Gunga Din (1939)

Gunga Din is a 1939 adventure film directed by George Stevens (Shane, Giant) starring Victor McLaglen, Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The film is partially based on Rudyard Kipling's 1892 poem of the same name. In the film, Kipling is actually a minor character who writes the poem based on the exploits of Indian water-bearer Gunga Din, played by a 47-year old Sam Jaffe.

Although based on a British poem and starring (mostly) British actors, the film was produced by RKO and shot entirely in California, with the Alabama Hills doubling as the Khyber Pass. Although the film was the second highest grossing film in 1939, second only to what is now the highest-grossing film of all time, Gone with the Wind, the film actually lost money due to production costs. A remake, Sergeants 3, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford was released in 1962, moving the setting to the American West. The film was a major influence on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which also used Thuggee cultists as villains. (Both films are also criticized by native Indians for their portrayal of Indian culture.)

The following weapons were used in the film Gunga Din:

Handguns

Colt New Service

Sergeants MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), Cutter (Cary Grant) and Ballentine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) carry Colt New Service revolvers as their sidearms. Since the film is set in the 1880s, they are an anachronism.

Model 1909 Colt Army Revolver - .45 LC

Sgt. Cutter opens fire on the Thuggees.

Sgt. MacChesney opens fire with his Colt.

Sgt. Ballentine shoots open a box of dynamite. (There are probably safer ways to open boxes of explosives than shooting it.)

Sgt. MacChesney with sidearm drawn. Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) is next to him.

Rifles/Carbines

Krag-Jørgensen

British/Colonial troops are armed with Krag-Jørgensen rifles and carbines. Some Thuggee cultists are also armed with Krag-Jørgensens. Since the film was shot in California, Krag-Jørgensen were probably more plentiful than Martini-Henrys, which would've been corrected for the time period. The rifles are likely Model 1892s or 1896s, while the carbines are likely Model 1899 Constabulary Carbines.

Model 1892/1896 Rifle

US Property Marked Krag-Jørgensen Model 1896 Rifle - .30-40 Krag

A Krag-Jørgensen next to a sleeping Lt. Markham (Roland Varno).

A Colonial soldier with his rifle.

Colonial soldiers use their rifles to form steps, allowing each other to climb atop a building.

A Colonial soldier works the bolt on his rifle. (The Colonial troops are shirtless because they were working on erecting telegraph lines and were caught by surprise.)