Ice Cold in Alex is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. Under the title Desert Attack, a shortened, 79-minute version of the film was released in the United States in 1961. Film critic Craig Butler later referred to the shortened versions as nonsensical.
British film poster
Publicity poster for the North American release of the film. The ambulance "Katy" has become stuck in the sand.
Sir John Mills was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portrayed guileless, wounded war heroes. In 1971, he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan's Daughter.
Mills in the 1979 serial Quatermass
Mills (middle) with Alastair Sim and Yvonne Mitchell in Escapade (1955)
Mills handprints from 1985 at Leicester Square, London
The Wick on Richmond Hill in Richmond, Greater London, was the family home for many years.
