EntityQ7093936· pop 7· linked from 122 articles

Onionhead

Onionhead is a 1958 American comedy drama film set on a U.S. Coast Guard ship during World War II, starring Andy Griffith and featuring Felicia Farr, Walter Matthau, Erin O'Brien, James Gregory, Joey Bishop and Claude Akins. It is directed by Norman Taurog and is written by Nelson Gidding and Weldon Hill from Hill's novel. Weldon Hill is the pseudonym of William R. Scott, a native Oklahoman who based the novel on his own World War II service in the Coast Guard.

Film · TMDB

5.5

An irresponsible student enlists in the Coast Guard expecting to sit out World War II.

Released: 1958-10-25111 minDir: Norman TaurogDrama, Comedy

Cast

Andy Griffith as Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead
Felicia Farr as Stella Papparonis
Walter Matthau as 'Red' Wildoe
Erin O'Brien as Josephine 'Jo' Hill
Joe Mantell as Harry 'Doc' O'Neal
Ray Danton as Ensign Dennis Higgins

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Key dates

Published: 1 January 1958

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: film
Genre: comedy drama
Country of origin: United States
Original language: English language
Main subject: World War II
Director: Norman Taurog
Screenwriter: Nelson Gidding
Cast member: Roscoe Karns
Composer: David Buttolph
Cinematographer: Harold Rosson

Article

6 sections

Contents

Plot
Cast
Production
See also
References
External links

Griffith had experienced success earlier in 1958 with his service comedy No Time for Sergeants, and Onionhead was an attempt to cash in on that success. It was mistakenly marketed as an uproarious comedy, but it is actually a comedy-drama with some dark themes, including theft and adultery. Onionhead was such a notorious flop that it drove Griffith into television, according to Griffith in a videotaped interview in the Archive of American Television.