The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)

The story is about five World War II Allied Generals who were captured in a Tunisian Turkish bath by the Italians and at once taken to a sumptuous Italian villa that is their prison… The villa is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ferrucci (Vito Scotti). The five generals cannot agree on an escape plan… General Homer Prentiss (James Gregory) of Army Public Relations decides to enlist the services of Private Frigg (Newman) in arranging the generals' escape… Frigg, it seems, is a rebel and consummate escape artist who lands constantly in the stockade and he might well apply his rare skills to release the generals… Frigg is promoted to Major General, and is sent in to lead them out… But once at the villa, he falls for the beautiful Contessa (Koscina), and keeps delaying the escape…Newman is amusing as the silly officer who must pass himself off as a cultured general who is too modern and cool in his role… If you are looking for a nice comedy, the film is humorous and, as usual, Sylva Koscina is so lovely to look at

This was a fun, light comedy with Paul Newman and a number of other familiar faces (Tom Bosley, James Gregory, Jacques Roux, etc).Newman plays a private promoted to a 2-star general in order to rescue five 1-star generals who have been captured in WWII Italy. There is a haphazard love story that is nonetheless fairly sweet, and several entertaining one-liners that make the movie very enjoyable.Some stereotypes are a bit heavy-handed, but it's all in good fun and not really offensive to anyone, except maybe Nazis. Too bad for them...Probably my favourite movie, although not the best I have ever seen. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This movie changed my life!I know this sounds like a melodramatic exaggeration, but it's true. The scene in which Harry is asked to name his favorite restaurant had happened to me in similar circumstances not six months before this movie was released in the theaters. I knew exactly how he felt. I am sure many of watching this movie might be able to relate to this. I determined, like Harry, to do something about it so that I wouldn't be embarrassed like that again. I couldn't afford to become an expert on "Chateau LaTour 1932", so I decided to become an expert on French onion soup. Sounds silly, and it was, but I was a young salesman and traveling all over the U.S., Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe. It wasn't too hard to collect names of restaurants from far flung places that had superior French onion soup. And I am amazed to this day how handy this pedantic info has come in at fancy-shmancy parties!Other than this personal note, I still find the movie as fresh today as when I originally saw it. I have had the pleasure of introducing it to hundreds of new viewers over the years. Almost without exception it is adored by young and old alike.There are all sorts of technical inaccuracies if you want to be picky. But this film is what movies were intended to be ... pure entertainment! I give it my highest recommendation.

Some of the movies I get to see on movie channels that play older movies are well worth the extra few dollars a month to the cable company. This was one of those movies. Not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but very entertaining, funny in a quirky way, well worth a look.