The Last Days of Patton is a 1986 CBS Made-for-TV Movie directed by Delbert Mann, which depicts General George S. Patton from shortly after the Germans' defeat in World War II up until his car accident and subsequent death. It is a sequel to the 1970 film Patton, with George C. Scott reprising his role as Patton, Eva Marie Saint as his wife Beatrice "Bea" Ayer Patton, and Richard Dysart as General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The film starts on June 8, 1945 with Patton in Boston, Massachusetts as part of a war bond selling tour across the continental US. Despite wanting to go to the Pacific and fight the Japanese, after the tour concludes Patton returns to postwar Germany and takes up residence at Third Army Headquarters to begin his position as Military Governor of Bavaria. On his way to his headquarters he stops at a POW camp and, noticing its poor condition, orders the POWs to clean it up for inspection and begins drilling them. Patton also establishes connections with the local leaders even though most of them had strong ties to the Nazi party.
Patton's actions in regards to former Nazis brings him into conflict with both US civilian leaders and his military superiors, as they conflict with the Allies' de-Nazification policy. Eisenhower summons Patton to his headquarters and orders him to comply with the de-Nazification policy by removing Germans who had been affiliated with the Nazi party from the postwar government. However, Patton gets into further trouble by continuing to use former Nazis in rebuilding Germany, having POWs train as he hopes to attach Russia with them, and telling reporters that the majority of former Nazis were the equivalent of American Democrats or Republicans. A furious Eisenhower relieves Patton of command of the Third Army and his governorship. Patton is reassigned to the 15th US Army - an "army of clerks" who were compiling the official history of the war for the United States. Increasingly unhappy with his situation Patton writes home to his wife to tell her that when he comes home for leave on December 10 he was not going to return to Europe unless it was to fight the Russians.
On December 9 Patton's friend Gen. Hobart 'Hap' Gay invites Patton to go pheasant hunting near Spyer. On the way there the vehicle Patton is riding in collides with a truck. While the other passengers only suffer minor injuries, Patton can't move nor can he feel anything below his neck. He is taken to a hospital in Heidelberg where it's discovered Patton had a fractured C-3 vertebra and a posterior dislocation of the C-4 vertebra. The doctors are able to stabilize his condition and his wife Bea flies over to be with him. During this time he flashes back to earlier points in his life, including his time at VMI, marrying his wife Beatrice, and showing off a model tank to dubious government officials.
The US government soon decides that if Patton is going to die that they really don't want it to happen on German soil, and insist Patton be flown back to the states, even though none of Patton's doctors feel he can be transported. Washington is insistent, so the doctors wrap him in a plaster cast, even though they know there a high risk of an embolism. Patton soon develops the embolism the doctors feared would happen, and he begins to slip away from them. As Patton takes his final breaths, a local boys choir goes up and down the halls, singing Silent Night. Patton remembers standing by the family piano as a child next to his father and sister, with his mother playing the piano as they all sang Silent Night. Patton utters his final word, "Papa" before he passes away.
This film provides examples of:
- Artistic License – History: The film makes no mention of Patton traveling to various cities through Europe during his days in command of the 15th Army - such as Paris, Chartres, Brussels, Metz, Reims, Luxembourg, Stockholm, and Verdun. Nor does it mention his brief command of US Army - Europe after Eisenhower returned to the US.
- Covered with Scars: The doctors notice that Patton has a lot of scars on his body and assume that Patton had gotten them all in combat. Patton corrects them and tells them that the only combat scar was on his rump when he turned around on a World War I battlefield to ensure his troops were following him. Patton informs the doctors the other scars were from participating in sporting events or getting thrown while riding a horse.
- Death Seeker: Patton briefly becomes one after first being admitted to the hospital, not wanting to go on if he will be paralyzed for the rest of his life.Patton: If there's no doubt in your minds that I'm going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life, let's cut out all this crap right now and let me die.
- Fading Away: Even though Patton tries to keep up a brave face to his wife, nurses, and the doctors Bea notices that he seems to be slipping away from them. This becomes especially evident after he develops the embolism that would soon take his life.
- Failed Future Forecast: Even though the relations between the Russians and the other allies had become quite frosty shortly after the end of the war, the full scale war Patton predicted as happening in 1950 never took place.
- Foregone Conclusion: As this is a Dramatization of the last months and days of Patton's life, audiences familiar with the real life Patton's history will go in knowing that he will be involved in an automobile accident which will later claim his life.
- Heal It with Booze: Bea purchases a bottle of one of Patton's favorite whiskeys at the hospital PX. The doctors agree to add a teaspoon of the whiskey to his daily medications as long as his condition allows. Word soon leaks out that Patton is getting sips of whiskey, which is taken by a positive sign by the public.
- Ignored Expert: The medical personnel in Heidelberg all agree that while Patton is largely in stable condition it still isn't safe yet to move him. Washington ignores this and orders him brought back to the US, leading to the embolism that finally kills him.
- Intrepid Reporter: The hospital in Heidelberg has to deal with a roomful of such reporters until hospital administration is authorized to bar them from the premises except for briefings and condition updates. Some of the reporters complain about "freedom of the press" when the orders barring them are first invoked.
- Sanity Slippage: Patton's friends and colleagues become increasingly concerned about his statements and actions before the accident, wondering if various injuries he suffered over the years caught up with him.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!:
- Patton insists on continuing to use former Nazi officials and also training POWs - even though many of the officials are POWs are former SS officers. This gets him into a considerable amount of hot water with Eisenhower and other officials.
- After the accident, Col. Glen Spurling allows Patton's niece Jean Gordon to visit her uncle, even though it's against hospital regulations.
