Tank Battalion

"Terrible in War. Tender in Love. Battleground Heroes Busting Thru!" was the tagline of Tank Battalion (1958), the Korean War film made by Iron Foxhole, Inc. (which appears to have been formed just for this film) and Viscount Films (actress Terry Moore's production company); it was released through American International Pictures in the summer of 1958. Also known by the alternate title Korean Attack, it starred Don Kelly, Leslie Parrish, Edward G. Robinson, Jr., and a pre-Batman Frank Gorshin.

Tank Battalion was based on a story by George Waters, who also wrote the screenplay and served as one of the producers. Director Sherman A. Rose (best known for directing westerns on film and television) also did double-duty as editor The plot revolves around four men whose tank breaks down behind enemy lines. Tension mounts as they wait for the necessary part to fix the tank and get them to safety.

Tank Battalion was a simple "B" picture put out by AIP and it shows. As Randy Palmer wrote, "Fibbing was becoming more and more prevalent in the late 1950s, especially in 1958 and 1959, as the standard kind of "B" picture AIP specialized in began to dwindle in popularity. Low-budget productions were becoming even lower-budget. A movie called Tank Battalion was made with only one tank."

Producer: Richard Bernstein
Director: Sherman A. Rose
Screenplay: Richard Bernstein, George Waters
Cinematography: Frederick Gately
Art Direction: Rudi Feld
Music: Richard LaSalle
Film Editing: Sherman A. Rose
Cast: Don Kelly (Sgt. Brad Dunne), Leslie Parrish (Lt. Alice Brent), Edward G. Robinson, Jr. (Cpl. Corbett), Frank Gorshin (Pfc. 'Skids' Madigan), Regina Gleason (Lt. Norma 'Red' O'Brien), Barbara Luna (Nikko).
BW-80m.

by Lorraine Lobianco

SOURCES:
Edwards, Paul M. A Guide to Films on the Korean War
Palmer, Randy Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker
The All-Movie Guide
The Internet Movie Database VIEW TCMDb ENTRY