Dean Martin was Offered the David Niven Part

In the 1992 biography of Dean Martin entitled "Dino" -- published when Dean was still alive -- author Nick Tosches reported that Dean Martin was offered the David Niven role in The Guns of Navarone " first - but turned the role down because "Martin didn't want to have to travel to Europe to make a movie."

(Come to think of it, Dean Martin was more comfortable doing romantic comedies on the backlot and LA locations, or travelling to various Western states to make Westerns.)

It is interesting to think of Martin adjusting his persona into the character Niven played -- sensitive, anti-war even as he practices it well(as an explosives expert) always needling Gregory Peck about his compromises as a leader. (Until Peck BLOWS UP on him in his famous "You're in this up to your NECK!" speech where he threatens to shoot Niven.)

Dean Martin was always surprisingly real as an actor when he tried(which was rarely -- The Young Lions, Toys in the Attic and especially Rio Bravo.) But its just a little hard to see him in the Niven part. I can't remember if Niven was playing a British soldier or an American to tell you the truth- but Martin would have had to play the chraracter as a Yank.

No matter. It was never to be. Dino didn't want to work in Europe, so he missed out on a big role in a major hit -- and classic.