Hell Squad (1958 film)

Hell Squad is a 1958 American World War II film, produced, written and directed by Burt Topper. It was his very first film.[1] AIP originally released the film as a double feature with Tank Battalion.

Hell Squad
Theatrical release poster
by Albert Kallis
Directed byBurt Topper
Written byBurt Topper
Produced byBurt Topper
StarringWally Campo
Brandon Carroll
CinematographyErik Daarstad
John Arthur Morrill
Edited byMarvin Walowitz
Production
company
Rhonda Productions [1]
Distributed byAIP
Release date
  • July 1958 (1958-07) (USA [2])
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11,500 [3]

Plot

During World War II, a squad of five American soldiers become lost in Tunisia and are killed one by one in fights with German units. Finally only one man, Private Russo, is left, in the midst of a mine field, together with a German officer, locked in a stalemate. Russo has water, while the German claims to have a map revealing the mine positions. So Russo agrees to swap water for the map, but the German officer tries to double-cross him.

Main cast
  • Wally Campo as Private Russo
  • Brandon Carroll as German Officer
  • Fred Gavlin as Sergeant Clemens
  • Gregg Stewart as Private Nelson
  • Leon Schrier as Private Roth
  • Cecil Addis as Private Lippy

Production and release

The film was shot in Indio, California in 1957 on 16mm. Shooting took six months and was done mostly on weekends. It cost Topper $11,500 to make.[3][4]

The film was originally titled The Ground They Walk, but was retitled Hell Squad when American International Pictures bought the cinema distribution rights.[3] It was released in July 1958 as part of a double feature with the Korean War film Tank Battalion.[2]

References
  1. AFI Database: Hell Squad Linked 2014-06-18
  2. IMDb: Hell Squad (1958) - Release Info Linked 2014-06-18
  3. The Classic Horror Film Board - Final Farewells, April 4, 2007: Interview with Burt Topper, made two weeks before his death Relinked 2014-06-18
  4. Brian Albright: Wild Beyond Belief! (McFarland, 2008) - Interview with Joyce King (pages 134-136) Linked 2014-06-18


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