Armored Command (1961)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writer:

R.W. Alcorn (written by)

Release Date:

9 July 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

An American army unit is trapped in a small town during a German counterattack and discovers that a spy in the town is providing the Germans with information about them.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Nazi | WWII | Beautiful Woman | Independent Film

Cast

Howard Keel	...	Col. Devlin
Tina Louise	...	Alexandra Bastegar
Warner Anderson	...	Lt. Col. Wilson
Earl Holliman	...	Mike
Carleton Young	...	Capt. Bart Macklin
Burt Reynolds	...	Skee
James Dobson	...	Arab
Marty Ingels	...	Pinhead
Clem Harvey	...	Tex
Maurice Marsac	...	Jean Robert
Thomas A. Ryan	...	Major
Peter Capell	...	Little General
Charles Nolte	...	Capt. Swain
Brandon Maggart		(as Branden Maggert)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #19854) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Alcorn Productions

Tepid war movie

Armored Command is set in the Western European theatre of operations shortly after D-Day ,and it opens promisingly with a scene showing a jeep bearing two German officers and a young woman approaching across a snow shrouded landscape.The woman climbs down from the jeep and walks a short distance with the senior officer,who lights a cigarette for her and then shoots her as she stands against the skyline.She is discovered alive by a passing American patrol and cared for by them in a local inn they have commandeered. She is a spy sent by Germany to infiltrate the American army and feed news back to the Abwehr.One plot strand revolves around her attempts to do so and also tackles the impact her presence has on the patrol ,especially when the sergeant becomes infatuated with her and a private (played in slimy and impactful style by a pre- stardom Burt Reynolds giving the best performance in the movie)entertains altogether less exalted designs upon her person.

The other main plot strand deals with the efforts of an American officer to persuade his high command that German forces still constitute a danger in the area. He is proven correct and the climactic battle scene is the best thing in an otherwise flat and bland picture which never matches its striking opening .Poor performances by Howard Keel as the cigar chomping Colonel and Tina Louise as the spy drag proceedings down and the movie never really sustains the interest beyond its neat opening. Stick with "Attack" the brilliant Robert Aldrich movie on the same campaign -that is a work of consummate genius where this is just studio double bill material