Review of Carter's Army

In commenting on African-Americans in film and television in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1970 with the TV movie Carter's Army (a.k.a. The Black Brigade which is the title on my double-sided $1 DVD which has Bill Cosby's To All My Friends on Shore on the other side). A racist white army captain played by Stephen Boyd is assigned to recruit several black men to guard a bridge that the Germans want to take over. Of course, he changes through the course of the movie. Robert Hooks is the Leutenant who has among his men: Moses Gunn, Glynn Turman, Billy Dee Williams, Rosie Grier, and Richard Pryor. Susan Oliver is the German lady who brings out the worst in Boyd after he sees Hooks plant her a kiss in thanking her for advice and compliments. The other men have some good scenes and lines before their fates are revealed. I was amused at some of the comedy between Grier and Pryor with Pryor making us wonder after a while what kind of man he really is. Co-written and produced by Aaron Spelling, he does what he can in presenting a compelling dramatization of a World War II event in less than 90 minutes with commercial breaks. Worth a look for both as a depiction of a historical event and in seeing Pryor and Williams before their roles in feature films like Lady Sings the Blues, Hit, and The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars & Motor Kings.