{{Short description|1959 film by William Witney}} {{About|the 1959 film|the general topic|paratrooper|military units|List of paratrooper forces}} {{Use American English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox film | name = Paratroop Command | image =Paratroop Command (film poster).jpg | caption =Film poster | director = William Witney | producer = Samuel Z. Arkoff<br />James H. Nicholson<br />Stanley Shpetner | writer = Stanley Shpetner | starring = Richard Bakalyan<br />Ken Lynch | music = Ronald Stein | cinematography = Gilbert Warrenton | editing = Robert S. Eisen | distributor = Santa Rosa Productions<br>American International Pictures | country = United States | released = {{Film date|1959|02| |U.S.}} | runtime = 71 min. | language = English | budget = }} '''''Paratroop Command''''' is a 1959 American war film directed by William Witney, starring Richard Bakalyan, Ken Lynch and Jack Hogan. American International Pictures originally released the film as a double feature with ''Submarine Seahawk''.
==Plot== Charlie is a paratrooper that is mistaken for a coward by fellow soldier Ace because he lies still in an attempt to ambush a group of German soldiers. He then suffers the scorn of his unit because he accidentally kills his friend Cowboy, who was wearing a German uniform in an attempt to infiltrate enemy lines, and was apparently holding a gun on the rest of the squad. Ace, Cowboy's best friend, threatens him, and in subsequent action in Sicily, tries to kill him twice, but fails both times. In the subsequent landing in Salerno, Ace curses Charlie with his dying breath. Charlie is hanging from a tree in his parachute and carrying a vital generator, with both the Lieutenant and Sergeant wounded, and the rest of the squad dead, on the wrong side of a road that is mined. Following the Lieutenant's instructions, he clears the mines with hand grenades, but a dud grenade leaves him stranded and short of his destination. Sacrificing his life, he runs the final distance and explodes the remaining mine. The film is set in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.
==Cast== As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):<ref name= "credits">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053308/fullcredits The Story on Page One credits]</ref> {| class="wikitable" width="60%" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ! Actor !! Role |- | Richard Bakalyan || Charlie |- | Ken Lynch || Lieutenant |- | Jack Hogan || "Ace" Mason |- | Jimmy Murphy || Sergeant |- | Jeff Morris || "Pigpen" (credited as Jeffrey Morris) |- | James Beck || "Cowboy" (credited as Jim Beck) |- | Carolyn Hughes || Gina |- | Patricia Huston || Amy, a WAC |- | Paul Busch || German Captain |- | Sydney Lassick || Interpreter (credited as Sid Lassick) |- | Brad Trumbull (credits as Trumball) || C-47 Pilot |}
A full cast and production crew list is too lengthy to include, see: IMDb profile.<ref name= "credits"/>
==Reception== Quentin Tarantino, an admirer of Witney's work, considers this film to be among his four best.<ref>{{cite news |title=Whoa, Trigger! Auteur Alert! |first=Rick |last=Lyman |date=September 15, 2000 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/15/movies/whoa-trigger-auteur-alert.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm}}</ref> Tarantino called it "the best of American-International’s WW2 potboilers. But I think it’s even better than that. It contains a realism that sets it apart from most other WW2 movies done in that same era. So much so that it makes a lot of good and similar movies from that same time, Robert Aldrich’s ''Attack'' and Don Siegel’s ''Hell is for Heroes'', look theatrical and stagey by comparison."<ref>{{cite web|website=The New Beverly Cinema|first=Quentin|last=Tarantino|title=I Escaped from Devil's Island|date=6 April 2020|url=https://thenewbev.com/tarantinos-reviews/i-escaped-from-devils-island/?fbclid=IwAR0yx6FYh_-ZmdfrQaysB_1Umh84GidHEIAGgX2w39u03g95JZ-4DSB92WY|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819045813/https://thenewbev.com/tarantinos-reviews/i-escaped-from-devils-island/?fbclid=IwAR0yx6FYh_-ZmdfrQaysB_1Umh84GidHEIAGgX2w39u03g95JZ-4DSB92WY|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title|0053156}} * {{TCMDb title|id= 86230}} {{William Witney}}
Category:1959 films Category:1959 war films Category:American World War II films Category:American International Pictures films Category:Films directed by William Witney Category:Films scored by Ronald Stein Category:1959 English-language films Category:1959 American films Category:English-language war films Category:American black-and-white films
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