"British Army Brigadier John Ormsby Evelyn ‘JOE’ Vandeleur" Topic

"As Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion Irish Guards he led the breakout of XXX Corps during Operation Market-Garden. In the movie "A bridge too far" he is played by the famous actor Michael Caine:
Lt. General Horrocks:[…] "The Irish Guards, under the command of Colonel Vandeleur, will take the lead."
Lt. Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur: [whispering to his adjutant] "Christ, not us again."
Lt. General Horrocks: [Hearing Vandeleur's statement to his adjutant] "What do you say to that, J.O.E?"
Lt. Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur: [getting up from his chair and addressing General Horrocks] "Uh, delighted, sir. Truly delighted."

US Airborne Major Julian Aaron Cook

"Julian Aaron Cook gained fame during WWII for his crossing of the Waal river during Operation Market Garden in 1944. As Cook's first wave began their crossing, the wind blew away the smokescreen, leaving the men in the water open and visible to the German guns. As a Catholic, Cook loudly recited Hail Mary during the crossing, spurring his men on under the withering fire. He took charge of the boats and pushed the men along. Once ashore, they cleared the river bank, assaulted the railway bridge over the highway leading to the main road bridge in the village of Lent. Cook was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross."

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Amicalement
Armand

With a moustache and a mug of tea what's not to like…

Except you have to buy two figures of the same man and the price is a killer.

And Major Cook was played by the famous American actor Robert Redford.

Yes, Michael Cain played J.O.E. in A Bridge Too Far. And Redford MAJ Cook. One of my favorite movies, and Operations.

IIRC there are DZs at both Bragg and Campbell to this day named Nijmegen and Sonn …

I often wonder how much the real people found ways of putting the actors in their place.
In the film, Caine wears a green scarf. The book also states Vandeleur wore a green scarf. Yet in 'The Making of A Bridge Too Far', (a paperback I have sadly lost) which had interviews with cast and officers portrayed, Caine stated that he supplied the scarf himself and it was green because it was the only colour he had: Vandeleur told him he had never owned a green scarf because he hated the colour.
Urquart said 'his wife and daughter were thrilled' that he was played by Sean Connery, but he himself never watched films and so had never heard of him.
Frost was very critical of Anthony Hopkins in the battle scenes; Hopkins later stated that Frost took an instant dislike to him. Oddly, I remember photos of many actors together with their real-life counterparts: but not Frost & Hopkins.

Interesting…. thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

No surprise that sometimes the real guys do not like the actors portraying them. However, I thought they did a pretty god job of their portrayals. But I was not there … so …