This Warner Brothers production was personally supervised by Jack Warner. Legend has it that Warren Beatty was Jackie Kennedy's choice to play he husband in the film but Jack decided on Cliff Robertson? Warren Beatty in 1963 was best known for his role in Dobie Gillis on TV & would have been coming from a starring role in All Fall Down in 1962. He would have gone from playing a drifter to laying a young US President. Instead he would be in 1964's Lilith next. Beatty was really just getting going.
Robertson, in contrast was already an established star. As JFK was actually more of a conservative Democrat, the established star would make more sense.
This film runs a bit long at 2 hours & 20 minutes, but I think that has to do with the fact that JFK told them he wanted accuracy in this movie. Think that scared Warners into making it long in order to make a statement about it being accurate. It is not as far off as many times when Hollywood would take liberties with. Robert J Donovan who wrote the book, really only has 1 other writing credit. I guess he made enough money on PT109 that he didn't write Cold War until 1998.
This a a fairly good film as a young Robert Culp, James Gregory, Norman Fell, & some other folks who would go on to more fame are in this one. I like the way it opens with a junior officer trying to get JFK to go stateside & open brothels with him. Ironically, maybe JFK should have taken him up on that, but why should he need to run brothels when legend has it he could have almost any woman he wanted for free.
This tale states that JFK's back problems were caused when a Japanese Destroyer cut the 109 into 2 halves. The legend of that here is put too film along with some other major materials.
Robertson, in contrast was already an established star. As JFK was actually more of a conservative Democrat, the established star would make more sense.
This film runs a bit long at 2 hours & 20 minutes, but I think that has to do with the fact that JFK told them he wanted accuracy in this movie. Think that scared Warners into making it long in order to make a statement about it being accurate. It is not as far off as many times when Hollywood would take liberties with. Robert J Donovan who wrote the book, really only has 1 other writing credit. I guess he made enough money on PT109 that he didn't write Cold War until 1998.
This a a fairly good film as a young Robert Culp, James Gregory, Norman Fell, & some other folks who would go on to more fame are in this one. I like the way it opens with a junior officer trying to get JFK to go stateside & open brothels with him. Ironically, maybe JFK should have taken him up on that, but why should he need to run brothels when legend has it he could have almost any woman he wanted for free.
This tale states that JFK's back problems were caused when a Japanese Destroyer cut the 109 into 2 halves. The legend of that here is put too film along with some other major materials.