Hitler – Dead or Alive
| Hitler - Dead or Alive | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nick Grinde |
| Written by | Karl Brown |
| Screenplay by | Sam Neuman |
| Produced by | Ben Judell |
| Starring | Ward Bond |
| Cinematography | Paul Ivano |
| Edited by | Jack Dennis |
| Music by | Leo Erdody |
Production company | Ben Judell Productions |
| Distributed by | Charles House |
Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hitler – Dead or Alive is a 1942 American war film directed by Nick Grinde.
Plot summary
The plot of this film was inspired by true events. During the early stages of World War II a prominent American businessman offered a reward of one million dollars to bring Adolf Hitler to justice, dead or alive. Russell Hicks plays the part of the American businessman in this film who hires three gangster ex-convicts released from Alcatraz prison. The gangsters are played by Ward Bond, Warren Hymer and Paul Fix.
The three join the Royal Canadian Air Force to enter Germany and pose as musicians to gain access to Hitler, played by Robert Watson. The gangsters quickly cut Hitler’s hair and shave off his mustache as SS soldiers try to break the door in. When the SS manage to enter the room they fail to recognize their leader and drag all the men, including Hitler, outside to be shot.
The quasi-comic tone of the film turns dead serious at the end, when a desperate Hitler makes a break for it and is shot by the SS officer in charge, who states disdainfully (and ironically): "To think that Germany could produce a piece of filth like you", and Bond makes a long patriotic speech while facing a firing squad.[1]
Cast
- Ward Bond as Steve Maschick
- Dorothy Tree as Else von Brandt
- Warren Hymer as Hans 'Dutch' Havermann
- Paul Fix as Joe 'The Book' Conway
- Russell Hicks as Samuel Thornton
- Bruce Edwards as Johnny Stevens
- Felix Basch as Col. Hecht
- Bobby Watson as Adolf Hitler
- Frederick Giermann as Meyer
- Kenneth Harlan as Cutler
- Fee Malten as Greta
In other media
In November 2012, while being interviewed by Playboy magazine, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino admitted the inspiration for his film Inglourious Basterds came from Hitler - Dead or Alive.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Erickson, Hal. "Hitler: Dead or Alive (1942)". Allmovie Guide.
- ^ "Celebrity Interview with Django Unchained director Quentin Tarantino". Playboy. November 16, 2012.
External links
- Hitler – Dead or Alive at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Hitler – Dead or Alive at IMDb
- Hitler – Dead or Alive is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- 1942 films
- American films
- American World War II propaganda films
- American satirical films
- English-language films
- American black-and-white films
- Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler
- War adventure films
- World War II films
- Alternate Nazi Germany films
- World War II alternate histories
- Films set in the 1940s
- 1940s comedy-drama films
- Films directed by Nick Grinde
- World War II films made in wartime
- American comedy-drama films