Parlayed his experiences as the most decorated American soldier of WWII into a less glorious film career, beginning in 1948. The majority of Murphy's roles were as wholesome youths, on the battlefield or out on the range, in low-budget productions. He starred in John Huston's adaptation of Stephen Crane's Civil War novel, "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951), and in the film version of his autobiography, "To Hell and Back" (1955).