The 1962 war epic "The Longest Day" starred the infamously brusque John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort, a real-life American soldier who was present for the titular "day," aka D-Day. Wayne was 55 at the time of filming, however, making him a full 28 years older than Vandervoort was on June 6, 1944. Wayne was still a major star, though, so the filmmakers simply had to ignore the massive age gap.
The studios also had to begrudgingly pay Wayne a massive $250,000 for his work, which was 10 times larger than most of the film's other stars. It seems that Wayne sought such a high salary not because of greed or ego, but out of spite. Wayne, you see, had a beef with 20th Century Fox executive Daryl F. Zanuck, and the actor wanted to actively butt heads with the CEO. It wasn't that Wayne wanted the money, he just wanted to make sure that Zanuck didn't have it.
The studios also had to begrudgingly pay Wayne a massive $250,000 for his work, which was 10 times larger than most of the film's other stars. It seems that Wayne sought such a high salary not because of greed or ego, but out of spite. Wayne, you see, had a beef with 20th Century Fox executive Daryl F. Zanuck, and the actor wanted to actively butt heads with the CEO. It wasn't that Wayne wanted the money, he just wanted to make sure that Zanuck didn't have it.
- 5/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
William Goldman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of All the President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, died Thursday in Manhattan from complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was 87. His daughter Jenny Goldman confirmed the news to The Washington Post.
Goldman was born August 12th, 1931 in Highland Park, Illinois. He attended Ohio’s Oberlin College with the goal of becoming a writer, but he was unable to publish any work. After graduating in 1952, he entered the U.S. army and was discharged two years later; after graduating from New...
Goldman was born August 12th, 1931 in Highland Park, Illinois. He attended Ohio’s Oberlin College with the goal of becoming a writer, but he was unable to publish any work. After graduating in 1952, he entered the U.S. army and was discharged two years later; after graduating from New...
- 11/16/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
Article by Dan Clark of Movie Revolt
Well it’s that time again, time for another installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure. With Memorial Day weekend upon us America is about to officially start the summer. Barbeques, beers, and beaches will surely take up much of our time this weekend, however let us not forget the purpose behind this day as we celebrate the glory that is a three day weekend. In all seriousness it is a time to honor our Veterans and current soldiers for the remarkable sacrifices they make. No matter what political stance you may take I feel that is one thing we can all get behind. With that in mind I dedicated this installment to all things military as I look at military centric films currently available on Netflix Streaming.
The Longest Day
Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck
Written...
Well it’s that time again, time for another installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure. With Memorial Day weekend upon us America is about to officially start the summer. Barbeques, beers, and beaches will surely take up much of our time this weekend, however let us not forget the purpose behind this day as we celebrate the glory that is a three day weekend. In all seriousness it is a time to honor our Veterans and current soldiers for the remarkable sacrifices they make. No matter what political stance you may take I feel that is one thing we can all get behind. With that in mind I dedicated this installment to all things military as I look at military centric films currently available on Netflix Streaming.
The Longest Day
Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck
Written...
- 5/30/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
This week’s pick is Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far (1977) which was based on the Cornelius Ryan novel about the Allied airborne invasion of Holland in September 1944. A Bridge Too Far is a sprawling Hollywood epic, filmed in the same tradition as Ryan’s earlier adaptation The Longest Day (1962) which was based on the D-Day invasion in France. A Bridge Too Far has over thirty of the most acclaimed international stars of the seventies, and even today, as the military and civilian individuals involved in what was known as “Operation Market Garden.”
By September 1944, the German army was in full retreat from France and the low countries (Belgium & The Netherlands) as the allied push from Normandy and Belgium began advancing East towards the German frontier. Due to supply shortages having to be driven from the Normandy beach head, to over five hundred miles away, made the advances come...
By September 1944, the German army was in full retreat from France and the low countries (Belgium & The Netherlands) as the allied push from Normandy and Belgium began advancing East towards the German frontier. Due to supply shortages having to be driven from the Normandy beach head, to over five hundred miles away, made the advances come...
- 4/12/2010
- by Douglas Barnett
- The Flickcast
Director Ken Annakin.
I knew there was something familiar about the name when I read it: "Deborah Annakin-Peters." I had been corresponding with Debby via email for nearly a year after she had started working for Home Video Publicity at Paramount, and handled all my DVD requests. Then one day it struck me. I wrote her a quick email: "Are you, by chance, related to the director Ken Annakin?" I got a quick reply "Sure am. He's my dad!" It just happened that Annakin's most famous film, "The Longest Day," was getting a special edition DVD release from 20th Century Fox in a few weeks. I asked Debby if her father, then in his early 90s, was up to doing an interview. The answer to that question lies in the conversation below.
I was lucky enough to get to know Ken Annakin quite well over the next year or so when my producing partner,...
I knew there was something familiar about the name when I read it: "Deborah Annakin-Peters." I had been corresponding with Debby via email for nearly a year after she had started working for Home Video Publicity at Paramount, and handled all my DVD requests. Then one day it struck me. I wrote her a quick email: "Are you, by chance, related to the director Ken Annakin?" I got a quick reply "Sure am. He's my dad!" It just happened that Annakin's most famous film, "The Longest Day," was getting a special edition DVD release from 20th Century Fox in a few weeks. I asked Debby if her father, then in his early 90s, was up to doing an interview. The answer to that question lies in the conversation below.
I was lucky enough to get to know Ken Annakin quite well over the next year or so when my producing partner,...
- 4/30/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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