{{Short description|1958 film by Edward L. Cahn}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Suicide Battalion | image = Suibnpos.jpg | caption = Original [[film poster]] by [[Albert Kallis]] | director = [[Edward L. Cahn]] | producer = Lou Rusoff<br>'''executive'''<br>[[Samuel Z. Arkoff]]<br>[[James H. Nicholson]] | writer = [[Lou Rusoff]] | based_on = story by Rusoff | starring = [[Mike Connors]]<br />[[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]]<br />[[Russ Bender]]<br />[[Bing Russell]]<br />[[Walter Maslow]]<br />[[Robert Tetrick]] | music = [[Ronald Stein]] | cinematography = [[Floyd Crosby]] | editing = Robert S. Eisen | studio = Zuma Productions<ref name=AIF>[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=52755 AIF Database: ''Suicide Battalion''] Linked 2014-06-24</ref> | distributor = [[American International Pictures|AIP]] {{small|(US)}}<br>[[Anglo-Amalgamated]] (UK) | released = {{Film date|1958|02|28|US<ref name=AIF/>}} | runtime = 79 minutes | budget = $100,000 est.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/TrashCompactor0205Starbrite/Trash_Compactor_0205_%28Starbrite%29#page/n25/mode/1up/search/%22john+ashley%22|title=The John Ashley Filmography|magazine=Trash Compactor|edition=Volume 2 No. 5|page=26|year=1990|first=John|last=Lamont}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English }} '''''Suicide Battalion''''' is a 1958 World War II film directed by [[Edward L. Cahn]] and starring [[Mike Connors]], [[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]] (who made the film while on leave from the [[United States Army]]), [[Russ Bender]], [[Bing Russell]], [[Walter Maslow]] and [[Robert Tetrick]]. In 1968, it was remade for television by [[Larry Buchanan]] as ''[[Hell Raiders]]'', which was the film's original [[working title]].<ref name=AIF/><ref>{{Cite news|title=Drama: Betta St. John Beguiles Tarzan; Hayden Bedded; Actor Set for Five Years|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|date=Nov 28, 1955|work=Los Angeles Times|page=A11}}</ref>
[[American International Pictures]] originally released it as a [[double feature]] with ''[[Jet Attack]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=SUICIDE BATTALION|date=1958|work=Monthly Film Bulletin|volume=25|page=78|id={{ProQuest|1305819789}}}}</ref>
==Plot== The story takes place during World War II in the [[Philippines]]. A group of American soldiers are recruited for a dangerous mission to destroy an enemy base and keep strategic documents out of the reach of the invading [[Imperial Japanese Army]].
==Cast== {{div col|colwidth=25em}} * [[Mike Connors]] as Major Matt McCormack * [[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]] as Pvt. Tommy Novello * Jewell Lain as Elizabeth Ann Mason * [[Russ Bender]] as Sgt. Harry Donovan * [[Bing Russell]] as Lt. Chet Hall * Scott Peters as Pvt. Wally Zagorsky * [[Walter Maslow]] as Pvt. Marty Green * John McNamara as Colonel Craig * Clifford Kawada as Colonel Hiosho * [[Robert Tetrick]] as Pvt Bill * [[Marjorie Stapp]] as Beverly * [[Jan Englund]] as Annette * [[Isabel Cooley]] as Julie * [[Hilo Hattie]] as Mama Lily * [[Sammee Tong]] as Papa Lily * [[Art Gilmore]] as Captain Hendry * [[Jackie Joseph]] as Cho-Cho {{div col end}}
==Production== The film was an original story by Lou Rusoff reportedly based on the capture of [[William F. Dean|General William Dean]] during the [[Korean War]]. It was announced for production in November 1955 as ''Hell Raiders''. It was to star [[Lance Fuller]] who had made ''[[Apache Woman (1955 film)|Apache Woman]]'' for producer Alex Gordon and had signed a ten-film deal with AIP (or ARC as it was then known), to make two films a year for five years. Filming was to begin January 1956.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Scheuer, P. K.|title=Drama|date=Nov 28, 1955|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|166867337}}}}</ref>
Filming was pushed back and Fuller did not make the movie. In April 1956 AIP announced that [[Richard Denning]] would star and that [[Edward L. Cahn]] would direct.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Schallert, E.|title=Drama|date=Apr 11, 1956|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|166927373}}}}</ref> Denning ended up not appearing in the film either, which was not made until late 1957.
Filming began on 12 November 1957.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Schallert, E.|title=Unique shaw play slated.|date=Nov 6, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167138746}}}}</ref> Star John Ashley was doing a six-month stint in the army at the time. The producers got him an early release to make the movie.<ref>{{cite news|title=George Pal to Delve Into Space Again; Akim Tamiroff Aids 'Colonel'|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Oct 23, 1957|page=B11}}</ref> Ashley later had a noted association with filmmaking in the Philippines.<ref name="vagg">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/|magazine=Diabolique Magazine|title=A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley|date=December 2019}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Reception== ''Variety'' called it "well produced".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Suicide Battalion|date=26 March 1958|url=https://archive.org/details/variety210-1958-03/page/n268/mode/1up?|page=14}}</ref>
"A very poor man's half-Naked half-dead," wrote the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. "The good basic idea is hopelessly messed up with tritisms."<ref>{{cite news|author=Stinson, C.|date=Mar 20, 1958|title=War films lacking realism|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167237389}}}}</ref> Jackie Joseph called it "this B minus war movie."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMBYAIrVGNgC&q=%22suicide+battalion%22+1958&pg=PA350|page=190|title=Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks: Conversations with 24 Actors, Writers, Producers and Directors from the Golden Age|first=Tom|last= Weaver|publisher=McFarland|date=2004|isbn=9780786420704}}</ref>
==See also== * [[List of American films of 1958]]
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links== * {{AFI film|52755|Suicide Battalion}} * {{IMDb title|0052257}} *{{TCMDb title|91841}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20171228174121/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7746cdaa ''Suicide Battalion''] at BFI *[https://letterboxd.com/film/suicide-battalion/ ''Suicide Battalion''] at Letterbox DVD *[https://archive.org/stream/harrisonsreports40harr#page/67/mode/1up/search/%22john+ashley%22 Review of film] at Harrison Reports *[https://archive.org/details/variety210-1958–03/page/n268?q=%22john+ashley%22+%22dot+records%22 Review of film] at Variety {{Edward L. Cahn}}
[[Category:Films directed by Edward L. Cahn]] [[Category:American war films]] [[Category:1958 English-language films]] [[Category:1958 films]] [[Category:American black-and-white films]] [[Category:American International Pictures films]] [[Category:Pacific War films]] [[Category:Films set in the Philippines]] [[Category:Films scored by Ronald Stein]] [[Category:1958 American films]] [[Category:1958 war films]]