I love "Big Bob" and he did fine work as Pug but I read Herman Wouk's novels before the mini-series was made and while I was reading I could only picture Glenn Ford as Pug Henry. It took quite a few episodes before I got used to Mitchum, and as you can tell it's 2005 and I still haven't gotten over it.
Anyone else do pre-casting while they read and how did you feel about the actors (that is, besides prefering Seymour and Bochner to McGraw and Vincent)?
I first read the book in 2000, when I was a Senior in High School, and I must confess that I pictured Clint Eastwood and Susan Suranden as Pug and Rhoda. When my wife and I watched the Mini-series recently, we loved it, and felt it was perfect with it's cast.
And, we preferred McGraw and Vincent to Seymour and Bochner. Seymour is too pretty to be Natalie, IMO, and I kept picture Bochner as he was in Die Hard.
"I cut my finger. That's tragedy. A man walks into an open sewer and dies. That's comedy."
That's interesting. I never thought much of McGraw as an actress. Maybe I didn't give her a chance the first time I saw the show.
This is the first I've ever seen with her in it, so I can't speak for any of her other roles.
"I cut my finger. That's tragedy. A man walks into an open sewer and dies. That's comedy."
We also pictured Glenn Ford. I think he was way too old for the role by the early 80s.
But Mitchum was great. We loved him when we watched the series the first time. And even moreso as we are currently watching it. Sort of a surprise in that I was never much of a Mitchum fan.
I loved Robert Mitchum as Pug Henry and did not think he was too old. He was formal yet likable.
sharewhile Robert Mitchum may have been a bit too old for the part, he was still excellent in the roll. In addition his look was perfect for the 1940's clothing.
shareI thought Mitchum was good in the role, if a little bit too old. Ali McGraw though, just made me cringe. She overacted terribly, and was in no way convincing as Natalie. For a start she was way, way too old. She was nearly 45 and was supposed to be playing someone in their late 20's. Jan Michael Vincent was supposed to be a youth of around 20. Hardly convincing when he was wrinkled and 38 years old! Nevertheless, I loved the series, and have both it and War and Remembrance on dvd. I also have the books, they have pride of place on my bookshelf.
shareMy friend and I thought of Robert Conrad when the movie came out. He was a smaller, as in shorter, actor and could have well played the part.
Robert Mitchum made a good role if you had never read the book, but part of the relationship between Pug and Rhoda was the fact that he was shorter than her.
Even though he was the boss, it affected her opinion of him.
I thought Mitchum did a great job as Pug Henry. However, I felt he was about 10 years too old. Although I will agree that Ali McGraw isn't near the actress Jane Seymour is, in my opinion, she captured the essence of the "book" natalie far better than Seymour, who, like most of the new actors in "War and Remembrance" were bland and forgettable.
shareIf you watch the making-of documentaries on the DVD, Dan Curtis acknowledges that while Mitchum was too old to play Pug, Mitchum was the only actor they auditioned -- including some age-appropriate ones -- who seemed to embody that no-nonsense 1940s kind of leading man they were looking for.
I agree with you about some of the recasting, though... Seymour's timid performance as Natalie didn't really click with me until she and Aaron end up in Theresienstadt. And Hart Bochner was just bland, bland, bland, though in Curtis' defense, there's no way they could have gone with Jan-Michael Vincent again, not after his constant drunkenness helped bring down Airwolf.
I saw the series first, then read the books, so I can't answer. I liked Mitchum in Winds, however he looked too old in W & R. (But was still good.) And I liked Ali McGraw and Jan-Michael Vincent best, not a knock on Seymour and Bochner who did a fine job. Overall, the casting is fantastic!!!
shareI think I would like to see Gary Senise (sp?) as Pug Henry if they did a remake. He has that tough, no nonsense quality about him and, at least now, he's just about the right age. I thought Mitchum did just fine. He had that commanding voice, too.
shareAli MacGraw wouldn't have been believable the second time as Natalie, pushing 50 is too old to be playing the younger Natalie. (This coming from a staunch defender of Sebastian Shaw.) Vincent looked more like Byron, but he also looked too angry and short-tempered. Bochner had more maturity, and as I actually watched this movie before seeing Die Hard all the way through, it didn't affect the way I saw Byron. Seymour had a great relationship with Aaron, and Gielgud was far superior to Houseman in that role.
shareGary Sinise would be perfect right now to play Pug. If they were to ever remake this, he'd be the first choice. (For FDR, they could use the OTHER definitive Roosevelt portrayer, Edward Hermann).
Mitchum looked far too old to play Pug, as well he looked really out of shape. Pug was supposed to be only in his late forties when the narrative begins (He turns 50 in the spring of either 1940 or 1941; I forget which), while Mitchum was in his mid sixties. As well, he was clearly out of shape and overweight. Pug was supposed to be in good shape, especially for his age. In one scene it was mentioned that he had the same pant size he had when he got married to Rhoda.
Other posters have mentioned that Pug was supposed to be short in the book. True, but that doesn't matter as much as how old the actor looks.
As well, Mitchum just didn't look like someone that Pamela could fall so hard for.
I think Kirk Douglas would have been a much better choice. He was good at playing military characters and he always had the dash (and good physical conditioning) to make Pug a more believeable lead. James Garner, at the time, was just the right age and could have pulled it off.
I thought of the perfect actor to have played Pug back in 83, rather than Robert Mitchum.....Robert Wagner.
He was right around the age Pug was supposed to have been in the novels, and you could imagine Pamela actually falling for him.
Another idea, and I know this sounds strange now, is Leslie Neilson. NOW, the thing to keep in mind is: back then, Neilson wasn't known for doing Airplane/Naked Gun style comedy. He was known as a serious, dramatic character actor.
Intersting thought about Leslie Nielsen as Pug, but it just doesn't click for me (probably due to his hair having gone totally gray/white at such a relatively young age). I could see him as an excellent alternative for the role of Palmer Kirby, but not Pug.
shareInteresting that you mention Glenn Ford, because Pug Henry as shown on the cover art on my copy of the "War and Remembrance" novel resembles Ford more so than Mitchum.
shareBeef may be what's for dinner, but if he's on a plane, Pug will have "Ham and eggs and pancakes" for breakfast.
sharePretty funny. Didn't know they could do that on military planes at that time.
shareThat's funny. I forgot about Mitchum making those commercials.
shareI think a star wouldn't devote a year of his life to this project. I'm not saying Mitchum wasn't a big name but he was past his prime. He worked hard on the series no question and the produders claim they wanted him as soon as they met him.
Here's Bob in the final scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUj0Q-MeDmc