D-Day the Sixth of June (1956)

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Lionel Shapiro (novel)
Ivan Moffat (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 May 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | War | Drama | Action

Tagline:

The Greatest Love Story of the War !

Plot:

En route to Normandy, an American and a British officer reminisce in flashback about their romances with the same woman.

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | WWII | Heroism | Nazi | British American Cooperation

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Capt. Brad Parker
Richard Todd	...	Lt. Col. John Wynter
Dana Wynter	...	Valerie Russell
Edmond O'Brien	...	Lt. Col. Alexander Timmer
John Williams	...	Brig. Russell
Jerry Paris	...	Raymond Boyce
Robert Gist	...	Dan Stenick
Richard Wyler	...	David Archer (as Richard Stapley)
Ross Elliott	...	Maj. Mills
Alex Finlayson	...	Col. Harkens
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Aherne	...	Grainger, Associated Press Correspondent (uncredited)
Parley Baer	...	Sgt. Gerbert (uncredited)
Rama Bai	...	Mala, Russell's Servant (uncredited)
Marie Brown	...	Georgina, Red Cross Worker (uncredited)
Virginia Carroll	...	American Nurse (uncredited)
Fred Coby	...	Medic (uncredited)
Barry Coe	...	Helmsman (uncredited)
Ashley Cowan	...	LCpl. Bailey (uncredited)
John Damler	...	Lt. Col. Ed Cantrell (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti	...	Coat room attendant (uncredited)
Reggie Dvorak	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Douglas Evans	...	Ship Captain (uncredited)
Conrad Feia	...	Lieutenant at party (uncredited)
Joe J. Garcia	...	Puchani (uncredited)
Paul Glass	...	Randall (uncredited)
Dabbs Greer	...	Cpl. Atkinson (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Man on Train (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Gen. Bolthouse (uncredited)
Lillian Kemble-Cooper	...	British Nurse (uncredited)
Queenie Leonard	...	Corporal on Train (uncredited)
Chester Marshall	...	Lt. Clayford Binns (uncredited)
Patricia McMahon	...	Suzette (uncredited)
June Mitchell	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Sgt. Tom Brooks (uncredited)
Gavin Muir	...	Voice of Radio Broadcaster (uncredited)
Damian O'Flynn	...	Gen. Pike (uncredited)
Robert Patten	...	Petty Officer (uncredited)
George Pelling	...	Capt. Waller (uncredited)
Tom Pittman	...	Air Force Officer (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Man on Train (uncredited)
Howard Price	...	American war correspondent (uncredited)
Jack Raine	...	Officer (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	German Captain (uncredited)
Grant Scott	...	Palmer (uncredited)
Mickey Scott	...	Paducci (uncredited)
Reginald Sheffield	...	Hotel Proprietor (uncredited)
Geoffrey Steele	...	Maj. McEwen (uncredited)
Victoria Ward	...	Mrs. Hamilton (uncredited)
Ben Wright	...	Gen. Millensbeck (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Koster

Writing credits
Lionel Shapiro		(novel "The Sixth of June")
Ivan Moffat		(writer) and
Harry Brown		(writer)

Produced by
Charles Brackett	....	producer

Original Music by
Lyn Murray

Cinematography by
Lee Garmes

Film Editing by
William Mace

Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Walter M. Scott
Charles Vassar

Costume Design by
Charles Le Maire		(executive wardrobe designer) (as Charles LeMaire)

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Silver	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (as Maurice de Packh)
Lionel Newman	....	conductor

Other crew
Dan Gilmer	....	technical advisor (as Colonel Dan Gilmer.)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

D-Day the 6th of June (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
The Sixth of June (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This movie is based on the fictional 1955 romantic war novel, The Sixth of June by Lionel Shapiro. Shapiro had been a World War II Canadian war correspondent for The Montreal Gazette. He actually landed with the Canadian armed forces on D-Day for the the Allied invasion of Sicily, Salerno and Juno Beach. The Sixth of June novel won the Governor General's Award for English Language Fiction.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Teenage Rebel (1956)

Soundtrack:

No Love, No Nothin'

Romantic Melodrama With An American Bias

It's rather strange watching D DAY THE SIXTH OF JUNE in 2005 because what strikes you is that it's a war movie made with a female audience in mind . Maybe it wasn't so strange at the time because a large proportion of the female population in Britain at the time could probably relate to having both a British boyfriend and an American lover on the go at the same time , but still the thought of a war movie marketed towards women seems somewhat bizarre since it's a genre most females seem to dislike . For example has anyone seen the comments on BLACK HAWK DOWN from teenage girls confessing they went to the cinema simply to see Orlando Bloom and had to endure two hours of on screen carnage ?

My problem D DAY THE SIXTH OF JUNE is that it's an American movie . Nothing wrong with that since the Yanks make better films than anyone else but since it's based on actual events it's a very poor history lesson . For example we cut via flashback to a radio broadcast in 1942 stating that because of American involvement in North Africa the campaign was now a foregone conclusion . I will state truthfully that Britain couldn't have won the second world war without American assistance , but we won the Battle of Britain without American assistance and in 1941 British Commonwealth forces numbering 36,000 managed to hold back an Italian army numbering 400,000 in North Africa , while the decisive battle in the region at El Alamein was an entirely British commonwealth victory save for some equipment that was made in America . Watching this movie you're led to believe that the Brits didn't have a clue what they were doing unless they had expert help from Uncle Sam . Britain spent almost two years alone fighting the Axis powers , which is not something you'd learn from this movie

There areone or two good points . One is Richard Todd's performance as a British para . Todd spent the second world war as an officer in the parachute regiment and took part in the D Day landings himself so he gives method acting a whole new meaning , though his character isn't on screen as much as he should have been . Despite being filmed 50 years ago the long awaited battle scenes are good and must have been outstanding in their day , and lastly despite having an American bias this movie occasionally points out the Canadian contribution to the Second world war something that THE LONGEST DAY negates somewhat