I just noticed that... - The Great Escape (1963) Discussion

[–] WarringtonMinge 10 years ago

I guess you mean apart from the scene where Hilts is helping Danny & Willie with their exit from the tunnel? They seem to be pretty much in the same shot there!

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[–] darcila86 10 years ago

Oh snap, you're right! :)

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[–] Nikostratos 10 years ago

McQueen was the bigger star of the two, if that's what you're implying.

Formerly tdnh_2000

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[–] rready4198-693-489748 10 years ago

Charles Bronson was about to breakout with his own show "Man With A Camera" so knowing Steve he was not going to share any scenes if possible. He was already doing that to Yul so do you really think he would give someone the opportunity to do the same thing to him?

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[–] Eric-62-2 10 years ago

Um...."Man With A Camera" had been off the air for over four years when "Great Escape" was made.

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[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Serbius 10 years ago

the screen would explode of too much ooolness

"Because of my big legs and my karate, I can do the splits......Noo...Prroblemm"

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[–] DamageIncM 10 years ago

And I just noticed that since Attenborough's passing, the whole main cast, or pretty much the whole cast and crew is now no longer alive. -_-
Well, maybe some, but wow is it depressing to visit the WikipediA...

Sorry that it's off-topic, but I wasn't going to make a new topic about it. It's also just a strange observation I just made. :P

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[–] joystar5879 10 years ago

David McCallum is still with us....THANK G-D!

"I do hope he won't upset Henry.."

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[–] avenger-16 10 years ago

And Angus Lenny has just died, so that makes three cast members in less than two months.

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[–] disastrousdallas 7 years ago

Not exactly a big player in the film but William Russel is still alive

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[–] idgreenwood 10 years ago

The Charles Bronson-David McCallum scenes (a few, mostly group scenes) might have caused a certain froideur, but in the dismal way of these things I suppose the latter did not know about the former's off-shoot adventures until it was all too late.

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[–] InnerTube 9 years ago

Maybe one thought that the other one was not washing properly and had smelly armpits?

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[–] DracTarashV 9 years ago

It would've been awesome if they were in more scenes together. Incidentally, while there is no denying that McQueen was the star of the film, I think Bronson gave a stronger performance than him.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

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[–] davidwile 9 years ago

Hey folks,

Steve McQueen was not known for being very much of a nice guy. By the time he finished his Wanted Dead or Alive series, Steve McQueen was in the big leagues, and the success went to his head.

He was such a problem with everyone while doing Hell is For Heroes , someone at the lunch table said, "McQueen is his own worst enemy." To which Bobby Darin replied, "Not as long as I'm alive."

Sure, the gals all liked him until he was done with them, but he was not a nice guy. Maybe Charles Bronson simply had good taste and kept away from McQueen as much as possible.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

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[–] marfrie56 9 years ago

I don't know that character assassination (especially of a beloved DEAD person) is really fair play.
Maybe some people didn't like McQueen.
So what?
Does everybody love everything about you?
So Bobby Darin had a quip. Now I'm supposed to adopt his (purported) attitude about McQueen?
Obviously, nobody on this board knew McQueen personally. So maybe he was no Fred Rogers but he also was no Idi Amin. He was a STAR and a big one. And the thing that MADE him a star was not his brilliant acting (though it may have been), it was that he was just so cool.

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[–] Clintessence 9 years ago

Hey Dave,

It's interesting to note what James Garner said about the two actors. He said Steve McQueen was crazy, but he was fine to work with. He said Charles Bronson was the only actor who had problems on the set. Garner said Bronson was a "bitter, belligerent SOB".

Later on when Garner got the role in "Grand Prix," he said McQueen wouldn't talk to him. "I guess he thought he should be the race car actor," Garner
stated.

So McQueen later produced and starred in "LeMans", but it didn't do well at the box office.

Needless to say, all three actors had immense screen presence, and therefore had huge careers.

Clintessence

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[–] davidwile 9 years ago

Hey Clint,

Say what you want about McQueen and Garner, but do not ever say anything bad about Charley Buchinsky who happens to be Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania's famous coal mining actor. Bronson also happened to have been born on the third day of November, which happens to be a very special day for other special people.

I do, of course, tend to ignore his relationships with the women in his life. Like McQueen, he was not exactly the epitome of what we would want our sons to be.

You probably know I liked Bronson from back in the days when he was still billed as Buchinsky, and I never knew anything about the darker parts of his life which were rather reprehensible. I could pretty much say the same thing about McQueen who seemed so honorable on the big screen even though his real character was something a lot less.

Never forget, however, Charley Bronson was a coal cracker from Pennsylvania.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

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[–] Clintessence 9 years ago

I doubt you'll ever let me forget Charley was a coal cracker from Pennsylvania. Don't get me wrong here, because McQueen and Bronson rank third and fourth on my list of favorite actors.

Charley was billed as Buchinsky in "House of Wax" I believe.

Best wishes,
Clintessence

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[–] davidwile 9 years ago

Hey Clint,

You are right, House of Wax it was, and that was one of the first films I saw in 3D. I was very ambivalent about the whole 3D thing. I liked those shots designed to show something coming at the camera, but the picture quality always seemed fuzzy to me, and I remember constantly moving the 3D glasses up and down to see the difference.

That was a long time ago, but I still remember being disappointed in the 3D picture quality and had no problem understanding why 3D faded away. Then in 2012 I went to one of those modern theaters that featured a half dozen different films at the same time and saw the John Carter sci-fi film in 3D which used more modern 3D glasses. Well, sixty-some years may have passed, but the 3D was still just as bad to me as it was back in 1953's House of Wax. It was also disappointing to find out it was shot in Moab, but I was unable to recognize any of it.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

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[–] Clintessence 9 years ago

Hey Dave,

Now that you mention the 3-D thing, I both agree and disagree with you.

I remember seeing some of those old 3-D movies, but I was too young to see them in the theaters (the fad was over by the time I was old enough to go to the movie houses). However, some of the local TV stations would have a special movie broadcast in 3-D, and you could get the glasses at a local store. I recall watching "Hondo" and some gorilla movie starring Raymond Burr. Also, the TV series "Medium" broadcast an episode in 3-D, and TV Guide had the glasses available that week inside the magazine. The effect was only so-so.

I have seen many 3-D movies of late in the theaters, and they are getting progressively better. Many of the Marvel superhero movies are absolutely fantastic in 3-D. I have found myself reflexively ducking on many occasions.

I take my grandchildren to see these superhero movies, and I must say they are quite impressive.

I'm just saying.

Best Wishes,
Clintessence

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[–] davidwile 9 years ago

Hey Clint,

You take your grandchildren to superhero movies?!? Show them Combat! and that is all they will ever need in life.

I thought my life was in decline. I am not alone.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

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[–] Clintessence 9 years ago

Oh man, now you got me going.

When I went to Franklin Canyon, I showed my grandson the cement culverts and tried to explain to him how they were used in "Combat". He had no way of appreciating what I was telling him.

Not long ago, he was at my house and I was watching an episode of "Combat". Our favorite squad of GI's were crawling through the culverts, and I said, "Hey, those are the culverts we saw when we were in Calif." He just looked at me at said, "this is really lame." I have been in mourning ever since.

I have hopes for him however, because he's a really sharp kid and we're quite close. I have managed to persuade him to like "Magnum, P.I.", and he's watched every episode. I have taken him to several WW2 airshows, and we have crawled through a couple of B-17's together. He's viewed a couple of episodes of "12 O'Clock High" with me.

He's only twelve, he's read my book, and we watch football together -- so I have hopes I can bring him around at some point in the future.

It's like my own kids and Westerns -- they don't like them. No wonder the world is going to pot, these youngsters haven't a clue. They wear their pants below their butts, their hats are on crooked, they think these little go-carts are real cars, and they think zombies really exist.

Go figure.

Best Wishes,
Clintessence

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[–] Chalicewell 8 years ago

I just wanted to comment that Charles Bronson was credited as Charley Bushinsky in one of the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movies, "Pat and Mike." He played a hood and did a great comedic turn in the film. I noticed him long after 'The Great Escape' and the "Death Wish' movies. It's too bad he was put into dramatic roles. If you see "Pat and Mike' you'll see he could have done comedy as well.

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[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

So, how did it occur to the director to cast a Pennsylvania born coal mining actor of a Lithuanian father as a coal mining Polish soldier cum tunnel escapee? Is that type casting?

He did a great job with the role. I wonder if he drew on stories from his father.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

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[–] marktayloruk (2378) 2 years ago

What did they do wrong? Seduce some women - if I.had goodlooking women throwing themselves at me...

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[–] liscarkat (16530) 6 years ago

McQueen saw through the superficiality of much of the movie crowd and its society. When he wasn't working, he'd often go out with his motorcycling buddies. In the late '60s, he spent some time hanging around the motorcycle speedway tracks of southern California, getting to know some of the riders. In this setting, he was relaxed and he fit in as just one of the guys. He wasn't trying to act like a big shot actor and the other guys found him easy to get along with.

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