'' Fireball Forward'' is a 1972 American

made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

. It was directed by

Marvin J. Chomsky Marvin Joseph Chomsky (May 23, 1929 – March 28, 2022) was an American director and producer who worked both in television and film. Early life and career Chomsky, born in the Bronx, is the son of Jewish parents who immigrated from the Russ ...

and written by

Edmund H. North Edmund Hall North (March 12, 1911 – August 28, 1990) was an American screenwriter who shared an Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay with Francis Ford Coppola in 1970 for their scrip ...

. 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 Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, Maj. General Joe Barret is decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross medal, but Gen.

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...

transfers him to the 14th Division due to poor performance in battle. Barret finds the 14th Division with a bad combat record, lack of morale and discipline. After two disastrous battles against the

German army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

, Barret discovers that he has a

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found i ...

, who turns out to be the head of the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

, Jean Duval. Barret had learned, through Sgt. Collins, that before each battle the enemy knew their strategy. Once Barret discovered the spy, the 14th Division wins its next battle and begins a successful push all the way to Gen. Patton, near Berlin. However, all U.S. Forces are ordered to hold on the west side of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

river, with everything east of the Elbe left for the Russians. Only after the surrender did the Western Allied forces enter Berlin, per the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

Cast

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony "Ben" 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 nomina ...

as Maj. Gen. Joe Barret *

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 widely known for performances ...

as Jean Duval (as Ricardo Montalban) *

Anne Francis Anne 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 series '' Honey West'' (1965–1966). ...

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 in the 1960s television series ''Dark Shadows'' as Sheriff George Patterson and the 1980s and 1 ...

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 *

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 ...

as Sgt. Andrew Collins *

Curt Lowens Curt Lowens (17 November 1925 – 8 May 2017) was a German actor of the stage and in feature films and television, as well as a Holocaust survivor and a rescuer who saved about 150 Jewish children during the Holocaust. Life and career Born Curt ...

as Capt. Bauer * L.Q. Jones as Maj. Larkin *

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor. He is known for his roles on stage and screen and received nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Albert made his actin ...

as Col. Douglas Graham *

Richard Yniguez Richard Yniguez (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor and director mainly known for ''Boulevard Nights'', ''What's Cooking?'' and ''The Deadly Tower ''The Deadly Tower'' (also known as ''Sniper'') is a 1975 American made-for-television ...

as Capt. Tony Sánchez

References

External links

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