"As someone who was around long before the movie, I can attest to the fact that Patton held a unique place in the US version of the history of WWII. I was well versed in discussions about IF "he hadn't slapped that soldier". "he'd learned to be more careful of what he said to the press", "he hadn't sent that task force off to rescue his son-in-law", etc., etc. I'm sure the movie raised the public awareness of Georgie, but most people would still have an idea who he was. I honestly think Bradley got a bigger push from the flick than George did...doubt that anyone would know his name without the collateral advertising done by the movie."
The above is what I posted in an earlier thread on the same topic, still applies here. Patton was a very big deal in the American psyche long before the movie, prompted in part by the peculiar timing of his death. Dead or alive, movie or no, you can't tell the history of the American participation in the war in Europe without according Patton a position of prominence in the telling. He was already a legend...