Under Fire
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
James B. Clark
Rex Reason
Henry Morgan
Steve Brodie
Peter Walker
Robert Levin
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
While standing alone in a shadowy graveyard, Joseph C. Dusak, a former sergeant in the United States Army, reflects back to the time he served overseas during World War II: While stationed in Germany, Dusak and his subordinates, Pvt. Pope and corporals John Crocker and Quinn, are arrested and detained at Army Headquarters in Hamburg, where they are charged with negligence for their failure to report enemy presence in an area under their patrol, which resulted in heavy American casualties. Sequestered in temporary quarters, the four men uneasily allude to another infraction for which they have not been charged. Soon after, their defense attorney, Lt. Steve Rogerson, comes to question them about the report they filed in December 1944, stating that they became lost in the woods and sought refuge from the cold in a cave. Three of Dusak's company perished that night, and one, Pvt. Steiner, is still missing. Dusak's report has been contradicted by Sgt. Hutchins, who claims to have met the patrol on the road, at which time they mentioned no sign of enemy presence. The misinformation led to heavy losses because it left C Company unprepared for an enemy tank attack. Taking umbrage at the allegation, Dusak becomes belligerent and uncommunicative. When the trial begins, Hutchins testifies that he heard Dusak's men laughing loudly, and that they never mentioned being lost in the woods. When Rogerson asks Hutchins if he can identify any of the men in the courtroom, Hutchins fails to recognize the defendants. Next, Pvt. Arnold Swanson, an old friend of Dusak's patrol, is called to the stand and recalls Crocker telling the others to "let the suckers be the heroes," and to "lay low." Rogerson refutes Swanson's implication about the patrol's laxity by recalling the many dangerous activities in which the squad participated, resulting in medals for some of them. Once the prosecution rests, the court is adjourned and Rogerson castigates Dusak and his men for refusing to defend themselves and accuses them of withholding information. When Rogerson announces that the accused refuse to take the stand, Capt. Linn, the prosecuting attorney, asks them to give unsworn testimony instead. After they all agree, Dusak recalls the night he and his patrol became lost in the Black Forest and he split the men into two groups to search for C Company. Linn then questions Dusak about the hostile feelings he exhibited toward Steiner, the green enlistee who is still missing. After the others corroborate Dusak's account, Linn calls Capt. O'Mar to the stand and he testifies that the remains of Steiner's body were found one mile from the cave, a .45 caliber bullet embedded in his skull, the same caliber gun carried by Dusak. Linn then concludes that the patrol's negligence caused sixty men to die and calls for the death penalty. After court is adjourned for the day, the men return to quarters and engage in a round of recriminations. Later that night, Pvt. Pope visits Rogerson in his office and confesses that the patrol found $600,000 in cash hidden in the cave which the men split, each hiding their own share. As evidence, Pope produces $300 that he had pocketed. The next morning, Pope repeats his statement in court and afterward, Dusak admits to Rogerson that the money gave him a reason to live. At a nightclub that evening, a German singer renders a song in perfect English, giving Rogerson an idea. The next day in court, Rogerson states that it was common practice for German soldiers to pass themselves off as Americans and then suggests that the men Hutchins heard laughing were Germans. When Rogerson asks Hutchins if he can recall any physical characteristics of the men, Hutchins remembers that one had a discolored, frost-bitten right hand. Rogerson then proposes that the men Hutchins met were Germans and adjourns court to investigate the enemy troops that operated in that sector during December 1944. When a teletype sent to all POW camps and hospitals yields no information, Rogerson reasons that the man's hand may have been amputated and sends out another teletype. A German soldier, Lt. Karl Stagg, fits the description and is brought to court. When Hutchins is unable to identify Stagg as one of the men he met, Rogerson tries to provoke Stagg into telling the truth by charging him with Steiner's murder. Rogerson's accusation so angers Stagg that he begins to speak in perfect English and declares that his commanding officer killed Steiner, thus proving Rogerson's theory. After Dusak and his men are acquitted, Rogerson informs them that the bank notes were counterfeit. His thoughts returning to the present, Dusak bends down and pays tribute at the gravestone of Rogerson, who was killed in the line of duty.
Director
James B. Clark
Cast
Rex Reason
Henry Morgan
Steve Brodie
Peter Walker
Robert Levin
Jon Locke
Gregory La Fayette
Karl Lukas
William Allyn
Frank Gerstle
Tom Mckee
Rita Paul
Kay Kuter
Keith Byron
Neyle Morrow
John Murphy
Edmund Penney
Seymour Green
Dave Tomack
Walter Maslow
David Carlisle
K. L. Smith
Robert Hinkle
Robert Colbert
Al Shelley
Troy Patterson
Dehl Berti
Ronald Foster
Sid Melton
Calvin Booth
George Chakiris
Ed Hinton
Nico Minardos
Lorraine Martin
Mary Townsend
Crew
Annabell
Stephen Bass
E. J. Baumgarten
Chester Bayhi
Jerry Bos
Joan Buck
Max Colpet
Jodie Copelan
Paul Dunlap
Paul Dunlap
Rudi Feld
Robert E. Gray
Louis Hippe
E. H. Jones
James Landis
Harry M. Leonard
H. E. Mendelson
Herb Mendelson
John M. Nickolaus Jr.
Cole Porter
Walter M. Scott
Harry Seymour
Plato Skouras
Mary Tate
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Dark Valor. Under Fire marked the directorial debut of former film editor James B. Clark and the acting debut of dancer George Chakiris. According to the Variety review, Gregory La Fayette, who portrayed "Corp. Quinn," was killed in an automobile accident shortly after the end of the film's production.
