The Tanks Are Coming is a 1951 war film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Steve Cochran and Philip Carey. The story is set during World War II in 1944 France. The film chronicles the U.S. 3rd Armored Division's advance across northern France and its attempt to pierce the Siegfried Line.[1][2]
| The Tanks Are Coming | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Lewis Seiler |
| Written by | Samuel Fuller (story) Robert Hardy Andrews |
| Produced by | Bryan Foy |
| Starring | Steve Cochran Philip Carey Mari Aldon |
| Cinematography | Edwin B. DuPar Warren Lynch |
| Edited by | James Moore |
| Music by | William Lava |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Not to be confused with the 20-minute educational film of the same name from 1941.[3]
Plot
editNormandy, 1944, post-D-Day. A tank commander, Sgt. Joe Davis, is very popular with his men. So much so, that when he is killed during a brief skirmish with the enemy, his crew fall into despondency. That is, until Davis's replacement, Sgt. Sullivan, shows up. To the men, his arrival is like a splash of ice water. "Sully" rouses their anger by ordering the immediate discard of Davis's personal effects. He replaces their popular tank driver with a known drunkard. Sully doesn't stop there. He challenges the loyalty of a German-American crew member named "Heinie." He bullies another man, Kolowicz, into fisticuffs.
In short, Sully transforms a crew of emotional zombies, bemoaning their probable fate, into an over-achieving squad of efficient killers. All of this, despite their hatred of Sully. But in the following months, as they fight their way to the Siegfried Line, both Sullivan and his men begin to share a mutual respect.
Cast
edit- Steve Cochran as Francis Aloysius 'Sully' Sullivan
- Philip Carey as Lt. Rawson
- Mari Aldon as Patricia Kane
- Paul Picerni as Danny Kolowicz
- Harry Bellaver as Lemchek
- James Dobson as George 'Ike' Eisenhower
- George O'Hanlon as Sgt. Tucker
- John McGuire as Col. Matthews
- Robert Boon as Heinrich 'Heinie' Weinburger
- Michael Steele as Sgt. Joe Davis
- Roy Roberts as the Commanding General (uncredited)
References
edit- ^ "The Tanks Are Coming". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ "The Tanks Are Coming - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ Eason, B. Reeves (4 October 1941). "The Tanks Are Coming". Warner Bros., U.S. Army. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
External links
edit- The Tanks Are Coming at IMDb
- The Tanks Are Coming at AllMovie
- The Tanks Are Coming at the TCM Movie Database
- The Tanks Are Coming at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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