Imitation General is a 1958

1958 in film

The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....

 war

War film

War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...

/comedy film

Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...

 starring Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...

, Red Buttons and Taina Elg

Taina Elg

Taina Elg is a Finnish-American actress and dancer. She has appeared on stage, film and television.-Biography:She was born in Helsinki, but later raised in Turku by her parents, Helena Dobroumova and Åke Elg, a pianist. In 1957 she won the Golden Globe for the Foreign Newcomer Award - Female...

.

Plot summary

In the aftermath of a big battle, Brigadier General Charles Lane (Kent Smith

Kent Smith

Kent Smith was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theater, and television.Born Frank Kent Smith in New York, New York, Smith made his acting debut on Broadway in 1932 in and, after spending a few years there, moved to Hollywood, California, where he made his film debut in The...

), Master Sergeant Murphy "Murph" Savage (Glenn Ford) and Corporal Chan Derby (Red Buttons) find themselves cut off. The general takes over a farmhouse belonging to annoyed Frenchwoman Simone (Taina Elg). Lane determines that there is a gap in the lines and decides to organize a defense from whatever stragglers he can gather together. Shortly afterwards however, he is killed saving Murph's life.

The first American soldier who shows up, Corporal Terry Sellers (Dean Jones

Dean Jones (actor)

Dean Carroll Jones is an American actor. Jones is best known for his light-hearted leading roles in several Walt Disney movies between 1965 and 1977, most notably The Love Bug.-Early years:...

), mistakes Murph for Lane (Murph is holding the general's helmet), giving him an idea. Recallng Lane's assessment that leadership is desperately needed to rally the disorganized troops, Murph masquerades as the general, with Derby and Simone's reluctant help. Murph manages to repulse a couple of German attacks spearheaded by tanks, all the while avoiding Private Orville Hutchmeyer (Tige Andrews

Tige Andrews

Tige Andrews was an American character actor. His work includes the role of Captain Adam Greer on the late 1960s-to-early 1970s television series The Mod Squad and Detective Lt...

), who knows and has a grudge against Murph.

At the end of the engagement, Murph is knocked out by shrapnel, allowing him to "die" and resume his real identity with no one the wiser.