One Minute to Zero (1952 film)

Infobox Film
name = One Minute to Zero

director = Tay Garnett
producer = Edmund Grainger
Howard Hughes
writer = William Wister Haines
Milton Krims
starring = Robert Mitchum
Ann Blyth
Charles McGraw
William Talman
music = Victor Young
distributor = RKO
released = 1952
runtime = 105 minutes
country = USA|

"One Minute to Zero" is a 1952 romantic war film starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth set during the Korean War. Victor Young's score includes the love theme "When I Fall In Love", which became a popular hit song recorded by a variety of artists.

Plot

Just prior to the North Korean invasion of South Korea, Regular Army World War II veterans Colonel Steve Janowski (Mitchum), who has risen from Private (rank) to his present rank in 15 years, and Sergeant Baker (Charles McGraw) are teaching South Korean soldiers how to use a bazooka to stop an enemy tank. Mrs. Linda Day (Blyth) is a United Nations worker assisting refugees. She and her colleagues are warned by Steve to leave the area, as hostilities are imminent. Linda insists that the North Koreans wouldn't risk the wrath of world opinion; Steve asks if it had stopped Hitler.

Soon afterwards, Steve and his US Air Force counterpart, Colonel Joe Parker (William Talman), wake up to find themselves under attack. They compare it to Pearl Harbor ("Isn't this where we came in?" "It's even Sunday morning!"). Janowski takes command of a US Army unit. Meanwhile, he keeps crossing paths with (and falling in love with) Linda. She turns out to be the widow of a professional Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor, and is reluctant to become involved with another soldier.

In one desperate situation, Steve has no choice but to stop a column of refugees infiltrated by armed North Korean guerrillas by calling in artillery strikes. Steve displays remorse for the civilian casualties. However, when Linda learns of the incident, she condemns him for killing innocent people. Later, she finds out why he had to do what he did and apologizes.

Production

Though Howard Hughes had received massive US Army and US Air Force cooperation in making the film, Hughes refused to delete the refugee massacre scene when requested to do so by the Army. [Suid, Lawrence "Guts and Glory" The Making of the American Military Image" University of Kentucky Press 2002]

It was filmed at Fort Carson, Colorado, using troops of the 148th Field Artillery. [cite web |url=http://museum.mil.idaho.gov/Newsletter/1stQtr2002.htm |title=Korean War 50th Anniversary |publisher=Idaho Military History Museum "Pass in Review" newsletter |date=March 2002]

References

External links

*imdb title|0044997|One Minute to Zero