Fail Safe?

[wajobu]

Excellent and spooky movie; that and "On The Beach"

[kcollins4]

Originally Posted by anden

In reply to Kcollins4........Dr Strangelove was not a parody of Fail-Safe, strangelove opened in Dec. 1963, Fail-safe opened in Oct. 1964. There was a complicated lawsuit involving the books which inspired each of these movies, Failsafe the book & Red Alert- the book. Columbia took over distribution of both pictures.

Trying to explain all the details would involve at least a 1000 word reply, it's complicated.

At any rate, my father was in Dr. Strangelove, (Sterling Hayden) playing Jack Ripper who starts WWIII.

Andrew Hayden

I knew I should check the dates before I spouted off! I stand corrected. Thanks Andrew. I also enjoyed your fathers work.

[rek100]

Another great one I remember Sterling being in was "The Killing", also a Kubrick production.

I knew a fellow who was a special weapons officer on B-47s and B-58s. He had many interesting stories.

He once had to land his B-58 using a tiny control stick in his cockpit when a bird went through the pilot's windshield. He got a commendation for that.

The B-58 was the coolest bomber of the 50's. The Valkyrie came close later on.

[outshined]

Not to mention S. Haydens role in The Godfather. He played Capt. McCluskey. If you didn't know this, you need to!

[mhardy6647]

On the Beach is a pretty good movie, but an excellent book. One of my favorite pieces of apocalyptic literature; on a more intimate, human scale. There was a movie in the 1980s with a somewhat similar perspective on The End. I can't recall the title (but I will, I will...).

EDIT. tee-hee. got it. It was called Testament http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086429/

[kcollins4]

And today, we find out that Sterling Hayden among others, was a spy for the OSS during WWII! So Andrew, did you know anything about this?

[ejguillot]

A great movie! I have it on LD.

[anden]

Yes, My dad was a Marine assigned to the OSS. Commissioned second lieutenant and spent three weeks as a drill instructor, then did OSS training in England before being sent to Italy to run supplies across the Adriatic Sea. He had command of 400 Yugoslav partisans who were arming Serbs who were fighting the Nazi's. He also parachuted behind enemy lines and rescued several U.S. pilots, for which he got the silver star, two bronze stars and the Yugoslav Order of Merrit.

His time in Yugoslavia was hard, what the Germans and the Yugoslavs who sided with the Nazi's did was as bad as it gets. I feel this gave my dad a hardened edge which he carried to move roles such as Asphalt Jungle, The Killing and Dr. Strangelove.

[dread31]

Found a copy of "Fail Safe" on VCR tape at the local GW this morning!

Gonna have to dig the VCR out and hook it up. Watch it sometime this weekend.

Wish I had a copy on DVD. That would be sweet.
(Did I just start a "digital vs. analog video" debate?)

Dave

[prisoners]

The TV remake starring and produced by George Clooney is excellent as well. It was done live on a soundstage and has great performances by Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss, and a host of others. It's available on dvd and through Netflix. Very well done.

[Ultra-Hog]

Failsafe is on of my all time favorite movies. It still will keep me on the edge of my seat all the time wondering, my God, could this kind of thing actually happen? Is the technology and the people behind it good enough? I think Failsafe is an extraordinarily good story and movie and the entire cast could not have been better.

I will have to try to catch the remake. I won't be expecting it to be better than the original though. I just don't know how it possibly could be. It does sound like it will be good to see. Thanks for the tip prisioners.

[Toasted Almond]

I enjoyed Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove.

The Convair isn't a bad looking airplane, but I personally think the 707 has the lines.

The B-58 was the best looking thing that ever carried bombs. The flashy guys (B-58, 111), came and went, and who thought the original, dumb, heavy bomber would outlast them all? I wouldn't be surprised if bombers are still driving around after the Bones and B-2's are long retired.

[dread31]

Originally Posted by prisoners

The TV remake starring and produced by George Clooney is excellent as well. It was done live on a soundstage and has great performances by Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss, and a host of others. It's available on dvd and through Netflix. Very well done.

Remake? Didn't know there was one. Thanks.

Dave

[jgmacv]

Originally Posted by anden

In reply to Kcollins4........Dr Strangelove was not a parody of Fail-Safe, strangelove opened in Dec. 1963, Fail-safe opened in Oct. 1964. There was a complicated lawsuit involving the books which inspired each of these movies, Failsafe the book & Red Alert- the book. Columbia took over distribution of both pictures.

Trying to explain all the details would involve at least a 1000 word reply, it's complicated.

At any rate, my father was in Dr. Strangelove, (Sterling Hayden) playing Jack Ripper who starts WWIII.

Andrew Hayden

Loved your Father's work. If I remember correctly, he also had a small, but memorable role later on in 9 to 5? I have Fail Safe on vhs, and have always loved it, along with Dr Strangelove. As a child, I still remember sonic booms from B-58s from Bunker Hill (later Grissom) AFB, Indiana. Great thread!

[dread31]

Originally Posted by dread31

Remake? Didn't know there was one. Thanks.

Dave

Just viewed the remake-(2000) with Dreyfus, and Brian Dennehy.

Good, but does not even approach the caliber of the original.

They left out the entire "Matador" dream sequence.

The movie is just not the same without the line, "The Matador, the Matador -------is me."

And the scene with Colonel Casio and his alcoholic parents, which I regard as important, because it explains the stress he was under before he reported for duty that day, leading to his breakdown.

That, and there was only one, very brief footage of the B-58.

I'll take the original, Thank You.

Thought bubble--(Hmmm, now where did I put that VCR?)

Dave