POINTE DU HOC - BEHIND THE SCENES

The Making of 'The Longest Day' will be a multi-part series equipped with a capital selection of rarely seen photos 
and behind the scenes informations about the outstanding production of Hollywood Tycoon Darryl F. Zanuck.
The photo shows a British Glider (plywood) built by the crew of Prop-Master Sam Gordon for the 'Orne River Bridge' episode.
In most cases the crew was able to use original hardware (reconditioned) and wherever possible the General (Zanuck) filmed at the
original D-Day settings.
The CinemaScope Cameras filmed absolute realism and painstaking attention to authentic detail.
The Story behind the Spectacle, Part 1 - The brutal episode at Pointe du Hoc.

The landing of American Rangers at Pointe du Hoc and their hazardous scaling of the rocky cliffs while under 
heavy machine gun fire was filmed where it really happened.
A big Set Decoration crew prepared the location.
The crew burned shrubbery, built bunkers, sandbagged monuments and prepared shell holes for an authentic scenery.
Producer Darryl F. Zanuck mixed actors with real U.S.Rangers to re-enact the daring assault at Pointe du Hoc.

Among the American Rangers are Robert Wagner and three frail rock'n'rollers.
Paul Anka, Tommy Sands and Fabian play a trio of battle-hardened GIs. 
The U.S.Rangers are to climb over towering cliffs to dislodge the Germans at Pointe du Hoc.
The boys had a lot of respect for the performance of the real Rangers.
Tommy Sands: 'I just don't know how they did it ...Just to climb these rocks takes a lot of guts.
But to do it with someone shooting at you as well...'
(Mike Munn - 'Great Film Epics')
Filming at Pointe du Hoc, Summer 1961.
Paul Anka, Tommy Sands, Fabian and Bob Wagner spent exhausting days on Set, practicing the climb on ropes and ladders.
The General (Darryl F. Zanuck) and Andrew Marton, the Director for the American battle scenes, supervised the cliff climbing sequence.
About 150 GIs of the American Command in Germany served for almost 3 weeks as supporting players.
They prepared the actors for the cliff assault.
The boys 'enjoyed' tough training days (amphibious landings and cliff climbing) with the GIs.
There were scratches and bruises a-plenty as the three rock'n'rollers put away their music and 
concentrated on the difficult acting chores. 
Many were surprised as the frail singers went up the cliffs side by side with the pros.
The training with the real GIs paid off.
Fascinated by the magnitude of the production, Fabian filmed the shooting and sets with his little 16mm Camera.
Moved by the Action on Set and its real background Paul Anka composed a stirring theme for 'The Longest Day', 
which Zanuck accepted and used.
The 16mm Camera Fabian used on the beaches of the Normandy was a Revere 16, Model 26.
A completely exhausted Tommy Sands gets a visit from his wife Nancy Sinatra.
Tommy had his birthday during the shooting of the Pointe du Hoc sequence, summer 1961.
His buddies organized a little party in Caen to celebrate Tommy Sands 24th birthday.
Darryl, Bob Wagner, Paul Anka, Fabian, Red Buttons, and Zanuck's new discovery, Irina Demich were all there.
They presented him a nice 'Birthday-Cake-Diorama'. 
A delicious piece of cake after the tough days at Pointe du Hoc.
How the time flies. On the 27th of August he is celebrating his 80th birthday. 
Maybe he will remember his unusual birthday cake from 'The Longest Day'.
Our fondest congratulations!
Darryl F. Zanuck (Producer) recreated the first 24 hours of the June 6th, 1944, from the different national perspectives.
He hired experienced Directors to handle the various sequences. 
Often several production units were operating simultaneously and virtually around the clock. 
And Zanuck seemed to be everywhere at the same time, and yet he was almost always in the middle of the action 
with the help of his private helicopter.
The Heli was also used to photograph scenes from the air. 
The photo shows him in front of the Ouistreham Casino Set, with the ever-present cigar.
More episodes and blog entries on 'The Longest Day' will follow.

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