The Steel Lady

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
The Steel Lady
The Steel Lady.jpg
Directed by Ewald André Dupont
Screenplay by Richard Schayer
Story by Aubrey Wisberg
Produced by Grant Whytock
Starring Rod Cameron
Tab Hunter
Cinematography Floyd Crosby
Edited by Grant Whytock
Music by Arthur Lange
Emil Newman
Production
companies
Edward Small Productions
World Films
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • October 9, 1953 (1953-10-09)(United States)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Steel Lady (also known as Treasure of Kalifa) is a 1953 American action film directed by Ewald André Dupont starring Rod Cameron and Tab Hunter. [1] In the film, four Americans are stranded in the deserts of North Africa. They discover a buried German tank dating to World War II, and they attempt to cross the desert with it. But they are attacked by Bedouins, who want to retrieve stolen jewels from the tank.

Contents

Plot

Four American oil company employees crash-land in the desert of North Africa. They have limited food and water, no radio, no way to repair the plane, and with no hope of rescue, face a slow death. Then one of the crew spots the antenna of a German tank from World War II sprouting from the sands. Digging down, they discover the "Steel Lady" of the title, complete with mummified crew, lost in the dunes ten years before, out of water, fuel, and supplies, rather like themselves.

After burying the German crew, they attempt to repair their radio with parts from the tank's radio; only marginally successful, they manage to tell the outside world that they are alive, but the transmitting tube burns out just as they are about to relate their latitude.

They come up with a wild idea: If they can dig out and clean up the tank, they can use the gasoline left in the plane to drive out of the desert. They need to sacrifice some of their precious water for the tank's radiator, but they eventually get it running and choose to drive to a French Foreign Legion outpost over a hundred miles away. Along the way, Barlowone of the foursomediscovers a hidden storage bay in the floor of the tank which contains a cache of jewels. He does not tell the others, but replaces it for retrieval at the end of their trip.

Before reaching the Foreign Legion outpost, the Americans come across a Bedouin oasis. The Bedouin leaders recognize the tank; it is the very one whose German occupants had stolen valuable jewels during the war. They pretend to be gracious hosts, but plot a way to gain possession of the tank in order to recover the treasure: They offer the group horses and a cargo camel, along with ample food and water, in exchange for the tank, explaining that the animals will be better suited for the journey and that the animals will bring money once the group is rescued. The four men agree to the exchange.

Before leaving the oasis, Barlow returns to the tank to retrieve the jewels for himself, telling his colleagues that he is jamming the tank's machine gun so that the French will not think that they left such a weapon for the Bedouins. However, he drops a loose jewel onto the floor of the tank. During the night, the Bedouin leaders search the tank and find the loose jewel, thus telling them that the Americans know about the treasure. They go to their visitors and demand the jewels. Monahan, the leader, denies any knowledge since he does not know about Barlow's greedy find. The Bedouins demand to search their visitors, but Barlow begins to fight and the Americans flee to the tank and drive away. Larsen is wounded but he gets aboard the tank.

The Americans, now desperately low on water, come across a wounded native in the desert; he claims to have been hurt when his camel fell upon him. He tells of a well only 10 km (6.2 mi) away and directs them to it. But he is one of the Bedouins, who has merely faked an injury, and now leads the tank into a trap: When he and the three healthy Americans leave the tank, his comrades move toward the tank to secure it. But Larsen, wounded but still aboard the tank, fights them off with the machine gun. Monahan and the others hear the gunfire and return to the tank. Barlow is wounded by gunfire and Monahan carries him back to the tank. As they drive off, their radiator is punctured and water leaks out; they cannot escape. It now becomes a stand-off with the Americans holed up in the tank, fighting off periodic attacks from the Bedouins in the surrounding hills.

Larsen comes up with an idea to cannibalize the tank's radio-receiving tubes to craft a transmitting tube. They manage to get the radio to transmit and send out a mayday, though they are out of range from all receiving stations except for a possible search plane which might still be looking for them. The call is heard and a company plane lands amid gunfire from the Bedouins to rescue the Americans. While Larsen and Evans run to the plane, Monahan tries to pull Barlow out of the tank. However, Barlowrealizing that he is too wounded to make itpushes Monahan off and locks himself in the tank. He then uses the machine gun to cover for Monahan running to the plane. Barlow presumably dies in the tank as the Bedouins rush onto the vehicle to capture it. The other threewho retain the jewelsare flown to safety. During the flight they recall how Barlow, though greedy and a drunkard, ended up as a worthy fighter who helped save the others.

Cast

Production

Filming started in December 1952. [2]

Release

The film was released on a double bill with Captain John Smith and Pocahontas . [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Range Desert Group</span> Reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army

The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marooning</span> Intentional act of abandoning a sailor

Marooning is the intentional act of abandoning someone in an uninhabited area, such as a desert island, or more generally to be marooned is to be in a place from which one cannot escape. The word is attested in 1699, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning a household animal who has "run wild". Cimarrón in turn may be derived from the Taino word símaran (“wild”), from símara (“arrow”).

USS <i>Waller</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Waller (DD/DDE-466), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Major General Littleton Waller, USMC (1856–1926).

USS <i>Mullany</i> (DD-528) Fletcher-class destroyer

Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made structures. Masts are often named after the broadcasting organizations that originally built them or currently use them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mast radiator</span> Type of radio frequency antenna

A mast radiator is a radio mast or tower in which the metal structure itself is energized and functions as an antenna. This design, first used widely in the 1930s, is commonly used for transmitting antennas operating at low frequencies, in the LF and MF bands, in particular those used for AM radio broadcasting stations. The conductive steel mast is electrically connected to the transmitter. Its base is usually mounted on a nonconductive support to insulate it from the ground. A mast radiator is a form of monopole antenna.

<i>Into the Blue</i> (2005 film) 2005 American action-thriller film by John Stockwell

Into the Blue is a 2005 American action-thriller film starring Paul Walker and Jessica Alba with Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, Josh Brolin, and James Frain in supporting roles. The film was directed by John Stockwell and was co-distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Columbia Pictures.

USS <i>OBrien</i> (DD-725) Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer

USS O'Brien (DD-725), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named after Captain Jeremiah O'Brien and his five brothers, Gideon, John, William, Dennis and Joseph, who captured HMS Margaretta on 12 June 1775 during the American Revolution.

"The Probe" was the final episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first broadcast on 16 January 1965, during the second season.

<i>March or Die</i> (film) 1977 film

March or Die is a 1977 British war drama film directed by Dick Richards and starring Gene Hackman, Terence Hill, Catherine Deneuve, Max von Sydow and Sir Ian Holm.

<i>The Sea Wolf</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Michael Curtiz

The Sea Wolf is a 1941 American adventure drama film adaptation of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, and Alexander Knox making his debut in an American film. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz.

SS Antoine Saugrain was a Liberty ship of the United States that served in World War II. The ship was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation Yard No. 2 in Richmond, California under Maritime Commission Contract 1728. Laid down on 26 July 1943, the ship was launched on 15 August, and delivered on 28 August to Agwilines Inc. She was named after Antoine Saugrain, a French physician and chemist who immigrated to America at the end of the 18th century and led various pioneering works, including on vaccination against smallpox.

<i>Dragnet</i> (1947 film) 1947 film directed by Leslie Goodwins

Dragnet is a 1947 American crime film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Henry Wilcoxon, Mary Brian, Douglass Dumbrille, Virginia Dale, Don C. Harvey, and Ralph Dunn. The screenplay was written by Barbara Worth and Harry Essex. The original music score was composed by Irving Gertz.

<i>Bugs Bunnys 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales</i> 1982 animated feature film

Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales is a 1982 animated anthology comedy film produced and directed (uncredited) by Friz Freleng with a compilation of Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences with Bugs Bunny as the story host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action off Cape Bougaroun</span>

The action off Cape Bougaroun, or the Attack on Convoy KMF-25A was a Luftwaffe action against an Allied naval convoy off the coast of Algeria during World War II. The convoy of American, British, Greek and Dutch ships was attacked on 6 November 1943 by 25 German land-based aircraft. Six Allied vessels were sunk or damaged and six German aircraft were destroyed. German forces achieved a tactical victory, though the Allied warships involved received credit for defending their convoy and reacting to their losses quickly. The quick response led to the rescue of over 6,000 servicemen and civilians without further loss of life.

The Battle of Al Kut was an armed confrontation between elements of the United States military and Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

<i>Joy Ride 3: Roadkill</i> 2014 American film

Joy Ride 3: Roadkill is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Declan O'Brien and stars Ken Kirzinger, Jesse Hutch, Kirsten Prout, Ben Hollingsworth and Dean Armstrong. It is a sequel to Joy Ride (2001) and Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008) and the third and final installment of the Joy Ride series.

<i>The Battle at Lake Changjin II</i> 2022 Chinese film

The Battle at Lake Changjin II, also known as Water Gate Bridge, is a 2022 Chinese war film co-directed and co-produced by Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam, written by Lan Xiaolong and Huang Jianxin, and starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee. It was commissioned by the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party as part of its 100th anniversary. The film is the sequel to The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021). It is a fictionalized retelling of the fighting at Funchilin Pass during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir against American forces in the Korean War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda XRV650</span> Type of motorcycle

The XRV650 Africa Twin is an enduro motorcycle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Honda from 1988 to 1989. The enduro is derived from the design of the Honda XL600V Transalp and is powered by the V-twin cylinder engine of the Honda NT650 Hawk.

References

  1. The Steel Lady at the TCM Movie Database
  2. Schallert, Edwin (Nov 18, 1952). "Perilous Voyage' Will Star Ralston and Brady; Cameron Desert Battler". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  3. "Adventure Keynotes Two-Feature Program". Los Angeles Times. Nov 18, 1953. p. A9.