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Battle Taxi

  • 19551955
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
190
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Battle Taxi (1955)
DramaWar

Capt. Russ Edwards commands a helicopter rescue unit that fly wounded soldiers out of battle areas and rescue pilots who have to ditch their aircraft. He has a problem with one of his men, f... Read allCapt. Russ Edwards commands a helicopter rescue unit that fly wounded soldiers out of battle areas and rescue pilots who have to ditch their aircraft. He has a problem with one of his men, former fighter pilot Lt. Pete Stacey, who takes unnecessary risks with his helicopter. Stac... Read allCapt. Russ Edwards commands a helicopter rescue unit that fly wounded soldiers out of battle areas and rescue pilots who have to ditch their aircraft. He has a problem with one of his men, former fighter pilot Lt. Pete Stacey, who takes unnecessary risks with his helicopter. Stacey is frustrated at having to fly helicopters pilots instead of jets and wants out. Helico... Read all

IMDb RATING
5.4/10
190
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Herbert L. Strock
  • Writers
    • Art Arthur(story)
    • Malvin Wald(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sterling Hayden
    • Arthur Franz
    • Marshall Thompson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Herbert L. Strock
  • Writers
    • Art Arthur(story)
    • Malvin Wald(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sterling Hayden
    • Arthur Franz
    • Marshall Thompson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

    Battle Taxi (1955)
    Battle Taxi (1955)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Sterling Hayden
    Sterling Hayden
    • Capt. Russ Edwardsas Capt. Russ Edwards
    Arthur Franz
    Arthur Franz
    • Lt. Pete Stacyas Lt. Pete Stacy
    Marshall Thompson
    Marshall Thompson
    • 2nd Lt. Tim Vernonas 2nd Lt. Tim Vernon
    Leo Needham
    • SSgt. 'Slats' Kleinas SSgt. 'Slats' Klein
    Jay Barney
    • Lt. Col. Stonehamas Lt. Col. Stoneham
    John Dennis
    John Dennis
    • MSgt. Joe Murdockas MSgt. Joe Murdock
    Michael Colgan
    • Medic Capt. Larsenas Medic Capt. Larsen
    Andy Andrews
    • Lazy Joker Twoas Lazy Joker Two
    Dale Hutchinson
    • Blue Boy Three-Geneas Blue Boy Three-Gene
    John Goddard
    John Goddard
    • Wounded GIas Wounded GI
    • (uncredited)
    Joel Marston
    Joel Marston
    • Lt. Marty Stapleas Lt. Marty Staple
    • (uncredited)
    Vincent H. McGovern
    • Co-Pilot Harryas Co-Pilot Harry
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Sherman
    • Lt. Joe Kirkas Lt. Joe Kirk
    • (uncredited)
    Vance Skarstedt
    • Lt. 'Smiley' Jacksonas Lt. 'Smiley' Jackson
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Herbert L. Strock
    • Writers
      • Art Arthur(story)
      • Malvin Wald(screenplay) (story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    Capt. Russ Edwards commands a helicopter rescue unit that fly wounded soldiers out of battle areas and rescue pilots who have to ditch their aircraft. He has a problem with one of his men, former fighter pilot Lt. Pete Stacey, who takes unnecessary risks with his helicopter. Stacey is frustrated at having to fly helicopters pilots instead of jets and wants out. Helicopter pilots are in short supply however meaning he has no chance of being transferred. Under pressure from his squadron commander to reduce the number of helicopters out of commission for repairs, Edwards does his best to get Stacey on side. He eventually comes around. —garykmcd
    psychotronic filmhelicopterair rescuekorean warkorea
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • They Drop Out of Heaven...To Pull 'Em Out of Hell!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • War
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This film was showing on the screen as photographer O. Winston Link snapped his iconic photo of a Norfolk and Western freight train passing an Iarger, West Virginia drive-in theater, titled "NW1103 Hot Shot Eastbound". According Smithsonian Magazine: "The explosion of light washed out what was on the movie screen at the moment; he had to print the image of the plane from a negative he'd made separately of that night's showing."
    • Goofs
      Stock footage of the pilots from the right side of the chopper as they fly it was reused in nearly every flying scene, and was stock footage of the choppers in flight. It is especially telling when you notice that the closeup of the pilots always shows a window with a unique bullet hole it in, and even when that particular chopper is supposedly shot down and lost that chopper and window with a bullet hole shows up again.

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    3/10
    Amazingly dull.
    Sterling Hayden, a very good and underrated actor, plays a grouchy captain whose one and only goal is to keep his rescue helicopters flying. However, he has a hot-shot new pilot (Arthur Franz) who has ideas of taking wild risks and it puts him in the hot seat with Hayden. Through the course of the movie, time and again, Hayden's slow and steady mentality turns out to be the right one and Franz learns to be more of a team player.

    Throughout way too much of the movie, the film makers uses TONS of stock footage--too much. It's as if half the film is stock footage. Fortuantely, while a lot of the footage is irrelevant, at least it's high quality and of the correct sorts of planes and equipment. But as a result, the whole thing comes off as cheap and a bit dull. Frankly, I wanted to see more of Hayden's grumpy but entertaining performance---though at times the dialog he and the rest of the cast were given was pretty bad.

    I am a huge airplane buff, so I enjoyed seeing the A-26s, B-29s and F-86 but not much more piqued my interest. While there weren't that many Korean War films, you could easily do better with better low budget films like Samuel Fuller's "Steel Helmet" or "Fixed Bayonets". All in all, a boring film due to crap production values.
    helpful•4
    3
    • MartinHafer
    • Nov 28, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1955 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Operation Air Rescue
    • Filming locations
      • Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Ivan Tors Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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