The Steel Lady

The previous review is ridiculous. This was a fascinating adventure yarn that had me riveted when I saw it at age 12. It is about a plane crash in the desert where the survivors discover a buried WWII tank after a storm exposes the turret. The idea of fixing up a tank that has been in the desert for 10 years with the remnants of a plane crash, (oil gas, parts,) is totally possible. Our government stores planes, tanks, trucks etc. in the desert because they do not rust or deteriorate. I have not been able to see it since as it is not available anywhere, as far as I know. For a '50s adventure movie it is great.

I saw this movie on television at least twice, and I still remember it as enjoyable. I guess it is the treasure-hunter in me that enjoys the idea of a lost german tank being rediscovered in the desert with a fortune of stolen jewels in it. As far as the possibility of being able to resurrect the tank, I have seen mechanics who could take a pile of junk parts and turn them into whatever they wanted to. after all, didn't the A-Team do this on every episode? The movie had enough action to keep it going, and character actors such as John Dehner didn't hurt either. All in all, it's a simple escapist movie. I would even consider buying it if it were released.

I believe this was one of the old movies bought up by Ted Turner as part of the MGM library he bought some years ago. I have a copy on VHS tape from a late night run on Turner's TNT network.

It is without doubt that the movie was shot on a tight budget. For instance we only see the plane crash from a head on inside view of the plane. You could even tell that at impact not all of the actors lurched forward at the same time. When they find the German tank it's hull machine gun is gone and only a hole exists in the hull were it used to be. The machine gun they use is located in the turrent and they have no ammunition for the main gun. It is doubtful that even if they could get the engine running that the wheels and track would move since the grease would have dried up years before. But in spite of these budget/story shortcomings the movie is pretty good overall. I felt the cast did as good a job as possible all things considered. Overall I would rather watch this low budget movie from the early 50's then many of the low budget movies cranked out today using computer generated special effects which also seem to substitute for decent acting and an original storyline.

I remember seeing it once about 40 years ago when I was about 7, and it just stuck with me: The image of those guys digging in that sand dune and finding that cool WWII Afrikakorp tank with the witch painted on the turret; pure adventure. I never knew the title, but today I decided to do a plot search on IMDB and finally discovered it after all these years. I do remember it as being ultimately unsatisfying, but it's amazing how one solid image can last in a kid's mind. Will try to rent it for old time's sake.

It's great to see that this "B" movie hasn't been totally forgotten. In the early/mid '50's there was a movie house in E. Weymouth, MA (The Victor) that charged 14 cents for kids' admission to Saturday matinée's. The films they showed were of the type that became TV 'movietime' fodder later in the 50's, but until then, for 14 cents you got to see a decent double feature on the big screen - great audio, in "air conditioned comfort." Steel Lady was the film I remember most out of dozens of Saturday potboilers. The plot was totally plausible to a ten year old, and it's good to see that some other reviewers are willing to cut it some slack, even today. I look forward to finding a copy to see how it has held up.