The Red Ball Express (1952)

I first saw this movie over 40 years ago & found it enjoyable. Little did I realize that many years later, I myself would be a military truck driver, which thankfully was better organized than the situation shown in the film. Those men & women had it tough during those days & should be remembered.

I am afraid that I never was much of a fan of Jeff Chandler and sadly, here, he adds very little by way of star quality to this pretty routine wartime drama. He is "Campbell" who leads a squad of truck drivers who are given the onerous, and frankly under-appreciated, task of keeping General Patton's Third Army supplied with gasoline as they advance, at break-neck speed, through France. Setting aside the nature of their job, what ensues here has all been seen many times. The platoon must navigate their personal differences, racial prejudices, Nazi attacks, and even a minefield as the pressure on them from above to deliver the crucially needed fuel mounts - despite distinct lacks of central co-ordination from the US Army and of enthusiasm on the part of the enemy to play ball! The supporting cast is dominated by Sidney Poitier, but not in an especially potent fashion - he has a presence as an actor that draws the eye, but the dialogue and narrative of the rest of this rarely draws the ear. It's sometimes quite pithy, though, a dark soldier's humour that does raise a smile now and again but I'm afraid the contribution from Chandler sets the bar pretty low, and low it stays throughout.