War is Hell
Film poster
Directed by	Burt Topper
Written by	Burt Topper
Produced by	Burt Topper
Starring	Baynes Barron Michael Bell
Narrated by	Audie Murphy
Cinematography	Jacques Marquette
Edited by	Ace Herman
Music by	Ronald Stein
Distributed by	Allied Artists
Release date	September 6, 1961 (International release) October 23, 1963 (1963-10-23) (US release)
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

War is Hell is a 1961 American war film written, produced and directed by Burt Topper. The film stars Baynes Barron and Michael Bell and is narrated by Audie Murphy. A featured cast member is Judy Dan.

Plot

Set during the Korean War, the film depicts the atrocities of battle. Sgt. Garth (Barron), a bloodthirsty egomaniac, neglects to tell his soldiers that there has been a cease fire. The sergeant sends his unit into an enemy bunker, where they are fiercely attacked by the enemy. The few who survive secure the bunker, and Garth attempts to take credit for their actions. Further chaos ensues, resulting in the deaths of many in the platoon, as well as a mortal wound to the sergeant.

Cast

Release

The film ran in Japan and West Germany in late 1961, sometimes titled War Hero. Its release in the US was delayed, with some of the cast and crew suspecting that distributors were put off by the depiction of an American war criminal.^[1] It was finally released in 1963, with Audie Murphy's narration added to soften the film's message,^[1] and distributed by United Artists the next year on a double bill below the James Bond film From Russia with Love.^[2]

Legacy

War Is Hell has been noted as the last Hollywood Korean War film, coming just as the United States was building its presence in Vietnam. However, its artistic aspects have been overshadowed by the coincidence that it was playing (along with Cry of Battle) at the Texas Theatre in Dallas the afternoon of November 22, 1963, when Lee Harvey Oswald hid there after shooting President John F. Kennedy and police officer J. D. Tippit.