The Steel Lady

I watched this movie several times when I was about 5 years old. All my older siblings were off to school, and my mother was doing her morning chores. I used to dream about finding that tank in the desert and driving off in it to defeat the bad guys. For years I've been trying to find a copy of it, and I am thrilled to know there are others who remember and enjoyed it as much as I did! I'm surprised there hasn't been a modern remake yet. It's hard to comment though on the quality of acting or direction when you haven't seen this movie since you were too young to know about that stuff, but from a kids point of view, I'd have to say this movie has everything an adventure-minded boy of the 50's and 60's would want to see in a movie.

I have seen this film at least 5 time as a viewer from my early teens through late 20's and as a U.S. Army Post theater projectionist I ran the film every night for four days. The picture is about several oil men in a multi-engine transport plane that gets caught in a sand storm which chokes up the engines forcing the pilot to crash-land in the middle of the desert (I believe the Flight of the Phoenix films were remakes of this movie). Using parts from the plane they use to refurbish a German WWII army tank they find (The German name on the side of the tank translates roughly to The Steel Lady), they fight their way to the rescue point for a very heroic ending I will not give away. Decently acted and a must see. I give it a high rating of 8.

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.

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 first saw this movie on television in the 60s, and still remember it for its feel of adventure( finding a lost German tank after a sandstorm) and enjoyed some intersting to watch B-movie character actors (Rod Cameron, John Dehner, Tab Hunter as a young hero-worshiping oil hand, and others). The running fights between the tank and the arabs was also fairly well-staged. I have hoped for years that this movie would be finally offered on VHS. I would definitely buy it. Although its scope is considerably smaller than Bogart's SAHARA(a WW2 movie about a wayward tank and its crew struggling to survive) it still holds up well as a simple adventure feature and I'd love it to see it again..