Armored Command

Armored Command is a 1961 American war drama film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Howard Keel and Tina Louise. It was filmed in Hohenfels, Bavaria, but takes place in the Vosges Mountains during the Eastern France campaign of World War II.^[1]

Armored Command
Original film poster
Directed by	Byron Haskin
Written by	R.W. Alcorn
Produced by	Ron W. Alcorn
Starring	Howard Keel
Cinematography	Ernest Haller
Production company	Allied Artists
Distributed by	Warner Bros-Pathe
Release date	July 9, 1961 (1961-07-09)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

"It was the one picture that Howard Keel didn't sing on", reminisced Burt Reynolds later. "That was a terrible mistake."^[2]

Plot

The Germans use a female spy to infiltrate an American position to get information on the movement of troops at the height of the Ardennes offensive, the start of the Battle of the Bulge.

Cast

• Howard Keel as Colonel Devlin
• Tina Louise as Alexandra Bastegar
• Warner Anderson as Lieutenant Colonel Wilson
• Earl Holliman as Mike
• Carleton Young as Captain Bart Macklin
• Burt Reynolds as "Skee"
• James Dobson as Arab
• Marty Ingels as "Pinhead"
• Clem Harvey as "Tex"
• Maurice Marsac as Jean Robert
• Lieutenant Colonel Thomas A. Ryan as Major
• Peter Capell as Little General
• Charles Nolte as Captain Swan
• Brandon Maggart

Production

Ron Alcorn produced and directed the film and raised finance via Allied Artists.^[3] Filming started 21 November 1960.^[4][5]

Lt. Col. Thomas A. Ryan, who appeared in the film as the Major, also acted as the film's technical advisor.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called the film "fairly good but it could have been better. A kind of poor man's Battleground."^[6] The New York Times called it an "improbable little melodrama".^[7]

Lawsuit

Major General Daniel H. Hudelson (retired), who commanded the 40th California National Guard in Korea and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, sued Allied Artists and Ronald Alcorn for $350,000 alleging unauthorized use of his story ideas. He claimed in 1955 he sent a tape recording of his experiences in the Vosges Mountains in France to a film company, and said they used his ideas in the film. He claimed the film had earned profits of $1.5 million.^[8][9]