MovieChat Forums > Twelve O'Clock High (1950) Discussion > another lead actor...

another lead actor...

posted 20 years ago by asaquon1
22 replies | jump to latest

Having recently viewed "It's A Wonderful Life" again, I read up on James Stewart's biography and am very interested in his military service during WWII. General Stewart has seldom discussed his war service, one of the few interviews in which he does is in the World At War documentary series. I am a great fan of Gregory Peck, but I wonder how "12 O'Clock High" would have played if James Stewart had the role of General Savage.

Alternatively, I've seen Clark Gable (another WWII vet) in "Command Decision", and also wonder how he would have played General Savage.

AQ

[–] Kane III 20 years ago

I read John Wayne was offered the part and turned it down. I wonder how he wouldn've handled it. He played a similar role in Red River and he was actually good in that.

[–] csu16387 20 years ago

Gable and especially Stewart would have been interesting choices. However, Gregory Peck was superb as General Savage and I can't see anyone else playing it better.

"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."

[–] dcurry-1 20 years ago

Yes I did read that John Wayne declined.Gable & Stewart would have been good, maybe even Robert Mitchum.

[–] MadTom 19 years ago

It's important to note that both Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable were not just "WWII vets" but were actually bomber crewmen who flew combat missions in the ETO within the same time period depicted in *Twelve O'Clock High*. Stewart was actually a B-24 pilot and Squadron Commander, while Gable was a special cameraman/gunner on a few B-17 missions.

I remember Jimmy Stewart's appearance in *World at War*, and the thing that struck me the most was how, as famous an actor as he was, he was identified in the documentary as "James Stewart, Squadron Commander" with absolutely no reference to his celebrity out of uniform.

[–] bazv 19 years ago

Jimmy Stewart was a highly decorated Bomber pilot on B17 and B24 A/C,he had to fight with the top brass to get on combat flying,they wanted to keep him as an instructor in the US.After the war he refused to act in war films--this must have cost him some plum roles!!
There is a memorial to him at Polebrook Airfield near Peterborough UK,and probably at Tibenham,Norfolk UK where he was on B24's.

[–] flyer333555 17 years ago

After this movie he did act in a war film. In 1955 he was one of the lead roles in Strategic Air Command. Admittedly not much action, but I consider it a war film.

The other lead roles were the airplanes themselves - the B 36 and B 47.

[–] jump237 17 years ago

As much as I love the JS, he should have turned down Strategic Air Command. He was at least 10 yrs too old to pull off playing a pro baseball player turned bomber pilot.

[–] nickm2 18 years ago

MadTom:

According to a recent book that I read, Gable did fly a few missions as an NCO gunner & was very stressed & depressed to have to stay on the ground; in fact he darned near got himself court martialed for nearly assaulting a Military Doctor; Gable was visiting a badly/mortally wounded crewman he knew & the Doctor in question had a lousy bedside manner; he was going on about how the crewman didn't have long to live & didn't even know he was there, etc...Gable noticed the 'comatose' crewman's eyes filling with tears & essentially dragged the Doc out of the room, slammed him against the wall & told him, so many words that if he (the Doc) did anything like that in His (Gable's) presence again he'd kill him! In addition, Gable knew the risk of flying & said that if his plane were shot down he was NOT bailing out: as he put it, there was no way 'Adolph & His Gang' would put HIM in a cage to show him off!

NickM

[–] DD-931 18 years ago

You can always say someone else could have done a great job at playing Gen. Savage, but the fact is, Gregory Peck did brilliantly, so the movie definitely would not have been BETTER if someone else had played the part.

As it happens, I also admire the performances of the OTHER actor who actually played Gen. Savage: Robert Lansing.

[–] smokyschoice 18 years ago

I think it's important to note that had some of the big named actors previously mentioned like the Duke, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, or even Robert Mitchum, "12 O'clock High" still would have been a great WW2 movie. The interesting factor would have been what those actor's take would have been in portraying General Frank Savage. But yes, Gregory Peck did a fabulous job, right down to his being totally stressed out. I've also read that this movie was used as a blueprint for the US Air service training format, or something along that line.

[–] marbleann 17 years ago

No way could I see Stewart in this role. It demands a certain quality that I do not believe Stewart has. The abilty to show emotion without emoting. Peck has a quietness to his acting that you would never suspect what was coming in the end. Stewart IMO would not be able to pull that off. Frankly I cannot see how he could fit into this movie. I could see Burt Lancaster in Pecks role because I feel he has that same type of quality but not Stewart. It would be a whole different type of movie if Stewart was in it.

[–] rac701 16 years ago

I agree with DD-931 -- Robert Lansing was excellent as General Frank Savage in the "12 O'Clock High!" TV series.

Having watched Lansing on the series, and not yet having seen the theatrical film with Gregory Peck as Savage, Lansing's was the face, voice, and personality of the "Frank Savage" character that I saw in my mind's eye when I read the novel in the mid-1960's.

[–] marbleann 16 years ago

You know I forgot about the series. Yes Lansing was very good. I wonder if it on DVD.

[–] chrish1967 16 years ago

According to one of Wayne's biographers, he turned down the role
of General Savage because he thought the story was anti-American (?!?),
focusing too much on the negatives of the military. Wayne said the
airmen weren't depicted as heroic enough.

He did Flying Leathernecks a year or so later, playing the same
kind of character as Gen. Savage. But it was a more action-oriented
story.

Probably the auteurists prefer Flying Leathernecks because its director
is an auteur and 12 O'Clock High's Henry King is not. I personally
think that High is far superior, one of the greatest of all war
films, with hardly any war depicted.

[–] marbleann 16 years ago

Wasn't the main character based on a real person? Considering Wayne was a Chicken Hawk he has a lot of nerve.

[–] chrish1967 16 years ago

Yes, Savage is based on General Frank Armstrong, not sure of his
exact rank as a general.

Ironic about John Wayne and his super-patriotism. On the one hand,
he managed to duck his chance at war when he had himself declared
ineligible during WW II. And then, in the 1960s, was outraged at
those who were ducking the draft during Vietnam, calling them
cowards and unpatriotic for not being willing to fight for their
country.

[–] marbleann 16 years ago

Funny how people think he was such a war hero. they replace reality with fantasy and what is even worse sometimes like in the case of Wayne the actor goes along with it. Like George Clooney really opening up a doctors office simply because he played on ER and people making appointments to see him.

[–] deeveed 16 years ago

.."one of the greatest war films"...

Probably THE best? To my knowledge, I'm not even sure there is a film like TOCH. It is so unique focusing on the trials and tribulations of a commanding officer in war. The depths it goes to show the reaction to battle is unparalleled in film. Normally, attention would be paid on the conflict on the actual battlefield but this one focuses on the psychological activity going on in one's head. Now I can see that that wouldn't be Wayne's cup of tea. Wayne wasn't much for "psychologizing" things nor does he strike me as being able to deal with brass being taken down with pressure. That didn't seem to me how his world worked...... (and as we saw in the Longest day a busted foot couldn't stop him from getting to a French town).....;-)...

[–] marbleann 16 years ago

I feel Wayne would not have been able to handle such a complex role.

[–] deeveed 16 years ago

Interesting point. I tend to agree. I don't think he could "dive" to the inner depths like Peck did.

[–] DD-931 16 years ago

I wouldn't have liked to see Wayne play Gen. Savage (I think his iconic status would have unbalanced the movie), but I'm not so sure he couldn't have handled the complexities of the character. Check him out in THE SEARCHERS.

[–] norm_gillespie 15 years ago

You wonder about another film like TOCH. Check out THE DAWN PATROL (1938) with Errol Flynn. WWI setting, but a very similar story about the pressures of command and over-identification with the men. This is the one I recommen to people who say that Flynn really wasn't an actor, just a star.