Imitation General (1958)

Just what I expected

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Masterpiece!

Photographed in black-and-white CinemaScope. Copyright 1958 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. New York opening at Loew's State: 20 August 1958. U.K. release: 14 September 1958. Australian release: 23 October 1958. Sydney opening at the St James. 88 minutes.NOTES: This picture certainly had a considerable cult following from 1959 through 1962. It often figures on undergraduate lists of best movies for these years and was a frequent starter at university film society screenings.COMMENT: Metro here vitiates a very entertaining idea by its own indecision as to whether to go right out for droll laughs, or whether to go for battle-action heroics. The result is a disappointing compromise in which laughs get us too relaxed for many thrills, and "thrills" get us too screwed up for many laughs. Metro has gone all out publicizing the story about a sergeant who, to keep up morale among a few straggling American troops surrounded by Germans, puts on a dead general's uniform and begins masterminding more-or-less comically original counter-blows against the enemy.Glenn Ford, continuing in the dry, quiet comedy vein that suited him so wonderfully well in his previous two films, has less agreeable material to work with on this occasion, but he invests most of it with his customary pleasantly bumbling fun. His efforts to dodge one pretty nasty G.I. who would know his true identity, and to play-act a plausible top-brass manner for the benefit of officers who think he ranks above them, are developed amusingly — but by no means to their full potential.Unfortunately, Ford's comedy is inhibited from time to time by the script's demand that he make grave speeches about the great qualities of the dead general whom he supplants. Apparently the M-G- M brass feels that American sergeants could not possibly be more brilliant in generalship than generals generally are. Alas, it is by humorously pushing this squaring-off argument too far that the movie on several occasions fails to move and goes flat and soggy.Fortunately, Red Buttons shines brightly as a whimsical corporal "in the know", but the lovely Taina Elg seems somewhat colorless as the French girl whose shattered cottage is used as the general's headquarters.

Released at the tail end of the Korean war and based on a novel by William Chamberlain, "The Imitation General" is an early war comedy starring Glenn Ford as Sgt Murphy Savage, a US grunt torn straight out of the pages of early, pulpy war comics. Savage, a maverick with a machine gun, is forced to take drastic action when Brigadier General Charles Lane (Kent Smith) is killed in action. To assure the success of the General's mission, and to sustain morale within the ranks, Sgt. Savage poses as the deceased Lane. Much hilarity ensues.The film is brisk, funny and well directed, but is mostly interesting for the way it (unintentionally) captures how apt personality cults are at whipping up euphoria and funnelling violence.7.9/10 – Worth one viewing.

Glenn Ford and Red Buttons take a mighty big chance trying to impersonate a general. It's a court martial offense if they're caught.Although the film goes overboard in silliness at times, Imitation General is a pretty good comedy from the talented director/actor team of George Marshall and Glenn Ford who also did the riotously funny The Sheepman that same year. Sergeant Ford and Corpoal Buttons are assigned and driving General Kent Smith in a forward area that gets a bit too forward and cut off from the main allied lines. They're surrounded and Smith is killed.Deciding that leadership is needed in the area Ford takes off his master sergeant stripes and puts on the late general's stars and pretends to be him. He and Buttons manage to pull it off all the time trying to avoid Private Tige Andrews who has a grudge against Ford. The action in Imitation General is fast and furious and Ford deadpans his way through another comedy triumph. Though I have to say that it should only have been so easy to take out German tanks as is shown here.Look for good performances by Dean Jones as a combat fatigue suffering soldier that Ford due to his ersatz rank gets back into shape. Also Kent Smith is very good even though he's killed off in the first twenty minutes. His performance is quite moving and it does explain why he was a beloved figure and why Ford and Buttons are doing the crazy things they are.Imitation General, a good comedy not to be missed when shown on TCM because it's not out on VHS or DVD.

Frightfully dull, colorless comedy-drama about an Army sergeant in WWII France who hopes to preserve combat morale by impersonating the recently-killed General Officer. One-idea script is shot just like a play, with unimaginative camera set-ups and a stodgy, static direction. In the leading role, Glenn Ford is amiable as always--though, once again, hardly spectacular; supporting work from Dean Jones, Red Buttons and Taina Elg is underwhelming. A thankfully forgotten relic of 1950s cinema, and what exactly possessed these talented actors to take part in such banal material is a question which may never get answered. * from ****