| Tango01 | 21 Apr 2014 8:57 p.m. PST |
What a superb film! "‘Hollywood meets D-Day' is probably the best way to describe the all-star spectacular The Longest Day released in 1962. Most of the key players in early 1960s Hollywood competed to be in the movie, including Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, George Segal, Robert Ryan, and John Wayne. The stars of the British cinema also lined up to appear including Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Leslie Philips, and Sean Connery – playing his last movie role before being cast as James Bond. Richard Burton, who was waiting to film Cleopatra, begged to be in the film and was given two small cameo scenes which he performed without payment. Several leading German and French actors also appeared. Many individuals, American, British, German, and French whose story is told in the film, from generals to junior officers, acted as consultants to advise on historical accuracy. Even Dwight D Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord who had been President of the United States for eight years, offered to appear as himself but the film makers thought it would be too difficult to make him look as he had been in 1944 and so his part was played by an unknown lookalike…"
Full article here.
link Amicalement
Armand |
| Byron1 | 21 Apr 2014 10:47 p.m. PST |
Some of the actors were actually involved with the D Day landings. Richard Todd served in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry before joining Parachute Regiment. He was among the first British officers to land in Normandy as part of Operation Overlord. His battalion were reinforcements that parachuted in after glider forces had landed and completed the main assault against Pegasus Bridge. He later met up with Major John Howard (the part he played in the film) on Pegasus Bridge and helped repel several German counterattacks. |
| Who asked this joker | 22 Apr 2014 6:44 a.m. PST |
Red Buttons played John Steele link the paratrooper who hung off the bell tower in St Mere Eglise for much of D-Day. He was talking to Mr Steele to try and get an idea of what his character was going through. Steele got a little annoyed, turned to Red and said some thing like "If anyone has to relive that day, I just assume it'd be you!" gave him a friendly slap on the back and walked off. It's a good film. When you compare it to Saving Private Ryan though, it shows how Hollywood was really adverse to showing the horrors of war. |
 Legion 4   | 22 Apr 2014 7:09 a.m. PST |
Saw it many times … was pretty darn good ! |
| Bellbottom | 22 Apr 2014 7:45 a.m. PST |
The poster is very one-sided, completely USA orientated. Having said that, it was a very good film for its day |
| Rich Bliss | 22 Apr 2014 9:45 a.m. PST |
Of course it's US oriented, they used it to advertise in the US. This is a great movie, I still watch it it annually, on June 6th, naturally. |
| Great War Ace | 22 Apr 2014 10:47 a.m. PST |
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 Herkybird | 22 Apr 2014 2:39 p.m. PST |
My favourite film on D-Day! |
| Ron W DuBray | 22 Apr 2014 3:03 p.m. PST |
I been watching this movie my hole life. Its the war movie I grade all other war movies on. |
| marcus arilius | 22 Apr 2014 5:00 p.m. PST |
"Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor" |
| marcus arilius | 22 Apr 2014 5:07 p.m. PST |
I just finished reading With Rommel in Normandy. Rommel points to Anzio as an example of the failure of the Grand Counter attack to drive the Allies into the sea. |
| jgibbons | 22 Apr 2014 5:47 p.m. PST |
Eddie Albert wasn't at D-Day but won a Brpnze Star at Tarawa… |
 Mserafin | 22 Apr 2014 6:47 p.m. PST |
Eddie Albert wasn't at D-Day but won a Bronze Star at Tarawa… If I recall correctly, he played a total coward in this movie: link I wonder how a guy who won a Bronze Star at Tarawa feels playing a coward? |
| Marc33594 | 23 Apr 2014 4:29 a.m. PST |
And don't forget the catchy theme song :) |
| ironicon | 25 Apr 2014 12:22 p.m. PST |
It's good if you are thirteen years old. |
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
