'' Fireball Forward'' is a 1972 American TV movie. It was directed by Marvin J. Chomsky and written by

Edmund H. North Edmund Hall North (March 12, 1911 – August 28, 1990) was an American screenwriter who shared an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with Francis Ford Coppola in 1970 for their script for ''Patton''. North wrote the screenplay for the 1951 s ...

. It was produced by Frank McCarthy who called it "son of '' Patton''": it follows a hard luck Army division in 1944 France, and the General who must lick it into shape. The film was a pilot for a proposed TV series.Fireball' With a Touch of 'Patton' Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 29 Feb 1972: g12.

Plot

After D-Day the

Maj. General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Joe Barret (

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominations ...

), was decorated with Distinguished Service Cross medal, after that, Gen.

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...

transfers him to 14th Division due to poor performance in battle. Barret found the 14th Division with a bad combat record, lack of morale and discipline. After two disastrous battles against the German army, Barret discovers that he has a mole who turns out to be the head of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, Jean Duval (

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

), Barret learned through Sgt. Collins (

Morgan Paull Morgan Paull (December 15, 1944 – July 17, 2012) was an American actor most notable for playing Dave Holden in the Ridley Scott film '' Blade Runner''. Early life Morgan Paull was born to a wealthy family in Wheeling, West Virginia and ...

), that before each battle the enemy knew their strategy. Once Barret discovered the spy, the 14th Division won the next battle and clean all the way to Gen. Patton to Berlin. Except for the fact that U.S. Forces only went to the Elbe river. Everything East of the Elbe was left for the Russians. Only after the surrender did the Western Allied forces enter Berlin per the Potsdam Declaration.

Cast

as Maj. Gen. Joe Barret * Ricardo Montalban as Jean Duval *

Anne Francis Anne Francis (also known as Anne Lloyd Francis; September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science-fiction film '' Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama se ...

as Helen Sawyer *

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series '' MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immedia ...

as Col. Talbot *

Edward Binns Edward Binns (September 12, 1916 – December 4, 1990) was an American actor. He had a wide-spanning career in film and television, often portraying competent, hard working and purposeful characters in his various roles. He is best known for hi ...

as Corps. Commander *

as Sgt. Andrew Collins * Curt Lowens as Capt. Bauer * L.Q. Jones as Maj. Larkin *

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

as Col. Douglas Graham * Richard Yniguez as Capt. Tony Sánchez

References

External links

Fireball Forward
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

1972 television films 1972 films American television films Films directed by Marvin J. Chomsky {{US-tv-film-stub