1977 - MACARTHUR, the Cliff's notes version of the General's life

The producer Frank McCarthy who had filmed Patton for 20th Century Fox, took another shot at a famous egomaniac military guy,  General Douglas MacArthur.  The budget was a lot less than Patton and the finished film was a lot less as well.

The approach in this film was a greatest hits of MacArthur during World War II film.  You get the escape from the Philippines, the " I shall return" stuff, conflicts with President Truman, MacArthur's rule of post war Japan.  It's all interesting but it's a lot more interesting in a good MacArthur biography like William Manchester's American Caesar.

Gregory Peck plays MacArthur and that's kind of the problem, it's just good old Gregory Peck acting the same way he does in every film he was ever in, another solid unexciting performance.  MacArthur was a very flamboyant character.

The film was made at Universal Studios so you get the usual semi cheapskate production, lots of stock footage and matte paintings trying to make the film look like an expansive war epic.

130 minutes written by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins.