Imitation General

Last updated
Imitation General
Imitation General FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by George Marshall
Written by William Bowers
Based onImitation General
1956 short story
by William Chamberlain
Produced by William B. Hawks
Starring Glenn Ford
Red Buttons
Taina Elg
Cinematography George J. Folsey
Edited by Harold F. Kress
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • August 20, 1958 (1958-08-20)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$944,000 [1]
Box office$3,165,000 [1]

Imitation General is a 1958 American black-and-white comedy war film in CinemaScope, directed by George Marshall, produced by William B. Hawks, and starring Glenn Ford, Red Buttons, and Taina Elg. The film, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is based on a short story of the same name by William Chamberlain.

Contents

Plot

In the aftermath of a big battle during World War II, Americans Brigadier General Charles Lane, Master Sergeant Murphy "Murph" Savage, and Corporal Chan Derby are cut off behind enemy lines. The general takes over a farmhouse belonging to annoyed Frenchwoman Simone. Lane determines that there is a gap in the American lines and decides to organize a defense from whatever stragglers he can gather together. Shortly afterwards, however, he is killed saving Murph's life.

The first American soldier to show up, Corporal Terry Sellers, mistakes Murph for Lane, as Murph is holding the general's helmet. This gives Murph an idea. Recalling Lane's assessment that leadership is desperately needed to rally the disorganized troops, Murph masquerades as the general, with Derby and Simone's reluctant help. Murph manages to repulse a couple of attacks spearheaded by German tanks, all the while avoiding Private Orville Hutchmeyer, who knows Murph and holds a grudge against him.

At the end of the engagement, Murph is knocked out by shrapnel, allowing him to "die" and resume his real identity.

Cast

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,915,000 in the US and Canada [2] and $1,250,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,095,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Murphy</span> American actor and comedian (born 1961)

Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has also worked as a stand-up comedian and is ranked No. 10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. Murphy has received a Grammy Award and an Emmy Award and was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.

The year 1979 in film involved many significant events.

The year 1958 in film in the US involved some significant events, including the hit musicals South Pacific and Gigi, the latter of which won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Ford</span> Canadian actor (1916–2006)

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, who had a career that lasted more than 50 years. Although he played in many genres of movies, some of his most significant roles were in the film noirs Gilda (1946) and The Big Heat (1953), and the high school angst film Blackboard Jungle (1955). However, it was for comedies or westerns that he received acting laurels, including three Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy movie, winning for Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He also played a supporting role as Superman's mild mannered alter-ego Clark Kent's adoptive farmer father, Jonathan Kent, in the first film of the franchise series Superman (1978).

<i>The Horse Soldiers</i> 1959 American film by John Ford

The Horse Soldiers is a 1959 American adventure war western film set during the American Civil War directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers. The screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin was loosely based on Harold Sinclair's 1956 novel of the same name, a fictionalized version of Grierson's Raid in Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Moore (actress)</span> American actress

Terry Moore is an American film and television actress who began her career as a child actor. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Come Back, Little Sheba (1952).

<i>The Perfect Storm</i> (film) 2000 dramatic disaster film by Wolfgang Petersen

The Perfect Storm is a 2000 American biographical disaster drama film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and based on the 1997 creative non-fiction book of the same name by Sebastian Junger. The film was adapted by William D. Wittliff, with an uncredited rewrite by Bo Goldman, and tells the story of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel that was lost at sea with all hands after being caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991. The film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, Karen Allen, Bob Gunton, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and John C. Reilly.

<i>Revenge of the Pink Panther</i> 1978 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards

Revenge of the Pink Panther is a 1978 comedy film. It is the sixth film in The Pink Panther comedy film series. Released in 1978, it is the final on-set performance of Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It was also the last installment in the series that was distributed solely by United Artists; the company was absorbed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer three years after the film's release.

<i>The 39 Steps</i> (1959 film) 1959 British thriller

The 39 Steps is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg. Produced by Betty Box, it is a remake of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.

<i>Bataan</i> (film) 1943 American film directed by Tay Garnett

Bataan is a 1943 American black-and-white World War II film drama from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Irving Starr, directed by Tay Garnett, that stars Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Desi Arnaz and Robert Walker. It follows the fates of a group of men charged with destroying a bridge during the doomed defense of the Bataan Peninsula by American forces in the Philippines against the invading Japanese.

<i>The Sheepman</i> 1958 film

The Sheepman is a 1958 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, and Leslie Nielsen.

<i>Les Girls</i> 1957 film directed by George Cukor

Les Girls is a 1957 American CinemaScope musical comedy film directed by George Cukor and produced by Sol C. Siegel, with Saul Chaplin as associate producer. The screenplay by John Patrick was based on a story by Vera Caspary. The music and lyrics were by Cole Porter.

The 15th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film for 1957 films, were held on February 22, 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taina Elg</span> Finnish-American actress and dancer

Taina Elisabeth Elg is a Finnish-American actress and dancer. She has appeared on stage, television, and in film.

<i>Advance to the Rear</i> 1964 film

Advance to the Rear is a light-hearted 1964 American Western comedy film set in the American Civil War. Directed by George Marshall, and starring Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens, and Melvyn Douglas. The film is based on the 1957 novel Company of Cowards by Jack Schaefer, whose inspiration was an article by William Chamberlain, published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1956. Chamberlain recounts the apocryphal Civil War stories of "Company Q", a unit composed of coward soldiers who are given a second chance to prove their bravery. The film had the novel title in pre-production and when released in the United Kingdom. However, the novel had none of the comedic elements of the film which retained only the basic idea of a unit formed out of men who had been court-martialed for cowardice and sent out west as well as some character names. The story may have been the inspiration for the later ABC-TV sitcom F-Troop (1965-1967)..

<i>Torpedo Run</i> 1958 film by Joseph Pevney

Torpedo Run is a 1958 American war film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. The film's working title was Hell Below. It was filmed in CinemaScope and Metrocolor.

Murph may refer to:

<i>No Time for Sergeants</i> (film) 1958 film by Mervyn LeRoy

No Time for Sergeants is a 1958 American comedy film based on a play by Ira Levin inspired by the original novel. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Andy Griffith and featuring Myron McCormick, Don Knotts and most of the original Broadway cast, joined by Warner Bros. contract player Nick Adams and Murray Hamilton.

<i>The Americano</i> (1955 film) 1955 film by William Castle

The Americano is a 1955 American Western film directed by William Castle and starring Glenn Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cason (actor)</span> American actor (1918–1961)

John Lacy Cason, also credited as Bob Cason and John L. Cason, was an American actor active in both films and television. During his 20-year career he appeared in over 200 films and television shows. He is best known for his work on the television program The Adventures of Kit Carson, where he appeared in several roles from 1951 to 1953.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross