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Carbine Williams: Directed by Richard Thorpe. With James Stewart, Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey, Carl Benton Reid. David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.
- (2.1K)
- Biography, Crime, Drama
- Richard Thorpe
- 1952-05
But more than just a portrayal of a convicted killer, Carbine Williams was the inspiring true story of Williams' efforts to invent the M1 rifle, a successor to the Winchester rifle and the weapon that revolutionized modern warfare.
- Richard Thorpe, Al Jennings
- James Stewart
- The Misspent Youth of David Marshall Williams
- Two Lives Change Forever
- Birth of A Gunsmith
- Williams and His Talents Unchained
- Hollywood Fame For Carbine Williams
Williams was one of a whopping 12 children born to James Claude Williams, a wealthy and highly influential landowner in Cumberland County, North Carolina. His early life is pure Americana: Expelled from school in eighth grade, he apprenticed underneath a blacksmith. Finding this life lacking in adventure, he lied about his age and enlisted in the U...
Finding that work-a-day life didn't much suit him, Williams turned to the booming and lucrative trade of moonshining. July 22, 1921 would change Williams' life forever. On this day, Williams' still was raided by local authorities under the command of the Cumberland County Sheriff. Like many moonshiners simply seeking to earn an honest living during...
The prison's superintendent quickly took note of the young Williams mechanical aptitude, putting him to work not breaking rocks, but in the machine shop. It was here that Williams demonstrated his toolmaking skills, fashioning what the prison needed, but did not have and could not afford to buy. Next, he began servicing the weapons used by the pris...
A massive campaign for clemency was launched by Williams' family. They quickly gained the support of the sheriff Williams surrendered to, as well as the widow of the man he murdered. The campaign was successful. In 1927, North Carolina Governor Angus McLean commuted Williams' sentence to 10 to 20 years. On September 29, 1929, Williams walked free. ...
After the war, Williams continued to work for Winchester, but Hollywood had also taken an interest. Carbine Williamswas released in 1952, starring James Stewart in the title role. Now Williams would transition into the final phase of his life as a celebrity. Upon the film's release, he began touring the nation, making appearances and signing autogr...
David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.
David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.
David Marshall Williams (November 13, 1900 – January 8, 1975) was an American firearms designer and convicted murderer who invented the floating chamber and the short-stroke gas piston. Both designs used the high-pressure gas generated in or near the breech of the firearm to operate the action of semi-automatic firearms like the M1 Carbine .
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James Stewart stars as David Marshall Williams, a convict who builds the M1 Carbine rifle while serving time for the murder of a deputy. The actual gunsmith work is given scant screentime. The film employs artistic license with the historical record and abruptly comes to its conclusion.
