WW II Spy Novels discussion

Let's name some WWII based stage plays, how about it? We're not philistines, after all.

I looked up Caine Mutiny thinking it might have been a stage play at first and learned to my surprise the producer was Stanley Kramer, who picked Humphrey Bogart over Richard Widmark to play Queeg.

Worth knowing.

Stanley Kramer produced eh? Off the top of my head, I remember it was Edward Dymytryk who directed. Right?

Give that man a cigar.

:p

'Glorious results of a misspent youth..'

South Pacific

G1. Excellent series of stories too, by James Michener. I strongly recommend.

How about, 'Mister Roberts'?

My favorite Henry Fonda movie :)

'Fulminate of mercury'!

Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn. It's the single best play I've ever seen (was fortunate enough to see it in first month on Broadway).

Frayn is an excellent writer.

I don't know why I didn't think to add that the script of Copenhagen:

Copenhagen

Has an excellent by-and-for-the-layman history of Werner Hiesenberg. The play also can be read, I think, even by those who haven't seen it staged--and some of the ethical issues Frayn was addressing (and cleverly suggesting resolution) might come through.

I read most of the first act and skimmed the second. Interesting play and probably, a better discussion. I know a director here who could make it work on stage. Although an interesting challenge to a director and 3 actors, unfortunately, it would be harder still to capture an audience. At least regionally. I know it won awards on Broadway

Copenhagen was adapted for the small screen in 2002, with Stephen Rea as Niels Bohr and Daniel Craig as Werner Heisenberg. I saw the film before I read the play, and found the play superior. Unfortunaltely, I have not seen it on stage.

I agree--the play is far superior. Don't bother with the TV production. Frankly, it butchers the script.

So typical.

An interesting ancedote from The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend which I recently finished.

In the preface, the author tells a story from the making of Mr. Rogers (the movie) - John Ford did NOT want to do it. After playing it on Broadway, Henry Fonda was very protective of the project. After the first couple of days of filming, Henry Fonda went to Ford's Qtrs to talk to him about the script, his direction and a couple of other things. After a couple of minutes Ford got up and slugged him in the jaw with little or no warning and knocked him down. They made up and finished the movie, but Fonda never worked wtih Ford again.

This story had absolutely nothing to do with the making of the Searchers, and is not refered to again in the book, but just illustrates the kind of person John Ford was.

That's pretty raw. They had already worked together on 'My Darling Clementine'; 'Drums Along the Mohawk'; 'Young Mr. Lincoln'; 'Fort Apache'; and I forget-what- else. I don't blame Fonda for cutting ties.

I have two other John Ford anecdotes; they'd be a bit of work to type out but I'd do it for anyone who's keen to hear.

I recommend Des Teufels General (The Devil's General), a play from 1946 by German émigré Carl Zuckmayer.

The main character is based on WWII Luftwaffe general and WWI ace Ernst Udet. It's serious and comical at the same time, and gives good insight into the mindsets of various Germans in powerful positions. Good stuff.

It's in German, but apparently there's an abridged translation in The Devil's General/Germany: Jekyll and Hyde .

1) "The Diary of Anne Frank" comes to mind.

2) I've seen "Watch on the Rhine" several times on TV. I understand this was first a Broadway play before it became a film.

Feliks wrote: "That's pretty raw. They had already worked together on 'My Darling Clementine'; 'Drums Along the Mohawk'; 'Young Mr. Lincoln'; 'Fort Apache'; and I forget-what- else. I don't blame Fonda for cuttin..."

Lets hear them..