PARATROOP COMMAND (director: William Witney; screenwriter: Stanley Shpetner; cinematographer: Gilbert Warrenton; editor: Robert S. Eisen; cast: Richard Bakalyan (Charlie), Jim Beck (Cowboy), Jack Hogan (Ace), Ken Lynch (Lieutenant), Jimmy Murphy (Sergeant), Jeff Morris (Pigpen), 1959)
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A routine AIP action-packed WW11 drama of heroism. It stars Richard Bakalyan as Charlie, a screw up who joined the paratroopers to prove to himself that he can finish what he started, even if he has to die doing it.
The action begins in 1942 with the invasion of North Africa. There is a machine-gun nest in the hills to take out for the rough combat paratrooper company led by the Lieutenant (Ken Lynch).
Ace (Hogan) and Cowboy (Beck) who were friends from their hometown, come up with a plan to distract the Nazis, as Cowboy volunteers to don a dead Nazi's uniform and the men in his company fire at him as he returns their fire, until he gets within range of the Nazi firepower, and then he turns on them and kills them. After this worked, Charlie who fell behind the other men, not realizing that it was Cowboy in the Nazi uniform playfully pointing a rifle at the Americans, who had their hands raised. He fired killing the Cowboy. The men never forgave him for that accident, saying he killed Cowboy because he froze in action back at the start of the operation and Cowboy was the one who reported it.
The only one who treats him in a professional manner is the Lieutenant, as the other men refuse to have anything to do with him, and Ace threatens to kill him. The next battle takes place with the invasion of Sicily, as Charlie can't wait to prove himself in battle but doesn't get a chance to, as the men successfully hold a barn and repel a contingent of Nazis who want to kill the Italian family that lives there, refusing to have him participate in the operation. When things get so bad there and the men treat Charlie as if were a pariah and it is suggested he transfer out, he tells the Lieutenant that he won't transfer out, that he will find a way to redeem himself.
The third invasion for this rugged outfit, comes at the beach of Salerno. The men jump into the middle of heavy Nazi armor movements. They need the radio to get this information back to headquarters or else they will all be killed, but they can't work it without the generator. Charlie is carrying the generator on the drop, but he gets tangled in a tree. For the men to free him, they will have to clear-out some heavy machine gun fire around him. Meanwhile the Lieutenant gets hit and can't move, as he calls for the generator from across the open road. The price was heavy to rescue Charlie, as the only one left from his company is the Sergeant (Murphy). Charlie now has to go across the road to reach the Lieutenant, but the road is right in the Nazis view. Somehow Charlie finds a way to get the generator there, giving up his life in doing it.
If you like a no-nonsense war story of all action, no big-name stars, and one that validates courage...you got it in this solid low-budget actioner.
REVIEWED ON 5/27/2000 GRADE: C
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
ozus@sover.net
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