Imitation General (1958)

Sergeant Murphy Savage impersonates a dead general in order to inspire the demoralized troops in fighting their way out of Nazi encirclement.

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

William Bowers (screen play by), William Chamberlain (story)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Red Buttons, Taina Elg

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glenn Ford	...	MSgt. Murphy Savage
Red Buttons	...	Cpl. Chan Derby
Taina Elg	...	Simone
Dean Jones	...	Cpl. Terry Sellers
Kent Smith	...	Brig. Gen. Charles Lane
Tige Andrews	...	Pvt. Orville Hutchmeyer
John Wilder	...	Lt. Jeff Clayton
Ralph Votrian	...	American Pfc.

Storyline

Master Sgt. "Murph" Savage impersonates a fallen general in the hope of inspiring his fellow soldiers to bravely fight their way out of a Nazi ensnarement. He might succeed if he can avoid the one soldier who knows his true identity.

---

Plot Keywords:

world war two | morale | military | based on short story | impersonation | 

---

Taglines:

The hilarious story of a Sergeant who 'promoted" himself to General!

---

Genres:

Comedy | War

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

NBC originally scheduled this film for broadcast on November 23, 1963. However it was canceled due to coverage of the death of President John F. Kennedy, and it wasn't broadcast until January 11, 1964.

---

Goofs

After Cpl. Derby speaks gibberish of Lt. Clayton, a mortar shell is shown in a low, slow trajectory before exploding. A mortar shell would not be visible before exploding, and by the trajectory and speed, it would appear it had been thrown by hand by a crew member.

---

Connections

Referenced in L'imitation du cinéma (1960)

User Reviews

Because I can't give Glenn Ford one star

What a terrible excuse for a movie. No plot or dramatic tension No reason why it had to be a general. For the few extras they bothered to use he could have been a captain. Cute looking Frenchwoman played by a Finnish actress and she fusses around screaming more than speaking.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

29 August 1958 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Imitation General

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$944,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound) 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1