''One Minute to Zero'' is a 1952 American

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

war film starring Robert Mitchum and

Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. For her performance as Veda in the 1945 Michael Curtiz film ''Mildred Pierce'', Blyth was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of ...

, set during the opening phases of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and produced by

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

as his last film as producer.

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

's score for the film includes the first appearance of " When I Fall in Love", as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". The film showcases the contributions of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, the South Korean Army, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

during the early days of the

. The effects of air power in the Korean War were also vividly depicted through the use of combat footage.

Plot

Just prior to the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n invasion of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

U.S. Army veterans Colonel Steve Janowski ( Robert Mitchum) and Sergeant Baker ( Charles McGraw) are teaching South Korean soldiers how to use a bazooka to stop an enemy tank. Linda Day (

) is a

worker assisting refugees. Janowski warns Day and her colleagues to leave the area because hostilities are imminent. Day, however, insists that the North Koreans would not risk the wrath of

world opinion Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.U.S. Air Force Colonel Joe Parker ( William Talman) wake up and find themselves under attack. They compare the attack to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

("Isn't this where we came in?" "It's even Sunday morning!"). Janowski takes command of a U.S. Army unit which is helping to evacuate Americans and refugees. While doing his job, he keeps crossing paths, and falling in love, with Day. It turns out that she is reluctant to get involved with a soldier because she is the widow of a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient. As part of a desperate situation, Janowski is confronted by a column of refugees which has been infiltrated by armed North Korean guerrillas. He has no choice but to call in an artillery strike. Even though Janowski is remorseful for the civilian casualties, Day initially condemns him for killing innocent people. After she finds out the reason for Janowski's action (and that he was right), she apologizes. Janowski leads a successful American counter offensive against the enemy. The contributions of the

and the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

are both featured in the film, and are both explicitly mentioned as evidence that "the whole world" is "in this together".

Cast

As appearing in ''One Minute to Zero'' (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: One Minute to Zero."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: November 23, 2012. * Robert Mitchum as Col. Steve Janowski *

as Linda Day * William Talman as Col. John Parker * Charles McGraw as Sgt. Baker * Margaret Sheridan as Mary Parker * Richard Egan as Capt. Ralston *

Eduard Franz Eduard Franz Schmidt (October 31, 1902 – February 10, 1983) was an American actor of theatre, film and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film ''Sins of Jezebel'', Jethro in Cecil B. DeMille's ''The Ten C ...

as Gustav Engstrand *

Robert Osterloh Robert Osterloh (May 31, 1918 – April 16, 2001) was an American actor. His career spanned 20 years, appearing in films such as ''The Dark Past'' (1948), ''The Wild One'' (1953), ''I Bury the Living'' (1958) and ''Young Dillinger'' (1965). Biog ...

as Major Davis * Robert Gist as Major Carter * Stuart Whitman as Officer (uncredited) * Kathleen O'Malley as Mrs. Norton * Wallace Russell as Pilot Norton *

Lalo Ríos Lalo Ríos (7 February 1927 – 7 March 1973) was a Mexican-born American actor best known for his lead role in '' The Ring'' (1952) as Tommy. Biography Lalo Ríos was born on February 7, 1927, in San Miguelito, Sonora, Mexico. At the age of ...

as Pvt. Chico Mendoza (uncredited)

Production

The film's

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

was ''The Korean Story''.

Ted Tetzlaff Dale H. "Ted" Tetzlaff (3 June 1903, Los Angeles, California – 7 January 1995, Sausalito, California) was an Academy Award-nominated Hollywood cinematographer active in the 1930s and 1940s. Career Tetzlaff was particularly favored by the ...

was the first director assigned by

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

. He was replaced, however, by

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director and writer. Biography Early life Born in Los Angeles, Garnett attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a naval aviator in Wo ...

because producer Edmund Grainger (famed for ''

Sands of Iwo Jima ''Sands of Iwo Jima'' is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker, was w ...

'' and '' Flying Leathernecks'') wanted a "bigger" name as director. The original actress chosen as leading lady was Claudette Colbert. She became ill with pneumonia, however, and although Grainger wanted

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

, the role had been rewritten for a younger person. Eventually, Ann Blyth became the replacement.Rode 2007, pp. 95–96. Although RKO attempted to shoot

second unit Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

footage in South Korea, ''One Minute to Zero'' was filmed at

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, using troops of the 148th Field Artillery. During a break, Mitchum, Egan, McGraw and other cast members showed up at a local hotel bar frequented by the soldiers in the nearby base. McGraw got into an argument with an army private escalating from a shoving match to a fistfight when Mitchum tried to break it up. The soldier ended up being stretchered out but news of the altercation resulted in Hughes having to intervene when U.S. Army officials threatened to pull their support for the film.

, the owner of RKO, had received massive U.S. military cooperation in the making this film.Steinberg, Jay S
"Articles: One Minute to Zero."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: November 24, 2012. Nonetheless, he refused to delete the refugee massacre scene when requested to do so by the U.S. Army.

's score for the film includes the first appearance of " When I Fall In Love." It is performed as an instrumental piece by its lyricist,

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biogr ...

. The song, performed here by

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

, went on to become a popular hit song recorded by a variety of artists.

Reception

Although considered standard fare for war films, even tinged with propaganda, ''One Minute to Zero'' received notice because of one controversial scene showing the U.S. shelling refugees being forced through U.N. lines by North Korean infiltrators. Bosley Crowther of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' dismissed most of the action-based story in a review that noted, "Like a great many war pictures, this one is partly contrived with elements not only of romance but also of melodrama, comedy, and tears. There is the usual amount of jaw-jutting by angry and earnest G. I.'s who find themselves caught in situations from which salvation seems beyond hope. ... Plainly, "One Minute to Zero" is a ripely synthetic affair, arranged to arouse emotions with the easiest and obvious clichés. And, although some of the battle talk sounds faithful and the inter-cut news shots are sincere, neither the story nor the performances of the actors, including Miss Blyth and Mr. Mitchum, rings true. Here is another war picture that smells of greasepaint and studios." Along with

Retreat, Hell! ''Retreat, Hell!'' is a 1952 American war film about the 1st Marine Division in the Korean War, directed by Joseph H. Lewis. It stars Frank Lovejoy as a career Marine battalion commander who is recalled from work at an American embassy, Richard C ...

which premiered earlier in the same year, One Minute To Zero was heavily promoted in some locales where a number of drive-in theaters showed it as their only option for several consecutive months. This was the case at a series of locally owned drive-in theaters in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. As a result of this in the Wisconsin counties of Polk County,

Barron County Barron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,711. Its county seat is Barron. The county was created in 1859 and later organized in 1874. History The county was created in 1859 ...

, Price County, Clark County, Marinette County, Oconto County,

Shawano County Shawano County (pronounced SHAW-no) (originally Shawanaw County) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 40,881. Its county seat is Shawano, ...

Waupaca County Waupaca County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee l ...

, Dodge County and Taylor County it was the only movie one could see in a drive-in for multiple consecutive months. This was also the case in the Indiana counties of

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States Census, its population was 80,240. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw. The county was organized in 1836. It was named for the Polish ge ...

, Whitley County, Huntington County, Adams County, Morgan County, Jackson County and Greene County as well as in

Ogle County, Illinois Ogle County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 53,497. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle. Ogle County comprises Rochelle, ...

and

Bureau County, Illinois Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 34,978. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, and the Hennep ...

. These same theaters had shown Retreat Hell! as their only feature for several months earlier in the same year until they switched over to showing One Minute to Zero as their only option for the following several months that July. These same drive-in theaters would only do this again on one more occasion, which would be for the movie

Tarzan and the Lost Safari ''Tarzan and the Lost Safari'' is a 1957 action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Gordon Scott, Robert Beatty, Yolande Donlan and Betta St. John. Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, it was the f ...

which was released in 1957Movies Under the Stars: A History of the Drive-in Theatre Industry, 1933-1983 by David Bruce Reddick, University Microfilms, 1989 pp. 27-28 The intercutting of stock footage of USAF

Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

and Royal Australian Air Force North American P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers, along with other aerial sequences has made ''One Minute to Zero'' an aviation film buff's favorite.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Eells, George. ''Robert Mitchum: A Biography.'' New York: Franklin Watts, 1984. . * Evans, Alun. ''Brassey's Guide to War Films''. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. . * Hanley, Charles J., Sang-Hun Choe and Martha Mendoza. '' The Bridge at No Gun Ri.'' New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2001. . * Jewell, Richard and Vernon Harbin. ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. . * Rode, Alan K. ''Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2007. . * Suid, Lawrence. ''Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image''. Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press, 2002. .

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:One Minute To Zero 1952 films 1950s war drama films American aviation films American black-and-white films American war drama films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Tay Garnett Films scored by Victor Young Films shot in Colorado Korean War films RKO Pictures films United States in the Korean War War romance films 1952 drama films 1950s American films