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The Longest Day (book)

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 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)
The Longest Day

Author
Cornelius Ryan
Language
English
Subject
Normandy landings
Genre
World War II history

Publication date
 1959
The Longest Day is a book by Cornelius Ryan published in 1959, telling the story of D-Day, the first day of the World War II invasion of Normandy. It includes details of Operation Deadstick, the coup de main operation by gliderborne troops to capture both Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge before the main assault on the Normandy beaches. It sold tens of millions of copies in eighteen different languages.[1]
The book is not a dry military history, but rather a story about people, and reads at times like a novel. It is based on interviews with a cross-section of participants, including U.S., Canadian, British, French and German officers and civilians.
The book begins and ends in the village of La Roche-Guyon. The book refers to the village as being the most occupied village in occupied France and states that for each of the 543 inhabitants of La Roche-Guyon there were more than 3 German soldiers in the village and surrounding area. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel commander-in-chief of Army Group B had his headquarters in the castle of the village which was the seat of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld.
Ryan's book is divided into three parts: the first part is titled The Wait, the second part is named The Night and the third part is named The Day. The book includes a section on the casualties of D-Day and also lists the contributors including their service details on the day of the invasion and their occupations at the time the book was first published.
Researchers spent almost three years locating survivors of D-Day and over 3000 interviews were undertaken in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France and Germany. 383 accounts of D Day were used in the text of the book.
Senior Allied officers who assisted the author included General Maxwell D. Taylor, Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan and General Sir Richard Nelson Gale. German officers who assisted with the book included Generaloberst Franz Halder, Hauptmann Hellmuth Lang and General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt. The author also used Allied and German post action reports, War diaries, histories and official records.
On 6 June 1965, the author published an article "More of The Longest Day" on Reader's Digest as a supplement.[2]
Cornelius Ryan dedicated his book for all the men of D Day.
The book takes its name from a comment made by Erwin Rommel to his aide Hauptmann Helmuth Lang on 22 April 1944: "...the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive...the fate of Germany depends on the outcome...for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day."
The Longest Day is also the name of a 1962 film based on the book, featuring many star actors.
References and notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Michael Shapiro (May–June 2010). "The Reporter Who Time Forgot". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
2.Jump up ^ "Cornelius Ryan Collection of World War II Papers". Manuscript Collection. Retrieved 2013-12-23.


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The Longest Day (book)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search



 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)
The Longest Day
 
Author
Cornelius Ryan
Language
English
Subject
Normandy landings
Genre
World War II history

Publication date
 1959
The Longest Day is a book by Cornelius Ryan published in 1959, telling the story of D-Day, the first day of the World War II invasion of Normandy. It includes details of Operation Deadstick, the coup de main operation by gliderborne troops to capture both Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge before the main assault on the Normandy beaches. It sold tens of millions of copies in eighteen different languages.[1]
The book is not a dry military history, but rather a story about people, and reads at times like a novel. It is based on interviews with a cross-section of participants, including U.S., Canadian, British, French and German officers and civilians.
The book begins and ends in the village of La Roche-Guyon. The book refers to the village as being the most occupied village in occupied France and states that for each of the 543 inhabitants of La Roche-Guyon there were more than 3 German soldiers in the village and surrounding area. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel commander-in-chief of Army Group B had his headquarters in the castle of the village which was the seat of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld.
Ryan's book is divided into three parts: the first part is titled The Wait, the second part is named The Night and the third part is named The Day. The book includes a section on the casualties of D-Day and also lists the contributors including their service details on the day of the invasion and their occupations at the time the book was first published.
Researchers spent almost three years locating survivors of D-Day and over 3000 interviews were undertaken in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France and Germany. 383 accounts of D Day were used in the text of the book.
Senior Allied officers who assisted the author included General Maxwell D. Taylor, Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan and General Sir Richard Nelson Gale. German officers who assisted with the book included Generaloberst Franz Halder, Hauptmann Hellmuth Lang and General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt. The author also used Allied and German post action reports, War diaries, histories and official records.
On 6 June 1965, the author published an article "More of The Longest Day" on Reader's Digest as a supplement.[2]
Cornelius Ryan dedicated his book for all the men of D Day.
The book takes its name from a comment made by Erwin Rommel to his aide Hauptmann Helmuth Lang on 22 April 1944: "...the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive...the fate of Germany depends on the outcome...for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day."
The Longest Day is also the name of a 1962 film based on the book, featuring many star actors.
References and notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Michael Shapiro (May–June 2010). "The Reporter Who Time Forgot". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
2.Jump up ^ "Cornelius Ryan Collection of World War II Papers". Manuscript Collection. Retrieved 2013-12-23.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Cornelius Ryan

 
World War II trilogy
The Longest Day (film adaptation) ·
 The Last Battle ·
 A Bridge Too Far (film adaptation)
 
 
Other
Cornelius Ryan Award
 

  


Categories: History books about World War II
1959 books
Works about Operation Overlord






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This page was last modified on 22 April 2014, at 22:13.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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The Longest Day (film)

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Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see The Longest Day.

The Longest Day
Original movie poster for the film The Longest Day.jpg
original movie poster

Directed by
Ken Annakin (British & French exteriors)
Andrew Marton (American exteriors)
Bernhard Wicki (German episodes)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck
Screenplay by
Cornelius Ryan
Romain Gary
James Jones
David Pursall
Jack Seddon

Based on
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
Starring
John Wayne
Henry Fonda
Robert Mitchum
Sean Connery
Eddie Albert
Curd Jürgens
Richard Todd
Richard Burton
Peter Lawford
Rod Steiger
Irina Demick
Gert Fröbe
Edmond O'Brien
Kenneth More

Music by
Maurice Jarre
Cinematography
Jean Bourgoin
Walter Wottitz

Edited by
Samuel E. Beetley

Production
 company

Darryl F. Zanuck Productions, Inc.

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release dates

September 25, 1962 (France, U.S.)
October 4, 1962 (Canada)
October 23, 1962 (Germany, Mexico, UK)


Running time
 178 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
German
French

Budget
$7.75 million[1]
Box office
$50,100,000[2]
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on Cornelius Ryan's book The Longest Day (1959), about the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, who paid author Ryan $175,000 for the film rights.[3] The screenplay was by Ryan, with additional material written by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall and Jack Seddon. It was directed by Ken Annakin (British and French exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), and Bernhard Wicki (German scenes).
The Longest Day, which was made in black and white, features a large ensemble cast including John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Steve Forrest, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Hunter, Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Rod Steiger, Leo Genn, Gert Fröbe, Irina Demick, Bourvil, Curt Jürgens, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka and Arletty. Many of these actors played roles that were essentially cameo appearances. In addition, several cast members – including Fonda, Genn, More, Steiger and Todd – saw action as servicemen during the war, with Todd actually being among the first British officers to land in Normandy in Operation Overlord and he in fact participated in the assault on Pegasus Bridge.
The film employed several Axis and Allied military consultants who had been actual participants on D-Day. Many had their roles re-enacted in the film. These included: Günther Blumentritt (a former German general), James M. Gavin (an American general), Frederick Morgan (Deputy Chief of Staff at SHAEF), John Howard (who led the airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge), Lord Lovat (who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Pierre Koenig (who commanded the Free French Forces in the invasion), Max Pemsel (a German general), Werner Pluskat (the major who was the first German officer to see the invasion fleet), Josef "Pips" Priller (the hot-headed pilot) and Lucie Rommel (widow of German Gen. Erwin Rommel).


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast 2.1 American
2.2 British
2.3 French
2.4 German
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Casting
4 Release
5 Awards & nominations
6 References 6.1 Bibliography
7 External links

Plot[edit]
The movie is filmed in the style of a docudrama. Beginning in the days leading up to D-Day, it concentrates on events on both sides of the channel, such as the Allies waiting for the break in the poor weather and anticipating the reaction of the Axis forces defending northern France. The film pays particular attention to the decision by Gen. Eisenhower, supreme commander of SHAEF, to go after reviewing the initial bad-weather reports as well as reports about the divisions within the German High Command as to where an invasion might happen or what the response to it should be.
Numerous scenes document the early hours of 6 June when Allied airborne troops were sent in to take key locations inland from the beaches. The French resistance is also shown reacting to the news that an invasion has started. The Longest Day chronicles most of the important events surrounding D-Day, from the British glider missions to secure Pegasus Bridge, the counterattacks launched by American paratroopers scattered around Sainte-Mère-Église, the infiltration and sabotage work conducted by the French resistance and SOE agents to the response by the Wehrmacht to the invasion and the uncertainty of German commanders as to whether it was a feint in preparation for crossings at the Pas de Calais (see Operation Fortitude), where the senior German staff had always assumed it would be.
Set-piece scenes include the parachute drop into Sainte-Mère-Église, the advance inshore from the Normandy beaches, the US Ranger Assault Group's assault on the Pointe du Hoc, the attack on Ouistreham by Free French Forces and the strafing of the beaches by two lone Luftwaffe pilots.
The film concludes with a montage showing various Allied units consolidating their beachheads before the advance inland to liberate France.
Cast[edit]
American[edit]

Actor
Role
Eddie Albert Colonel Thompson, 29th Infantry Division
Paul Anka Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Richard Beymer Private Arthur 'Dutch' Schultz, 82nd Airborne Division
Red Buttons Private John Steele, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
John Crawford Colonel Eugene Caffey, Commander, 1st Engineer Special Brigade
Gary Collins Officer on destroyer bridge
Mark Damon Private Harris
Ray Danton Captain Frank, 29th Infantry Division
Fred Dur Major, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Fabian Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Mel Ferrer Major General Robert Haines, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)
Henry Fonda Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Assistant Commander, 4th Infantry Division
Steve Forrest Captain Harding, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Henry Grace General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces
Peter Helm Young private, 29th Infantry Division
Jeffrey Hunter Sergeant John H. Fuller, combat engineer, 29th Infantry Division
Alexander Knox Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff, SHAEF
Dewey Martin Private Wilder
Roddy McDowall Private Morris, 4th Infantry Division
John Meillon Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces
Sal Mineo Private Martini, 82nd Airborne Division
Robert Mitchum Brigadier General Norman Cota, Assistant Commander, 29th Infantry Division
Tony Mordente Cook, 82nd Airborne Division
Bill Nagy Major, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Edmond O'Brien Major General Raymond O. Barton, Commander, 4th Infantry Division
Ron Randell Joe Williams, war correspondent
Robert Ryan Brigadier General James M. Gavin, Assistant Commander, 82nd Airborne Division
Tommy Sands Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
George Segal Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Bob Steele Paratrooper, 82nd Airborne Division
Rod Steiger Destroyer commander, United States Navy
Nicholas Stuart Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, Commander, First Army
Tom Tryon Lieutenant Wilson, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Robert Wagner Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Joe Warfield Army medic
John Wayne Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort, CO, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Stuart Whitman Lieutenant Sheen, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
British[edit]

Actor
Role
Patrick Barr Group Captain James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Adviser, SHAEF
Lyndon Brook Lieutenant Walsh, "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Richard Burton Flying Officer David Campbell, Royal Air Force fighter pilot
Bryan Coleman Ronald Callen, war correspondent
Sean Connery Private Flanagan, 3rd Infantry Division
Richard Dawson British soldier
Jack Hedley 6th Airborne Division briefing officer
Leslie de Laspee Piper Bill Millin, 1st Special Service Brigade
Frank Finlay Private Coke
Harry Fowler Soldier, 6th Airborne Division
Bernard Fox Lance-Corporal Hutchinson, Royal Armoured Corps
Leo Genn Major-general at SHAEF
Harold Goodwin Soldier in glider
John Gregson Padre, 6th Airborne Division
Walter Horsbrugh Rear-Admiral George Creasy, Chief of Staff to Admiral Ramsay
Donald Houston RAF fighter pilot in mess
Patrick Jordan British officer
Simon Lack Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Expeditionary Air Force
Harry Landis British soldier
Peter Lawford Brigadier Lord Lovat, Commander, 1st Special Service Brigade
Neil McCallum Canadian medical officer
Victor Maddern Cook
Howard Marion-Crawford Major Jacob Vaughan, Medical Officer, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Michael Medwin Private Watney, Universal Carrier driver, 3rd Infantry Division
Kenneth More Acting Captain Colin Maud, Royal Navy Beachmaster, Juno Beach
Louis Mounier Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces
Leslie Phillips RAF officer with French Resistance
Siân Phillips Wren assistant to Stagg
Trevor Reid General Sir Bernard Montgomery, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Armies
John Robinson Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief
Norman Rossington Lance-Corporal Clough, 3rd Infantry Division
Richard Todd Major John Howard, OC, "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Richard Wattis Major, 6th Airborne Division
French[edit]

Actor
Role
Arletty Madame Barrault, resident of Sainte-Mère-Église
Jean-Louis Barrault Father Louis Roulland, parish priest of Sainte-Mère-Église
Yves Barsacq French Resistance man, Caen
André Bourvil Alphonse Lenaux, Mayor of Colleville-sur-Mer
Pauline Carton Louis's housekeeper
Jean Champion French Resistance man, Caen
Irina Demick Janine Boitard, French Resistance, Caen
Bernard Fresson Fusilier Marin Commando
Clément Harari Arrested man
Fernand Ledoux Louis, elderly farmer
Christian Marquand Capitaine de Corvette Philippe Kieffer, CO, 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos
Maurice Poli Jean, French Resistance, Caen
Madeleine Renaud Mother superior in Ouistreham
Georges Rivière Second-Maître Guy de Montlaur, 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos
Jean Servais Contre-amiral Robert Jaujard, Commander, 4th Cruiser Division, Free French Naval Forces
Alice Tissot Lenaux's housekeeper
Georges Wilson Alexandre Renaud, Mayor of Sainte-Mère-Église
Dominique Zardi Spitfire pilot
German[edit]

Actor
Role
Hans Christian Blech Major Werner Pluskat, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Wolfgang Büttner Generalleutnant Dr. Hans Speidel, Chief of Staff, Army Group B
Eugene Deckers Major in church
Robert Freitag Meyer's aide
Gert Fröbe Unteroffizier "Kaffeekanne" ("coffee pot")
Walter Gotell German soldier
Paul Hartmann Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander, OB West
Ruth Hausmeister Lucie Rommel, Rommel's wife
Michael Hinz Manfred Rommel, Rommel's son
Werner Hinz Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, Commander, Army Group B
Karl John Generalleutnant Wolfgang Häger, Luftwaffe Kommando West
Curt Jürgens General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt, Chief of Staff, OB West
Til Kiwe Hauptmann Helmuth Lang, ADC to Rommel
Wolfgang Lukschy Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, Chief of Operations, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Kurt Meisel Hauptmann Ernst Düring
Richard Münch General der Artillerie Erich Marcks, Commander, LXXXIV Army Corps
Rainer Penkert Leutnant Fritz Theen, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Wolfgang Preiss Generalleutnant Max Pemsel, Chief of Staff, 7th Army
Hartmut Reck Oberfeldwebel Bernhard Bergsdorf, pilot, Jagdgeschwader 26
Heinz Reincke Oberstleutnant Josef Priller, Kommodore, Jagdgeschwader 26
Paul Edwin Roth Oberst Schiller
Dietmar Schönherr Häger's aide
Ernst Schröder Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth, Commander, 15th Army
Hans Söhnker Pemsel's staff officer
Heinz Spitzner Oberstleutnant Helmuth Meyer, Chief of Intelligence, 15th Army
Peter van Eyck Oberstleutnant Ocker, Commander, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Vicco von Bülow Pemsel's adjutant
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
French producer Raoul Lévy signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to purchase the filming rights to Cornelius Ryan's novel The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day on March 23, 1960. After finishing The Truth, Lévy set up a deal with the Associated British Picture Corporation and got director Michael Anderson attached. Ryan would receive $100,000, plus $35,000 to write the adaptation's screenplay. Lévy intended to start production in March 1961, filming at Elstree Studios and the English and French coasts. But the project went into a halt once ABPC could not get the $6 million budget Lévy expected. Eventually former 20th Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck learned about the book while producing The Big Gamble, and in December purchased Lévy's option for $175,000.[4] Zanuck's editor friend Elmo Williams wrote a film treatment, which piqued the producer's interest and made him attach Williams to The Longest Day as associate producer and coordinator of battle episodes. Ryan was brought in to write the script, but had conflicts with Zanuck as soon as the two met. Williams was forced to act as a mediator; he would deliver Ryan's script pages to Zanuck, then return them with the latter's annotations.[5] While Ryan developed the script, Zanuck also brought in other writers for cleanups, including James Jones and Romaine Gary. As their contributions to the finished screenplay were relatively minor, Ryan managed to get the screenplay credit after an appeal to the Writers Guild arbitration,[6] but the four other writers are credited for "additional scenes" in the closing credits.
During pre-production, producer Frank McCarthy, who had worked for the United States Department of War during World War II, arranged for military collaboration with the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zanuck also realized that with eight battle scenes, shooting would be accomplished more expediently if multiple directors and units worked simultaneously. He contacted with German directors Gerd Oswald and Bernhard Wicki, the British Ken Annakin, and the American Andrew Marton.[7] Zanuck's son Richard D. Zanuck was reluctant about the project, particularly the high budget. [8]
Filming[edit]
The film was shot at several French locations including the Île de Ré, Saleccia beach in Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain filling in for Ouistreham, Les Studios de Boulogne in Boulogne-Billancourt and the actual locations of Pegasus Bridge near Bénouville, Calvados, Sainte-Mère-Église and Pointe du Hoc.[9]
During the filming of the landings at Omaha Beach, the extras appearing as American soldiers did not want to jump off the landing craft into the water because they thought it would be too cold. Robert Mitchum, who played Gen. Norman Cota, became disgusted with their trepidation. He jumped in first, at which point the extras followed his example.
The Rupert paradummies used in the film were far more elaborate and lifelike than those actually used in the decoy parachute drop (Operation Titanic), which were simply canvas or burlap sacks filled with sand. In the real operation, six Special Air Service soldiers jumped with the dummies and played recordings of loud battle noises to distract the Germans.
With a budget of $10,000,000, this was the most expensive black-and-white film made until 1993, when Schindler's List was released.[3]
In the scenes where the paratroopers land, the background noise of frogs croaking "ribbit ribbit" was incorrect for northern French frog species and showed that the film probably used an American recording of background night noises.
Colin Maud loaned Kenneth More the shillelagh he carried ashore in the actual invasion (More has served as an officer in the Royal Navy during WWII, albeit not as a Beachmaster); similarly Richard Todd wore the D-Day helmet worn by his character, Maj. John Howard.
In the film, three Free French Special Air Service paratroopers jump into France before British and American airborne landings. This is accurate. Thirty-six Free French SAS (4 sticks) jumped into Brittany (Plumelec and Duault) on 5 June at 23:30, (operation Dingson). The first Allied soldiers killed in action were Lt. Den Brotheridge of the 2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry as he crossed Pegasus Bridge at 00:22 on 6 June and Corporal Emile Bouétard of the 4th Free French SAS battalion, at the same time in Plumelec, Brittany.
The United States Sixth Fleet extensively supported the filming and made available many amphibious landing ships and craft for scenes filmed in Corsica, though many of the ships were of (then) modern vintage. The Springfield and Little Rock, both World War II light cruisers (though extensively reconfigured into guided missile cruisers) were used in the shore bombardment scenes, though it was easy to tell they did not resemble their wartime configuration.
Gerd Oswald was the uncredited director of the parachute drop scenes into Sainte-Mère-Église. Darryl F. Zanuck said that he himself directed some uncredited pick-ups with American and British interiors.[10]
Elmo Williams was credited as associate producer and coordinator of battle episodes. He later produced another historical WWII film, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), for Zanuck. Like The Longest Day, it used a docudrama style, although it was in color. It depicted the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Casting[edit]



John Wayne in The Longest DayCharlton Heston actively sought the role of Lt. Col. Benjamin H. Vandervoort, but the last-minute decision of John Wayne to take the role prevented Heston's participation. At 55 Wayne was 28 years older than Vandervoort at the time of action (and 10 years older in real life). While everyone else accepted $25,000 as payment, Wayne insisted on $250,000 to punish producer Zanuck for referring to him as "poor John Wayne" regarding Wayne's problems with his lavish movie The Alamo.[11]
Sgt. Kaffeekanne (played by Gert Fröbe)'s name is German for "coffee pot", which he always carries.
It is a common misconception that Bill Millin, the piper who accompanies Lord Lovat to Normandy with his bagpipes, played himself in the film. He was actually portrayed by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, the official piper to the Queen Mother in 1961.[12][13]
In Sainte-Mère-Église, Pvt. John Steele from the 82nd Airborne (played by Red Buttons) has been memorialised by the local population with a dummy hanging from a parachute from the church tower on which he accidentally landed.
Richard Todd, who played Maj. John Howard, leader of the British airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge, took part in the real bridge assault on D-Day. He was offered the chance to play himself but took the part of Maj. Howard instead. In the film, shortly after the British have captured the Orne bridge (later renamed Horsa Bridge), one of the soldiers tells Todd, playing Howard, that all they have to do now is sit tight and await the arrival of the 7th Parachute Battalion, to which Todd's character replies dismissively: "the Paras are always late". This was a private joke, as Todd had been the adjutant of the 7th Parachute Battalion on D-Day.
Joseph Lowe landed on Omaha Beach and scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day. He repeated the climb for the cameras 17 years later as a serving member of the 505th Airborne Battle Group who provided US Army film extras.
Former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was considered for the role of himself in the film, and he indicated his willingness. However, it was decided that makeup artists couldn't make him appear young enough to play his World War II self. The role of Gen. Eisenhower went to Henry Grace, a set decorator with no acting experience but who had been in the film industry since the mid-1930s. He was a dead ringer for the younger Eisenhower, though his voice differed.
The film marked the last film appearance of Sean Connery before he was cast in the role of James Bond. Gert Fröbe (Sgt. Kaffeekanne) and Curd Jürgens (Gen. Günther Blumentritt) would later go on to play Bond villains Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger (1964)) and Karl Stromberg (The Spy Who Loved Me) respectively. Connery would later play Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, which was also based on a book by Cornelius Ryan. (Likewise Wolfgang Preiss played Maj. Gen. Max Pemsel in The Longest Day and Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt in A Bridge Too Far.)
Mel Ferrer was originally signed to play the role of Gen. James M. Gavin but withdrew from the role due to a scheduling conflict.[9]
According to the 2001 documentary Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, Richard Burton and Roddy McDowall were so bored having not been used for several weeks while filming in Rome that they phoned Zanuck begging to do "anything" on his film. They flew themselves to the location and each did a day's filming for their cameo-performances for free.
Release[edit]
The film premièred in France on 25 September 1962, followed by the United States on 4 October and 23 October for the United Kingdom. Given Fox was suffering with the financial losses of Cleopatra, the studio was intending for The Longest Day to have a wide release to reap quick profits. Zanuck forced them to do a proper Roadshow theatrical release, even threatening to sell distribution to Warner Bros. if Fox had refused to do so.[14] The Longest Day eventually became the box office hit Fox needed, with $30 million in worldwide rentals on a $7,5 million budget.[1]
There were special release showing of the film in several United States cities. Participants in D-Day were invited to see the film with their fellow soldiers—in Cleveland, Ohio, this took place at the Hippodrome Theater.[citation needed]
Unique for British- and American-produced World War II films of the time, all French and German characters speak in their own languages with subtitles in English. Another version, which was shot simultaneously, has all the actors speaking their lines in English (this version was used for the film's trailer, as all the Germans deliver their lines in English). However, this version saw limited use during the initial release. It was used more extensively during a late 1960s re-release of the film. The English-only version has been featured as an extra on older single disc DVD releases.
Awards & nominations[edit]
Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (1962): Ted Haworth, Léon Barsacq, Vincent Korda and Gabriel Béchir (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (1962): Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz (won)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Editing (1962): Samuel E. Beetley (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Picture (1962): (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Special Effects (1962): Robert MacDonald and Jacques Maumont (won)[15]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
2.Jump up ^ "The Longest Day - Box Office Data". The Numbers. 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "Operation Overblown". TIME. October 19, 1962.
4.Jump up ^ Rubin 1981, p. 91.
5.Jump up ^ Williams 2006, p. 138-40.
6.Jump up ^ Lev 2013, p. 234.
7.Jump up ^ Rubin 1981, p. 93.
8.Jump up ^ Gussow 1971, p. 198-9.
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Notre jour le plus long" [Our longest day]. La Presse de la Manche (Cherbourg, France). 2012.
10.Jump up ^ "The Longest Day". American Film Institute. 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
11.Jump up ^ Wills, Garry (1997). John Wayne's America: The Politics of Celebrity. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-80823-9.
12.Jump up ^ "Piper Bill Millin". The Pegasus Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
13.Jump up ^ "D-Day Piper – Bill Millin". The Miniatures Page. August 3, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
14.Jump up ^ The Last Movie Tycoon, New York Magazine
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "The Longest Day (1962) Awards". Turner Classic Movies, A Time Warner Company. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
Bibliography[edit]
Gussow, Mel (1971). Darryl F. Zanuck: Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306801329.
Lev, Peter (2013). Twentieth Century-Fox: The Zanuck-Skouras Years, 1935–1965. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292744471.
Rubin, Steven Jay (1981). Combat Films: American Realism, 1945-2010. McFarland. ISBN 0786486139.
Williams, Elmo (2006). Elmo Williams: A Hollywood Memoir. McFarland. ISBN 0786426217.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Longest Day (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day at the Internet Movie Database
The Longest Day at the TCM Movie Database
The Longest Day at AllMovie
The Longest Day at the American Film Institute Catalog
The Longest Day at Box Office Mojo
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The Longest Day (film)

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The Longest Day
Original movie poster for the film The Longest Day.jpg
original movie poster
 
Directed by
Ken Annakin (British & French exteriors)
Andrew Marton (American exteriors)
Bernhard Wicki (German episodes)
 
Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck
Screenplay by
Cornelius Ryan
Romain Gary
James Jones
David Pursall
Jack Seddon
 
Based on
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
Starring
John Wayne
Henry Fonda
Robert Mitchum
Sean Connery
Eddie Albert
Curd Jürgens
Richard Todd
Richard Burton
Peter Lawford
Rod Steiger
Irina Demick
Gert Fröbe
Edmond O'Brien
Kenneth More
 
Music by
Maurice Jarre
Cinematography
Jean Bourgoin
Walter Wottitz
 
Edited by
Samuel E. Beetley

Production
 company

Darryl F. Zanuck Productions, Inc.
 
Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release dates

September 25, 1962 (France, U.S.)
October 4, 1962 (Canada)
October 23, 1962 (Germany, Mexico, UK)
 

Running time
 178 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
German
French
 
Budget
$7.75 million[1]
Box office
$50,100,000[2]
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on Cornelius Ryan's book The Longest Day (1959), about the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, who paid author Ryan $175,000 for the film rights.[3] The screenplay was by Ryan, with additional material written by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall and Jack Seddon. It was directed by Ken Annakin (British and French exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), and Bernhard Wicki (German scenes).
The Longest Day, which was made in black and white, features a large ensemble cast including John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Steve Forrest, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Hunter, Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Rod Steiger, Leo Genn, Gert Fröbe, Irina Demick, Bourvil, Curt Jürgens, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka and Arletty. Many of these actors played roles that were essentially cameo appearances. In addition, several cast members – including Fonda, Genn, More, Steiger and Todd – saw action as servicemen during the war, with Todd actually being among the first British officers to land in Normandy in Operation Overlord and he in fact participated in the assault on Pegasus Bridge.
The film employed several Axis and Allied military consultants who had been actual participants on D-Day. Many had their roles re-enacted in the film. These included: Günther Blumentritt (a former German general), James M. Gavin (an American general), Frederick Morgan (Deputy Chief of Staff at SHAEF), John Howard (who led the airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge), Lord Lovat (who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Pierre Koenig (who commanded the Free French Forces in the invasion), Max Pemsel (a German general), Werner Pluskat (the major who was the first German officer to see the invasion fleet), Josef "Pips" Priller (the hot-headed pilot) and Lucie Rommel (widow of German Gen. Erwin Rommel).


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast 2.1 American
2.2 British
2.3 French
2.4 German
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Casting
4 Release
5 Awards & nominations
6 References 6.1 Bibliography
7 External links

Plot[edit]
The movie is filmed in the style of a docudrama. Beginning in the days leading up to D-Day, it concentrates on events on both sides of the channel, such as the Allies waiting for the break in the poor weather and anticipating the reaction of the Axis forces defending northern France. The film pays particular attention to the decision by Gen. Eisenhower, supreme commander of SHAEF, to go after reviewing the initial bad-weather reports as well as reports about the divisions within the German High Command as to where an invasion might happen or what the response to it should be.
Numerous scenes document the early hours of 6 June when Allied airborne troops were sent in to take key locations inland from the beaches. The French resistance is also shown reacting to the news that an invasion has started. The Longest Day chronicles most of the important events surrounding D-Day, from the British glider missions to secure Pegasus Bridge, the counterattacks launched by American paratroopers scattered around Sainte-Mère-Église, the infiltration and sabotage work conducted by the French resistance and SOE agents to the response by the Wehrmacht to the invasion and the uncertainty of German commanders as to whether it was a feint in preparation for crossings at the Pas de Calais (see Operation Fortitude), where the senior German staff had always assumed it would be.
Set-piece scenes include the parachute drop into Sainte-Mère-Église, the advance inshore from the Normandy beaches, the US Ranger Assault Group's assault on the Pointe du Hoc, the attack on Ouistreham by Free French Forces and the strafing of the beaches by two lone Luftwaffe pilots.
The film concludes with a montage showing various Allied units consolidating their beachheads before the advance inland to liberate France.
Cast[edit]
American[edit]

Actor
Role
Eddie Albert Colonel Thompson, 29th Infantry Division
Paul Anka Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Richard Beymer Private Arthur 'Dutch' Schultz, 82nd Airborne Division
Red Buttons Private John Steele, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
John Crawford Colonel Eugene Caffey, Commander, 1st Engineer Special Brigade
Gary Collins Officer on destroyer bridge
Mark Damon Private Harris
Ray Danton Captain Frank, 29th Infantry Division
Fred Dur Major, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Fabian Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Mel Ferrer Major General Robert Haines, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)
Henry Fonda Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Assistant Commander, 4th Infantry Division
Steve Forrest Captain Harding, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Henry Grace General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces
Peter Helm Young private, 29th Infantry Division
Jeffrey Hunter Sergeant John H. Fuller, combat engineer, 29th Infantry Division
Alexander Knox Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff, SHAEF
Dewey Martin Private Wilder
Roddy McDowall Private Morris, 4th Infantry Division
John Meillon Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces
Sal Mineo Private Martini, 82nd Airborne Division
Robert Mitchum Brigadier General Norman Cota, Assistant Commander, 29th Infantry Division
Tony Mordente Cook, 82nd Airborne Division
Bill Nagy Major, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Edmond O'Brien Major General Raymond O. Barton, Commander, 4th Infantry Division
Ron Randell Joe Williams, war correspondent
Robert Ryan Brigadier General James M. Gavin, Assistant Commander, 82nd Airborne Division
Tommy Sands Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
George Segal Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Bob Steele Paratrooper, 82nd Airborne Division
Rod Steiger Destroyer commander, United States Navy
Nicholas Stuart Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, Commander, First Army
Tom Tryon Lieutenant Wilson, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Robert Wagner Private, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Joe Warfield Army medic
John Wayne Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort, CO, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Stuart Whitman Lieutenant Sheen, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
British[edit]

Actor
Role
Patrick Barr Group Captain James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Adviser, SHAEF
Lyndon Brook Lieutenant Walsh, "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Richard Burton Flying Officer David Campbell, Royal Air Force fighter pilot
Bryan Coleman Ronald Callen, war correspondent
Sean Connery Private Flanagan, 3rd Infantry Division
Richard Dawson British soldier
Jack Hedley 6th Airborne Division briefing officer
Leslie de Laspee Piper Bill Millin, 1st Special Service Brigade
Frank Finlay Private Coke
Harry Fowler Soldier, 6th Airborne Division
Bernard Fox Lance-Corporal Hutchinson, Royal Armoured Corps
Leo Genn Major-general at SHAEF
Harold Goodwin Soldier in glider
John Gregson Padre, 6th Airborne Division
Walter Horsbrugh Rear-Admiral George Creasy, Chief of Staff to Admiral Ramsay
Donald Houston RAF fighter pilot in mess
Patrick Jordan British officer
Simon Lack Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Expeditionary Air Force
Harry Landis British soldier
Peter Lawford Brigadier Lord Lovat, Commander, 1st Special Service Brigade
Neil McCallum Canadian medical officer
Victor Maddern Cook
Howard Marion-Crawford Major Jacob Vaughan, Medical Officer, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Michael Medwin Private Watney, Universal Carrier driver, 3rd Infantry Division
Kenneth More Acting Captain Colin Maud, Royal Navy Beachmaster, Juno Beach
Louis Mounier Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces
Leslie Phillips RAF officer with French Resistance
Siân Phillips Wren assistant to Stagg
Trevor Reid General Sir Bernard Montgomery, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Armies
John Robinson Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief
Norman Rossington Lance-Corporal Clough, 3rd Infantry Division
Richard Todd Major John Howard, OC, "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Richard Wattis Major, 6th Airborne Division
French[edit]

Actor
Role
Arletty Madame Barrault, resident of Sainte-Mère-Église
Jean-Louis Barrault Father Louis Roulland, parish priest of Sainte-Mère-Église
Yves Barsacq French Resistance man, Caen
André Bourvil Alphonse Lenaux, Mayor of Colleville-sur-Mer
Pauline Carton Louis's housekeeper
Jean Champion French Resistance man, Caen
Irina Demick Janine Boitard, French Resistance, Caen
Bernard Fresson Fusilier Marin Commando
Clément Harari Arrested man
Fernand Ledoux Louis, elderly farmer
Christian Marquand Capitaine de Corvette Philippe Kieffer, CO, 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos
Maurice Poli Jean, French Resistance, Caen
Madeleine Renaud Mother superior in Ouistreham
Georges Rivière Second-Maître Guy de Montlaur, 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos
Jean Servais Contre-amiral Robert Jaujard, Commander, 4th Cruiser Division, Free French Naval Forces
Alice Tissot Lenaux's housekeeper
Georges Wilson Alexandre Renaud, Mayor of Sainte-Mère-Église
Dominique Zardi Spitfire pilot
German[edit]

Actor
Role
Hans Christian Blech Major Werner Pluskat, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Wolfgang Büttner Generalleutnant Dr. Hans Speidel, Chief of Staff, Army Group B
Eugene Deckers Major in church
Robert Freitag Meyer's aide
Gert Fröbe Unteroffizier "Kaffeekanne" ("coffee pot")
Walter Gotell German soldier
Paul Hartmann Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander, OB West
Ruth Hausmeister Lucie Rommel, Rommel's wife
Michael Hinz Manfred Rommel, Rommel's son
Werner Hinz Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, Commander, Army Group B
Karl John Generalleutnant Wolfgang Häger, Luftwaffe Kommando West
Curt Jürgens General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt, Chief of Staff, OB West
Til Kiwe Hauptmann Helmuth Lang, ADC to Rommel
Wolfgang Lukschy Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, Chief of Operations, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Kurt Meisel Hauptmann Ernst Düring
Richard Münch General der Artillerie Erich Marcks, Commander, LXXXIV Army Corps
Rainer Penkert Leutnant Fritz Theen, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Wolfgang Preiss Generalleutnant Max Pemsel, Chief of Staff, 7th Army
Hartmut Reck Oberfeldwebel Bernhard Bergsdorf, pilot, Jagdgeschwader 26
Heinz Reincke Oberstleutnant Josef Priller, Kommodore, Jagdgeschwader 26
Paul Edwin Roth Oberst Schiller
Dietmar Schönherr Häger's aide
Ernst Schröder Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth, Commander, 15th Army
Hans Söhnker Pemsel's staff officer
Heinz Spitzner Oberstleutnant Helmuth Meyer, Chief of Intelligence, 15th Army
Peter van Eyck Oberstleutnant Ocker, Commander, 352nd Artillery Regiment, 352nd Infantry Division
Vicco von Bülow Pemsel's adjutant
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
French producer Raoul Lévy signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to purchase the filming rights to Cornelius Ryan's novel The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day on March 23, 1960. After finishing The Truth, Lévy set up a deal with the Associated British Picture Corporation and got director Michael Anderson attached. Ryan would receive $100,000, plus $35,000 to write the adaptation's screenplay. Lévy intended to start production in March 1961, filming at Elstree Studios and the English and French coasts. But the project went into a halt once ABPC could not get the $6 million budget Lévy expected. Eventually former 20th Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck learned about the book while producing The Big Gamble, and in December purchased Lévy's option for $175,000.[4] Zanuck's editor friend Elmo Williams wrote a film treatment, which piqued the producer's interest and made him attach Williams to The Longest Day as associate producer and coordinator of battle episodes. Ryan was brought in to write the script, but had conflicts with Zanuck as soon as the two met. Williams was forced to act as a mediator; he would deliver Ryan's script pages to Zanuck, then return them with the latter's annotations.[5] While Ryan developed the script, Zanuck also brought in other writers for cleanups, including James Jones and Romaine Gary. As their contributions to the finished screenplay were relatively minor, Ryan managed to get the screenplay credit after an appeal to the Writers Guild arbitration,[6] but the four other writers are credited for "additional scenes" in the closing credits.
During pre-production, producer Frank McCarthy, who had worked for the United States Department of War during World War II, arranged for military collaboration with the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zanuck also realized that with eight battle scenes, shooting would be accomplished more expediently if multiple directors and units worked simultaneously. He contacted with German directors Gerd Oswald and Bernhard Wicki, the British Ken Annakin, and the American Andrew Marton.[7] Zanuck's son Richard D. Zanuck was reluctant about the project, particularly the high budget. [8]
Filming[edit]
The film was shot at several French locations including the Île de Ré, Saleccia beach in Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain filling in for Ouistreham, Les Studios de Boulogne in Boulogne-Billancourt and the actual locations of Pegasus Bridge near Bénouville, Calvados, Sainte-Mère-Église and Pointe du Hoc.[9]
During the filming of the landings at Omaha Beach, the extras appearing as American soldiers did not want to jump off the landing craft into the water because they thought it would be too cold. Robert Mitchum, who played Gen. Norman Cota, became disgusted with their trepidation. He jumped in first, at which point the extras followed his example.
The Rupert paradummies used in the film were far more elaborate and lifelike than those actually used in the decoy parachute drop (Operation Titanic), which were simply canvas or burlap sacks filled with sand. In the real operation, six Special Air Service soldiers jumped with the dummies and played recordings of loud battle noises to distract the Germans.
With a budget of $10,000,000, this was the most expensive black-and-white film made until 1993, when Schindler's List was released.[3]
In the scenes where the paratroopers land, the background noise of frogs croaking "ribbit ribbit" was incorrect for northern French frog species and showed that the film probably used an American recording of background night noises.
Colin Maud loaned Kenneth More the shillelagh he carried ashore in the actual invasion (More has served as an officer in the Royal Navy during WWII, albeit not as a Beachmaster); similarly Richard Todd wore the D-Day helmet worn by his character, Maj. John Howard.
In the film, three Free French Special Air Service paratroopers jump into France before British and American airborne landings. This is accurate. Thirty-six Free French SAS (4 sticks) jumped into Brittany (Plumelec and Duault) on 5 June at 23:30, (operation Dingson). The first Allied soldiers killed in action were Lt. Den Brotheridge of the 2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry as he crossed Pegasus Bridge at 00:22 on 6 June and Corporal Emile Bouétard of the 4th Free French SAS battalion, at the same time in Plumelec, Brittany.
The United States Sixth Fleet extensively supported the filming and made available many amphibious landing ships and craft for scenes filmed in Corsica, though many of the ships were of (then) modern vintage. The Springfield and Little Rock, both World War II light cruisers (though extensively reconfigured into guided missile cruisers) were used in the shore bombardment scenes, though it was easy to tell they did not resemble their wartime configuration.
Gerd Oswald was the uncredited director of the parachute drop scenes into Sainte-Mère-Église. Darryl F. Zanuck said that he himself directed some uncredited pick-ups with American and British interiors.[10]
Elmo Williams was credited as associate producer and coordinator of battle episodes. He later produced another historical WWII film, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), for Zanuck. Like The Longest Day, it used a docudrama style, although it was in color. It depicted the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Casting[edit]

 

John Wayne in The Longest DayCharlton Heston actively sought the role of Lt. Col. Benjamin H. Vandervoort, but the last-minute decision of John Wayne to take the role prevented Heston's participation. At 55 Wayne was 28 years older than Vandervoort at the time of action (and 10 years older in real life). While everyone else accepted $25,000 as payment, Wayne insisted on $250,000 to punish producer Zanuck for referring to him as "poor John Wayne" regarding Wayne's problems with his lavish movie The Alamo.[11]
Sgt. Kaffeekanne (played by Gert Fröbe)'s name is German for "coffee pot", which he always carries.
It is a common misconception that Bill Millin, the piper who accompanies Lord Lovat to Normandy with his bagpipes, played himself in the film. He was actually portrayed by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, the official piper to the Queen Mother in 1961.[12][13]
In Sainte-Mère-Église, Pvt. John Steele from the 82nd Airborne (played by Red Buttons) has been memorialised by the local population with a dummy hanging from a parachute from the church tower on which he accidentally landed.
Richard Todd, who played Maj. John Howard, leader of the British airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge, took part in the real bridge assault on D-Day. He was offered the chance to play himself but took the part of Maj. Howard instead. In the film, shortly after the British have captured the Orne bridge (later renamed Horsa Bridge), one of the soldiers tells Todd, playing Howard, that all they have to do now is sit tight and await the arrival of the 7th Parachute Battalion, to which Todd's character replies dismissively: "the Paras are always late". This was a private joke, as Todd had been the adjutant of the 7th Parachute Battalion on D-Day.
Joseph Lowe landed on Omaha Beach and scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day. He repeated the climb for the cameras 17 years later as a serving member of the 505th Airborne Battle Group who provided US Army film extras.
Former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was considered for the role of himself in the film, and he indicated his willingness. However, it was decided that makeup artists couldn't make him appear young enough to play his World War II self. The role of Gen. Eisenhower went to Henry Grace, a set decorator with no acting experience but who had been in the film industry since the mid-1930s. He was a dead ringer for the younger Eisenhower, though his voice differed.
The film marked the last film appearance of Sean Connery before he was cast in the role of James Bond. Gert Fröbe (Sgt. Kaffeekanne) and Curd Jürgens (Gen. Günther Blumentritt) would later go on to play Bond villains Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger (1964)) and Karl Stromberg (The Spy Who Loved Me) respectively. Connery would later play Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, which was also based on a book by Cornelius Ryan. (Likewise Wolfgang Preiss played Maj. Gen. Max Pemsel in The Longest Day and Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt in A Bridge Too Far.)
Mel Ferrer was originally signed to play the role of Gen. James M. Gavin but withdrew from the role due to a scheduling conflict.[9]
According to the 2001 documentary Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, Richard Burton and Roddy McDowall were so bored having not been used for several weeks while filming in Rome that they phoned Zanuck begging to do "anything" on his film. They flew themselves to the location and each did a day's filming for their cameo-performances for free.
Release[edit]
The film premièred in France on 25 September 1962, followed by the United States on 4 October and 23 October for the United Kingdom. Given Fox was suffering with the financial losses of Cleopatra, the studio was intending for The Longest Day to have a wide release to reap quick profits. Zanuck forced them to do a proper Roadshow theatrical release, even threatening to sell distribution to Warner Bros. if Fox had refused to do so.[14] The Longest Day eventually became the box office hit Fox needed, with $30 million in worldwide rentals on a $7,5 million budget.[1]
There were special release showing of the film in several United States cities. Participants in D-Day were invited to see the film with their fellow soldiers—in Cleveland, Ohio, this took place at the Hippodrome Theater.[citation needed]
Unique for British- and American-produced World War II films of the time, all French and German characters speak in their own languages with subtitles in English. Another version, which was shot simultaneously, has all the actors speaking their lines in English (this version was used for the film's trailer, as all the Germans deliver their lines in English). However, this version saw limited use during the initial release. It was used more extensively during a late 1960s re-release of the film. The English-only version has been featured as an extra on older single disc DVD releases.
Awards & nominations[edit]
Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (1962): Ted Haworth, Léon Barsacq, Vincent Korda and Gabriel Béchir (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (1962): Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz (won)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Editing (1962): Samuel E. Beetley (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Picture (1962): (nominated)[15]
Academy Awards for Best Special Effects (1962): Robert MacDonald and Jacques Maumont (won)[15]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
2.Jump up ^ "The Longest Day - Box Office Data". The Numbers. 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "Operation Overblown". TIME. October 19, 1962.
4.Jump up ^ Rubin 1981, p. 91.
5.Jump up ^ Williams 2006, p. 138-40.
6.Jump up ^ Lev 2013, p. 234.
7.Jump up ^ Rubin 1981, p. 93.
8.Jump up ^ Gussow 1971, p. 198-9.
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Notre jour le plus long" [Our longest day]. La Presse de la Manche (Cherbourg, France). 2012.
10.Jump up ^ "The Longest Day". American Film Institute. 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
11.Jump up ^ Wills, Garry (1997). John Wayne's America: The Politics of Celebrity. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-80823-9.
12.Jump up ^ "Piper Bill Millin". The Pegasus Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
13.Jump up ^ "D-Day Piper – Bill Millin". The Miniatures Page. August 3, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
14.Jump up ^ The Last Movie Tycoon, New York Magazine
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "The Longest Day (1962) Awards". Turner Classic Movies, A Time Warner Company. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
Bibliography[edit]
Gussow, Mel (1971). Darryl F. Zanuck: Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306801329.
Lev, Peter (2013). Twentieth Century-Fox: The Zanuck-Skouras Years, 1935–1965. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292744471.
Rubin, Steven Jay (1981). Combat Films: American Realism, 1945-2010. McFarland. ISBN 0786486139.
Williams, Elmo (2006). Elmo Williams: A Hollywood Memoir. McFarland. ISBN 0786426217.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Longest Day (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day at the Internet Movie Database
The Longest Day at the TCM Movie Database
The Longest Day at AllMovie
The Longest Day at the American Film Institute Catalog
The Longest Day at Box Office Mojo
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Categories: 1962 films
1960s war films
American films
American war films
American epic films
Black-and-white films
English-language films
French-language films
German-language films
War epic films
World War II films
Operation Overlord films
World War II films based on actual events
Films about the French Resistance
Films based on non-fiction books
Films set in 1944
Films shot in Haute-Corse
Films set on beaches
Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award
Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award
20th Century Fox films
Films directed by Andrew Marton
Films directed by Bernhard Wicki
Films directed by Ken Annakin
Films produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
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