Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? 1970

In the southern United States, Col. Flanders commands a U.S. Army base and dreams of bettering relations with the local community by staging a big, friendly event. To pull it off, he assigns Warrant Officer Michael M. Nace, [Brian Keith], sergeants Shannon Gambroni, [Tony Curtis], and Sgt. Jones, [Ivan Dixon], along with Capt. Myerson, [Bradford Dillman], to organize a town-wide dance and keep security tight, hoping goodwill will bloom without inviting trouble.

A tense undercurrent runs through the town, led by Billy Joe Davis, a prominent local bigot who finds support in Sheriff Harve, [Ernest Borgnine]. Harve has his own claim on Ramona, [Suzanne Pleshette], a pretty barfly he believes should belong to him, and the friction between the townsfolk and the military men grows when Harve learns that Gambroni may be involved with Ramona. When Harve catches Gambroni and Ramona together, he doesn’t hesitate to arrest Gambroni for lewd conduct in public, escalating the strain between civilians and the base.

Meanwhile, Nace is shown to be unreliable, and Jones—who is Black—faces a sting of prejudice when Mr. Kruft, [Arthur O’Connell], a local banker, refuses him a loan. The denial fuels Jones’s anger and sets in motion a plan to spring Gambroni from jail, deepening the clash between the town’s power structure and the soldiers stationed there.

The situation explodes when Billy Joe calls in his armed militia and Harve buys into the chaos, pressing the base’s men to respond. In a bold, reckless move, Nace steals a tank from the base and engages the town’s forces, while Harve captures three soldiers as prisoners, turning a social mission into a fight for control.

Driven by the tank’s rampage, Nace and Jones wheel into town and unleash havoc: they crush a statue dedicated to a Confederate war hero and crash through the jail, enabling Gambroni to break out and flee the courthouse chaos. The town is left in disarray as the crowd absorbs the spectacle and the consequences of their leader’s actions.

By the time Col. Flanders and his convoy arrive, order begins to return to the streets. The town’s mayor severs Sheriff Harve’s abusive authority by firing him, and the military personnel commit to repairing the damage caused by the tank and the ensuing turmoil. In the end, the community is reminded of the fragile balance between local power and military responsibility, and the soldiers pledge to help restore what was broken while reaffirming their commitment to the town’s safety.