Factual error: The uniforms worn by the engineering force are from the wrong era. Prior to 1941 the left arm rates had the head of the eagle pointing to the wearer's rear. Steve McQueen and the rest of the Engineering force rate eagle head is pointing forward, which is from WW2.
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
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.
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.
Trivia: Steve McQueen received his only Oscar nomination for his performance as Jake Holman in this film.
Trivia: In the novel, in the fight at the boom, many American sailors are injured, but Harris is the only one killed. Then, in the final confrontation at China Light, Jameson and Holman are the only ones killed; even the captain escapes, despite having been wounded at the boom. In addition, there is a third American missionary at China Light, a young man who escapes and (by implication) ends up with Shirley.
Po-han: Dead stim.
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.
Captain Collins: Do you know what this is? Desertion in the face of the enemy.
Jake Holman: I don't got no more enemies. Shove off, Captain.
Question: Why was the movie called "The Sand Pebbles?
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.
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