There may actually be people out there who don't love The Great Escape, but I haven't met any. The fictionalized account of the real-life Allied POW breakout from Stalag Luft III premiered in London on this day in 1963. Featuring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Donald Pleasence, and propelled by Elmer Bernstein's iconic score, it remains one of the most beloved war films ever made.
James Garner explains how Steve McQueen was convinced to continue working in "The Great Escape" (1963) after he quit midway:
"In the middle of the shoot, McQueen walked out of the picture. He’d seen about an hour's worth of dailies and didn't like how he looked. Wanted to reshoot the whole thing. Of course, they couldn’t reshoot that much footage—it would have taken too long and cost too much money. Steve’s agents flew in from the States and had a showdown with Sturges.
The next day Sturges called me in and said, “Jim, McQueen’s out and you're the star of the picture. We'll change a few things here and there. It'll work.”
I didn’t see how it could possibly work, and neither did Jimmy Coburn, so the two of us sat down with Steve at my rented house in Munich and asked him what the problem was.
“I don’t like the part. I’m not the hero. And the stuff they have me doing is corny.”
“Well, Steve, the reason you're not the hero is because it’s an ensemble cast. There are a lot of heroes.”
Steve could be a stubborn little cuss, but Jimmy and I finally convinced him to stay on the picture. To pacify him, Sturges added some motorcycle stunts and changed his character, Hilts, the Cooler King, to a guy who goes out to reconnoiter the surrounding countryside, then unselfishly allows himself to be recaptured so he can share the information with the others.
There were no Americans in the actual escape; they'd all been transferred to other camps before the tunnel was finished. And there never was a motorcycle chase, but | think it’s the most exciting and memorable part of the movie. When people think of 'The Great Escape', they think of Steve on that motorcycle."
("The Garner Files", James Garner & Jon Winokur, 2011)
P.S: On this day, 63 years ago, John Sturges' "The Great Escape" (1963) premiered in London, UK.
Getting rid of this guy was the right move but, the return Breslow got was unremarkable and what he’s since done with it is laughable. Basically, the perfect encapsulation of the Breslow era. #ResSox#DirtyWater
On this day in 1987, U.S. president Ronald Reagan stands before the Brandenburg Gate and challenges Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev to come to Berlin and tear down the wall.
Hugh Jackman has been cast as Long John Silver in a new ‘TREASURE ISLAND’ film.
Directed by Ridley Scott & written by Jack Thorne.
(Source: Deadline)
The fact of the matter is Indiana had half of Alabama's NIL budget, a roster full of FCS transfers no SEC program would sniff at, and still beat Bama like a rented mule. That's not destroying CFB, that's saving it
@SpyHards Henry Cavill as Bond. No origin stories. 100-minute high octane, man-on-a-mission movie (film). Aim to make 4 pictures in 8-10 years. Treat the Craig era as an independent timeline (i.e. ignore it for future installments of the franchise).
When Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond in 2005, backlash was instant. Critics mocked his 5'10" height, blonde hair and looks, and protest sites like “Craig-Not-Bond-dotcom.”
Fans even mocked him as “James Bland.”
After Casino Royale released, the criticism quickly collapsed.