Red Ball Express

source: Red Ball Express

Red Ball Express_720p(480P)

source: Red Ball Express

Copyright 8 April 1952 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Criterion: 29 May 1952. U.S. release: May 1952. U.K. release through General Film Distributors on the lower half of a double bill: 7 July 1952. Australian release: 3 October 1952. 7,505 feet. 83 minutes. SYNOPSIS: "Red Ball Express" is a railroad term meaning top-priority freight. What we have here is a high-speed, non-stop trucking detail that carried supplies to Patton's tank corps in the drive across France in WW 2. COMMENT: All the credits for this film are at the end, and it was with considerable surprise that I learned it was directed by hero- of-the-French-auteur set, Budd Boetticher. The completely nondescript directorial style with its continual falling back on uninspired close-ups would seem to betray the director as a dross- in-the-pan recruit from TV who, after this failure, had deservedly returned to the dregs of anonymity from which he came. Yet the credits say the film was directed by Budd Boetticher. Well, that's a smack in the eye for the French critics, but I suppose they will still be able to find the film bursting with "significant themes". Yeah. It's got themes all right, and such themes — all of them straight from the Hollywood hoke factory. The lieutenant in charge of this squad is a real tough disciplinarian, see, but.... The sergeant hates this lieutenant because he thinks the lieutenant is a coward and left the sergeant's brother for dead, see, but what really happened was.... In any event, guess what happens at the climax? Blow me down if the sergeant is not involved in a similar accident, and this time the lieutenant... And then there's this Negro corporal who thinks the lieutenant is prejudiced against the black folks, whereas in actual fact.... And guess what happens when one of the trucks has a slight accident? There's this gorgeous French dish, see, who just happens to be standing right on that actual spot, way out in the middle of nowhere.... Yeah, this film has themes all right and for my money the French movie "critics" are welcome to every one of them. Still, these "significant themes" are punctuated with a bit of action now and again. and the film has been produced on a surprisingly expansive budget, with a large cast of second-string players, some of whom are now quite well-known, though their admirers are not going to thank anyone for reviving these early efforts. Production credits are capable, but, aside from the fairly spectacular fire climax, undistinguished. OTHER VIEWS: I wasn't very interested in "Red Ball Express". I liked Jeff Chandler, but not war films. My own experience of the war is still too recent for me. I don't want any more mud, filth and bloodshed. And I don't like to make a film where the lead character is not master of his own destiny. — Budd Boetticher (pronounced "Betty-kar").

Midway through the war, the March of Time devoted time to a filmed panel discussion - quite a new idea, then - as to how the war was to be won. One comment was "This is a Quartermasters' war. Solve the issue of logistics and you've won the war". That might have been the mission statement of this, very watchable, film

10 stars! My father was one of the truck drivers in the movie. Just a fast scene of him driving a truck over a bridge....which was "on fire". I remember him telling me he was a soldier during the Korean war, then somehow he mentioned this movie. I was only about 12 yrs. Old at the time and with NO NETFLIX, etc., and only 3 CHANNELS , the odds if me ever watching it we're about ZERO But I never forgot the name of the movie...and finally did a search for it. More than the movie itself, it gives me find memories of my dad.

There is more to war than just the glory boys; 95% of the GIs in WW 2 (and all other wars) are never in the limelight as heroes, but they did more than their fair share of sacrifice. My father was one of those guys. He landed at Normandy, was with the infantry marching to the Hurtgen Forest, and getting overrun in the Battle of the Bulge. He was there for it all. He might not have been a hero in those battles (he was always looking for dry socks), but he was a hero to me. He and thousands of others, such as the men in The Red Ball Express, doing thankless jobs and sacrificing a lot more than just a few days lost sleep. Try driving 30 hours without sleep sometime. An underrated film, very similar to The Sorcerer, and the French film, Wages of Fear, but a bit more traditional. Good viewing.

"Red Ball Express" is a film about the truck drivers who worked tirelessly to bring supplies to the men on the front lines...in this case, Patton's quickly advancing column of tanks. It is an important job that somehow gets overlooked in documentaries and textbooks...though supply lines are a huge reason the Allies won WWII. Jeff Chandler plays the lieutenant in charge of the unit and he has to deal with a lot of things...the safety of his men, a disloyal sergeant, a driving partner who thinks the Lieutenant doesn't like him and more. All of it is MILDLY interesting and nothing more. Not a bad war film....just one that isn't particularly memorable.

Partially filmed in Fort Eustis, VA in 1951-52. I was in the army, at Ft. Eustis, waiting for my shipping orders when the cast and crew arrived. Many of us were used as background. Before they left, they gave us a special screening with most of the actors attending. Jeff Chandler was there. I met one of the actresses, who was with the cast, but not in the picture. We had some nice chats; I saw her off when they departed. I was 12 when world war II started and all of the war films were in black and white. Even the news was in black and white. I feel that black and white and war go together. There is nothing pretty about war. All wars are, more or less, the same; why should the films be any different?

RED BALL EXPRESS 1952 This Universal International production, is about a lesser known part of the battle for France after D-Day. After slogging it out with the German Army in Normandy for 6 weeks. The Allies have broken out of the bridgehead and are pursuing the Germans across France. The British and Canadians battle north towards Antwerp and its vital port. The Americans give chase across France to the retreating Germans. Until the port at Antwerp is captured and put into service, the further the Army advances, the further the supplies must travel to reach the front. The RED BALL EXPRESS is the story of the men who fixed the supply issue. The Army rounded up as many trucks as possible (over 5,000) along with drivers and had the supplies moving 24/7. Jeff Chandler is a Lt. in charge of a small part of the Red Ball Express. He was a truck driver in civilian life. His men include, Charles Drake, Bubber Johnson, Hugh O'Brian, Davis Roberts, Jack Kelly, Sidney Poitier and Alex Nicol. There is tension right from the start between unit Sgt, Nicol and Chandler. The two know each other from the States. Nicol, also a trucker, blames Chandler for his brother's death in a truck crash. The trucks are loaded and sent off on the 200 plus mile trip to the front outside Paris. The men are warned to keep their weapons handy, as they could run into pockets of German troops along the route. This happens and men are killed. There is a brisk firefight and the convoy moves on. Now, being a 1950's film, the makers throw in some female types. There is a pair of Red Cross workers, Cindy Garner, Judith Braun, as well as French lass, Jacqueline Duval. The trucks are manned by two man crews that spell each other during the trip. Once offloaded, they head back to the beach outside Cherbourg. More supplies, then back on the road to the front. A lack of sleep soon causes a number of wrecks. Tempers grow short as the men start to get on each other's nerves. Inflaming matters is Nicol who is always crapping on commanding officer, Chandler. The men though, take a shine to Chandler after several incidents where he defends his men against complaints from higher ranks. He tells them that his men are beat and need a break. Things smooth out as more drivers are added to the RED BALL EXPRESS. This allows the men to get time off to get some sleep, not to mention flirt with the Red Cross females. The group is at the front on another supply run, when they are asked to make a dangerous detour through the German lines. They are to supply a unit of tanks that has been cut off after running out of fuel, The trucks are driven right through the middle of a burning French village in order to make it to the tankers. The fuel is delivered and the tanks can continue their advance. Chandler even manages to rescue Nicol from a burning truck. This is a decent mid budget actioner that was directed by the soon to be famous helmsman, Budd Boetticher. He does good work here keeping up a quick pace which only slows when the women are involved. Boetticher would score with a string of excellent westerns starring Randolph Scott. These include, RIDE LONESOME, THE TALL T, COMMANCHE STATION, WESTBOUND, BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE, DECISION AT SUNDOWN and 7 MEN FROM NOW. The actual RED BALL EXPRESS was about 75% African American. These men were drawn from a various non-combat roles and sent into action as drivers. The men showed that they were just as capable of fighting and dying as anyone else.