C.
Edited byHerbert Levy
Music byLouis Silvers
(musical direction)
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • April 10, 1936 (1936-04-10)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish

A Message to Garcia is a 1936 American adventure spy film directed by George Marshall and starring Wallace Beery, Barbara Stanwyck and John Boles. The film is inspired by the 1899 essay "A Message to Garcia" by Elbert Hubbard, loosely based on an incident during the ramp up to the Spanish–American War.[1] The essay had previously been made into a 1916 silent film, also called A Message to Garcia. In the story, U.S. Army Lieutenant Rowan, under cover, carries a secret message from President McKinley to General García, the leader of a rebellion against Spanish rule on the island of Cuba.[2]

  1. ^ Andrew S. Rowan, "My Ride Across Cuba," McClure's 11, No. 4 (1898).
  2. ^ Nugent, Frank S. (April 10, 1936). "Gene Fowler and W. P. Lipscomb Rewrite History in 'A Message to Garcia,' at the Center". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2019.