The Steel Claw

The Steel Claw is a 1961 wartime drama set in the Philippines during World War II. It is an action-adventure film about a handicapped former Marine on a mission to rescue an officer in the early days of the Japanese invasion. The Steel Claw was directed and co-scripted by its star, George Montgomery. It has no relation to the comic book series Steel Claw. Plot Capt. John Larsen, a Marine, stationed in the Philippines, loses a hand in an accident and is discharged from the Corps. An American general is held captive by Filipino guerrillas behind Japanese lines and Larsen is later re-enlisted to rescue him. He fastens a steel prosthetic hook, the “steel claw” of the title, and embarks on the mission to rescue the general which leads him and his team, (his pal Santana and a band of guerillas), deep into the Philippines where love and death await them. Cast George Montgomery as Capt. John Larsen Charito Luna as Lolita Mario Barri as Santana Paul Sorensen as Gen. Frank Powers Amelia De La Rama as Christina Carmen Austin as Rosa Ben Perez as Dolph Rodriguez Ferde Grofe Jr. as the Commander (credited as John MacGloan)