Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Kelly's Heroes
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Kelly's Heroes (1970) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 31 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   13,038 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brian G. Hutton
Writer:
Troy Kennedy-Martin (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Kelly's Heroes on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 June 1970 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Adventure | Comedy | War more
Tagline:
Never have so few taken so many for so much. more
Plot:
A group of U.S. soldiers sneaks across enemy lines to get their hands on a secret stash of Nazi treasure. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Classic comedy; realistic characters, believable props/scenery. more
US TV Schedule:
Tue. July 2812:00 AMTCM   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Clint Eastwood ... Pvt. Kelly

Telly Savalas ... MSgt. Big Joe

Don Rickles ... SSgt. Crapgame

Carroll O'Connor ... Maj. Gen. Colt

Donald Sutherland ... Sgt. Oddball (tank commander)

Gavin MacLeod ... Moriarty (tank crewman)
Hal Buckley ... Capt. Maitland
Stuart Margolin ... Pvt. Little Joe
Jeff Morris ... Pvt. Cowboy
Richard Davalos ... Pvt. Gutowski
Perry Lopez ... Pvt. Petuko
Tom Troupe ... Cpl. Job

Harry Dean Stanton ... Pvt. Willard (as Dean Stanton)
Dick Balduzzi ... Pvt. Fisher
Gene Collins ... Pvt. Babra
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Ratnici (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
The Warriors (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
144 min
Country:
Yugoslavia | USA
Language:
English | French | German
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Stereo (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | UK:A (original rating) | Spain:13 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1970) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Yugoslavia
Company:
Avala Film more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Mike Curb, who wrote the lyrics to the movie's theme song "Burning Bridges," served as lieutenant governor of California between 1978 and 1982. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The typefaces used in the "liberation" signs for the town weren't available until the late 1950s. more
Quotes:
Pvt. Babra: Stop calling me Barbara! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Apocalypse Now (1979) more
Soundtrack:
All For The Love Of Sunshine more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
49 out of 68 people found the following comment useful:-
Classic comedy; realistic characters, believable props/scenery., 28 November 2003
Author: eaglejet98

Kelly's Heroes does not try to trivialize war. It portrays a comedy within the boundaries of war's absurdity. (Quite frankly, I did not like the film MASH because I felt it did try to trivialize war).

What makes Kelly's Heroes a success is that the director never forgot that the point of comedy is to make us laugh. There's no message here; just pure entertainment.

The film is believable because it stretches, but never steps over, the line of plausibility. The story is preposterous, but in the confusion of war we can believe something like this could happen. Those who have served in the military have all met characters like the ones in Kelly's platoon, even Oddball. Yes, Donald Sutherland was clearly cast out of time, from the 60s, but he somehow personified the rebel in all of us, and that spans generations. If anything, Oddball subliminally told us it was okay to view the film from our vantage point of 1970. His character worked. And so did all the others.

On top of that, the filmmaker spent the extra time and expense to insure reasonable technical accuracy. The uniforms were authentic and I was most impressed by the fact that the vehicles and equipment, for both sides, were accurate. (My biggest gripe about 'Patton' was that it used M-41 tanks for both sides, just painted differently).

The structure of the film is excellent. We believe everything is real. The early scene where the platoon is sitting on the side of the road while a seemingly endless convoy of Sherman tanks passes is a perfect example. There may have only been a few tanks but the way they were looped about continuously gave the impression of 'a cast of thousands'. The Yugoslavian backdrop was reflective of WWII Europe.

Watch this film a few times and you'll catch the slight nuances not normally found the first time through. It's classic how seemingly unimportant early events or dialog enhance the humor of later scenes. For example, when Oddball first shows Kelly his tanks he says they have loud speakers to calm their nerves and paint in their shells to scare the Germans. Early Sherman tanks had a low velocity shell that was ineffective against German armor. Later we roar when Kelly catches a Tiger from its vulnerable rear, but Oddball forgets to fire an anti-tank round and instead splatters it with pink paint! The railroad yard attack scene, (which is superbly choreographed, and tactically accurate) becomes absolutely riotous when Oddball's crew plays 'I've been working on the Railroad' after destroying the place and rumbling away.

Don Rickles should have won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Crapgame. He congeals all the other elements and characters in the film.

The parody scene of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is superb. Like Oddball, its being out of time somehow enhances its own effect.

I read somewhere that Clint Eastwood was a bit disappointed with this film because he was not allowed to give it one more edit before its release. I don't know how on earth he could have improved on it.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Sniper Rifle in the Bell Tower jlapaz
Unusual war movies you can recommend? Befuddled_Soothsayer
Other funny as hell war movies? chinchilla_luver20
Kellys Heroes vs Saving Private Ryan okiejeep1986
Song playing on DVD titles Scoldog
Big Joe's reaction when they get the gold tdefores
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
All Quiet on the Western Front Saving Private Ryan A Bridge Too Far Tora! Tora! Tora! Shock
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Action section IMDb Yugoslavia section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.