Target Zero

Target Zero is a 1955 American war and drama film directed by Harmon Jones and written by James Warner Bellah and Sam Rolfe.The film stars Richard Conte, Peggie Castle, Charles Bronson, Richard Wyler, L. Q. Jones and Chuck Connors. The film was released and published by Warner Bros. on November 15, 1955.

Target Zero
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Harmon Jones
Written by	James Warner Bellah Sam Rolfe
Produced by	David Weisbart
Starring	Richard Conte Peggie Castle Charles Bronson Richard Wyler L. Q. Jones Chuck Connors
Cinematography	Edwin B. DuPar
Edited by	Clarence Kolster
Music by	David Buttolph
Production company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	November 15, 1955 (1955-11-15)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

During a Korean War retreat, United Nations relief worker Ann Galloway (Peggie Castle) is slightly injured and her Korean assistant killed after their car is forced down a hillside by enemy shell fire. As Communist forces retake the region, she is rescued by the British crew of a U.S. Army M4A3E8 Sherman tank they are manning. They are then found by an American patrol led by Lt. Tom Flagler (Richard Conte), a soldier's soldier, who is admired by his men. Finding themselves behind enemy lines, they try to break through to rejoin Easy Company on "Sullivan's Muscle," a prominent hilltop they occupy. On the way they acquire a lost mortar team, consisting of Private George and his loader, known only as the "Strangler".

The British sergeant named Kensemmit (Richard Wyler) bears a grudge against American soldiers because one had misused his sister back in England. He is particularly contemptuous of Flagler, as well as possibly interested in Ann romantically, though this latter point is never made clear and seems deliberately left unclear. SFC Vince Gaspari (Charles Bronson) vouches for Tom completely as a born leader, although he acknowledges Ann's conclusion that Tom cares about nothing else than his military duty is correct. By contrast the other two British tank soldiers, Harry (pronounced "'arry" due to his working-class accent) Fontenoy (Terence De Marney) and Cpt. Devon Enoch (John Alderson) both get along very well with the Americans, and in two scenes explicitly criticize Sgt. Kensemmit for his unnecessary hostile attitude. During one scene Pvt. Geronimo, a Native American soldier (played by Abel Fernandez) from the Apache reservation in Arizona says to Private Felix O'Hara (L. Q. Jones), a southern-accented white American soldier, that Native Americans were in this war so that they could get practice fighting for the eventual day when they reconquer the United States. Pvt. Harry "'arry" Fontenoy says to Private O'Hara, "Don't worry mate, if they chuck you out, we'll take you back!" to which Private O'Hara says, "Thanks ole buddy, but the problem with that is I don't speak the language!"

When the squad returns to "Sullivan's Muscle," Tom discovers that Easy Company has been massacred and their position in the line left open, leaving him dejected. However, under orders to hold the line until help can arrive, they dig the tank in, set up fire zones and are promised air and naval bombardment support. They are ready when the Communist troops climb the hill and open fire, ambushing them at close range. After stopping the enemy with help from Air Force F-80 Shooting Star fighters and a Navy battleship firing its 16-inch guns from the coastal waters 20 miles away, Flagler and Kensemmit reconcile their differences, with Kensemmit apologizing and saying that "I just woke up on the wrong side of the world this morning", to which Flagler replied, "No worries, you're a handy guy to have around" in reference to a previous scene in which Kensemmit's command of the tank proved crucial to a victory against the Communists. In victory, Flagler and Kensemmit both come to realize that Ann represents the very kind of thing they have been fighting for all along.

This is an early appearance of Aaron Spelling, as one of the doomed mortar team. He went on to become a top producer in Hollywood.

Charles Bronson also appears as an Army sergeant. In the early 1970s he became the world's number one box office star.

Cast

• Richard Conte as Lieutenant Tom Flagler
• Peggie Castle as Ann Galloway
• Charles Bronson as Sergeant First Class Vince Gaspari
• Richard Stapley as Sergeant David Kemsemmit
• L. Q. Jones as Private Felix O'Hara
• Chuck Connors as Private "Moose"
• John Alderson as Corporal Devon Enoch
• Terence De Marney as Private Harry Fontenoy
• Strother Martin as Private Dan O'Hirons (uncredited)
• Aaron Spelling as Private Strangler (uncredited)
• Don Oreck as Private Stacey Della Nueva (uncredited)
• John Dennis as Private First Class George
• Angela Loo as Sue

Production

The F-80 Shooting Star aircraft were flown by the 120th Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National Guard. The film was shot at Fort Carson, Colorado and in Arizona.

Release

The film opened at the Paramount Theatre in New York City but only lasted 8 days with a gross of just $30,000.

External links

• Target Zero at IMDb
• Target Zero at the TCM Movie Database
• Target Zero at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films