Imitation General
Imitation General is a 1958 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.
| Imitation General | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | George Marshall |
| Produced by | William B. Hawks |
| Written by | William Bowers |
| Based on | Imitation General 1956 short story by William Chamberlain |
| Starring | Glenn Ford Red Buttons Taina Elg |
| Cinematography | George J. Folsey |
| Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $944,000[1] |
| Box office | $3,165,000[1] |
Plot
In the aftermath of a big battle during World War II, US Brigadier General Charles Lane (Kent Smith), Master Sergeant Murphy "Murph" Savage (Glenn Ford), and Corporal Chan Derby (Red Buttons) find themselves cut off behind enemy lines. The general takes over a farmhouse belonging to annoyed Frenchwoman Simone (Taina Elg). Lane determines that there is a gap in the German 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 (Dean Jones), mistakes Murph for Lane (Murph is holding the general's helmet), giving him 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 (Tige Andrews), 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
- Glenn Ford as MSgt. Murphy Savage
- Red Buttons as Cpl. Chan Derby
- Taina Elg as Simone
- Dean Jones as Cpl. Terry Sellers
- Kent Smith as Brig. Gen. Charles Lane
- Tige Andrews as Pvt. Orville Hutchmeyer
- John Wilder as Lt. Jeff Clayton
- Ralph Votrian as American Pfc.
Box office
According to MGM records, the film earned $1,915,000 in the US and Canada and $1,250,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,095,000.[1]
References
- The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
External links
- Imitation General at IMDb
- Imitation General at the TCM Movie Database
- Imitation General at AllMovie
- Imitation General at the American Film Institute Catalog