Troll-19

I loved the 1939 version of this tale and still remember "Surely you will miss your tongue?" or "If he loses he will kill us for revenge and if he wins he will kill us for sheer joy." THe 1939 was coherrent and disguising himself as a mute Sengali to infiltrate the lines was logical. The plot device used here was ludicrous at best. There was only one battle scene and no massed attack at Omdurman. Finally the closing scene where the General's tale of the Crimean War is told to be an accident was omitted from this movie. Disappointed. Reply to me at barontroll@cs.com

Hell is for Heros is a hard hitting drama of WWII. A squad on the Sigfried Line is to hold the line for an entire platoon. Faced with a German pillbox and mine field to its front, the squad must hold and yet deceive the Germans as to their strength. There is great human drama as well as gritty infantry action. A well written drama even has a clever way to work a Bob Newhart telephone routine into the action without it seeming forced. Bobby Darin gives a good dramatic performance, along with Harry Guardino, Nick Adams, Fess Parker, Mike Kellen and James Coburn. An unforgetable war film.

Baa Baa Black Sheep or Black Sheep Squadron is an exciting TV series about Pappy Boyington's VMF 214, a USMC fighter squadron of WWII vintage. The characters are likeable and Robert Conrad really fills the bill as Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Medal of Honor winner and multiple ace in the Pacific. The aerial sequences are outstanding and the use of combat footage is skillful. I watch the show every opportunity I can get and enjoy the episodes that feature combat and not the ones where a black sheep is caught behind enemy lines