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Cinema and the JFK assassination


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Since we have previously had a thred about songs that have something to do with the assassination i thought i would start one about movies.

The ending for Dr.Strangelove was not the originally proposed ending, it was supposed to end with a huge pie fight and the president being hit in the face with a pie, one of the generals then remarks 'our beloved president has been cut down in his prime' , they had to change it as just weeks before it was due to air kennedy was shot.

In 'malcolm x' directed by spike lee we see malcolm x saying that he didnt care that kennedy was shot because he was a white man, malcolm x later retracted this i believe after his trip to mecca.

john

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I finally got to see the movie "Executive Action" several years ago. I found it to be a very bad film, stilted dialogue and wooden acting, with Burt Lancaster seeming to phone in his lines. It was fascinating to watch only because of my interest in the assassination. Otherwise I could see why it bombed at the box office. This was very unfortunate, because Stone's JFK proved what an impact a really good movie about this national crime can have.

The way the plot unfolded in the movie seemed believable as I recall, but the one scene I most remember, still with a chuckle, is when Lancaster is going over the plan with a big blow-up of Dealey Plaza, pointing out where the shooters will be, and he says, "And one will be here on the grassy knoll." That term, of course, was not invented until sometime after the assassination. A small point, but it was one of many lines of dialogue in the film that made me cringe.

Ron

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while watching a late night infomertial hosted by one of the monkees trying to sell me the greatest hits of the sixties I saw a song by a guy called 'dion', the song was called abraham,martin and john. it referred of course to abraham lincoln, martin luther king and john f kennedy.

john

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while watching a late night infomertial hosted by one of the monkees trying to sell me the greatest hits of the sixties I saw a song by a guy called 'dion', the song was called abraham,martin and john. it referred of course to abraham lincoln, martin luther king and john f kennedy.

john

Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

You know, I just looked around and he's gone.

Anybody here seen my old friend John?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

I just looked around and he's gone.

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

I just looked 'round and he's gone.

Didn't you love the things that they stood for?

Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?

And we'll be free

Some day soon, and it's a-gonna be

one day ...

Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

I thought I saw him walk up over the hill,

With Abraham, Martin and John.

And we'll be free

Some day soon,

hopefully

john

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If I'm not mistaken, Deputy Sheriff Roger Craig played in Executive Action. It is an extremely boring movie. The best part of the movie is at the end when they show, with music, photographs of "eliminated" witnesses like the newsmen present in Ruby's appartment some time after he killed Oswald.

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One of the early important movies about the assassination was WINTER KILLS.

Check it out at Amazon:

Amazon.com: DVD: Winter Kills (1979)

Winter Kills, William Richert, Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach,

Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, Tomas Milian, Belinda Bauer, Ralph ...

Big name cast!

An absurd conclusion, as I recall, but an interesting movie. As I recall, it concludes

that Joseph Kennedy ordered his son killed. (been more than 20 years since I saw

it, so I may be wrong.)

Jack :D

Edited by Jack White
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I looked up "Executive Action" in a movie database, and was surprised to learn that Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay. As I recall, Trumbo was one of the blacklisted Hollywood writers until Kirk Douglas had the courage to give him the job of writing the script, using his real name, for "Spartacus." That pretty well ended the Hollywood blacklist.

"Executive Action" has to be considered one of Trumbo's lesser works.

Ron

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I know it is not cinema, but devoted fans of The Simpsons will be familiar with the multitude of references related to the assassination; including the episode when Homer decided he was going to be a bodyguard. He attended the 'Leavelle's School of Personal Protection' which was run by this guy in a white suit complete with the white Stetson.

James

Edited by James Richards
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Some mindnumbing cinematic offerings related to the assassination are -

RUBY AND OSWALD: A made for TV atrocity.

RUBY: Banal tripe which features a pre 'X Files' David Duchovny as Officer Tippit.

TIMEQUEST: Ridiculous and poorly done waste of celluloid where the hero travels back in time to stop the assassination.

DA DI QIN QING: Baffling Chinese film which has LHO and Ruby hiding out in Asia during the HSCA investigation.

My suggestion to all is avoid the above. I am still in therapy over 'Da Di Qin Qing'. :D

James

Edited by James Richards
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Since we have previously had a thred about songs that have something to do with the assassination i thought i would start one about movies.

The ending for Dr.Strangelove was not the originally proposed ending, it was supposed to end with a huge pie fight and the president being hit in the face with a pie, one of the generals then remarks 'our beloved president has been cut down in his prime' , they had to change it as just weeks before it was due to air kennedy was shot.

In 'malcolm x' directed by spike lee we see malcolm x saying that he didnt care that kennedy was shot because he was a white man, malcolm x later retracted this i believe after his trip to mecca.

john

The best source I know for JFK related movies is Peter Fokes who posts on alt.assassination.jfk:

http://groups.google.ca/groups?hl=en&lr=&q...ssination.jfk.*

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Since we have previously had a thred about songs that have something to do with the assassination i thought i would start one about movies.

The ending for Dr.Strangelove was not the originally proposed ending, it was supposed to end with a huge pie fight and the president being hit in the face with a pie, one of the generals then remarks 'our beloved president has been cut down in his prime' , they had to change it as just weeks before it was due to air kennedy was shot.

In 'malcolm x' directed by spike lee we see malcolm x saying that he didnt care that kennedy was shot because he was a white man, malcolm x later retracted this i believe after his trip to mecca.

john

Two HBO movies are, IMO, worth a view. Neither directly covers the assassination itself but each offers interesting characterizations of people involved in the Kennedy era.

"The Rat Pack" is available on DVD. I really liked it, particularly the scenes re Joe Kennedy's giving orders to Frank Sinatra.

"Sugartime" (on VHS only, I think) is the story of Sam Giancana and Phyllis McGuire. FBI agent Bill Roemer plays a small role in the movie and if I recall right the movie was based on a Roemer book. With regard to Roemer, however, please read the article I linked under thetopic "Richard Cain."

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  • 5 years later...

Since we have previously had a thred about songs that have something to do with the assassination i thought i would start one about movies.

The ending for Dr.Strangelove was not the originally proposed ending, it was supposed to end with a huge pie fight and the president being hit in the face with a pie, one of the generals then remarks 'our beloved president has been cut down in his prime' , they had to change it as just weeks before it was due to air Kennedy was shot.

From film.com

What's the Big Deal?: Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Or how we learned to stop worrying and figure out what the big deal was.

Eric D. Snider, Oct 26, 2010

http://www.film.com/features/story/whats-big-deal-dr-strangelove/42109487

There is a link at the bottom of the above article; Tim Dirks' essay is required reading for Strangelove fans.

http://www.filmsite.org/drst.html

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The Canadian ''The American Trap'' is interesting for its inclusion of contemporary footage and the recreation of places of interest in Dallas and New Orleans.

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Since we have previously had a thred about songs that have something to do with the assassination i thought i would start one about movies.

The ending for Dr.Strangelove was not the originally proposed ending, it was supposed to end with a huge pie fight and the president being hit in the face with a pie, one of the generals then remarks 'our beloved president has been cut down in his prime' , they had to change it as just weeks before it was due to air Kennedy was shot.

From film.com

What's the Big Deal?: Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Or how we learned to stop worrying and figure out what the big deal was.

Eric D. Snider, Oct 26, 2010

http://www.film.com/...gelove/42109487

There is a link at the bottom of the above article; Tim Dirks' essay is required reading for Strangelove fans.

http://www.filmsite.org/drst.html

Thanks for that one Michael, and reviving this thread.

Terry Southern indeed, was a great, beat era writer who also wrote some other classics, including the short story Red Dirt Marijuana, which appeared in the Evergreen Review, a New Left Revolutionary glossy mag in the 60s, the Cinncinatti Kid (Steve McQueen), Easy Rider and Casino Royale.

If you liked Dr. Strangelove, then you'll appreciate this short newsreel piece put together by Gen. LeMay's guys, apparently in response or anticipation of Fail Safe and Strangelove. It was produced, but never shown publicly until recently.

SAC Command Post is one of the bases who engage AF1 in radio communications during the trip from Dallas to DC.

http://www.gwu.edu/~...b304/film03.htm

Edited by William Kelly
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