TCM 8:00 PM Fail Safe (1964)

[elleng]

1h 52m | Drama | TV-14
A failure in the U.S. defense system threatens to start World War III.
Director: Sidney Lumet. Cast: Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau

[WheelWalker]

1. A good movie. Recommended.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. I have the DVD

Between that and tee vee, I've watched it about a dozen times (and read the novel three or four). One of my favorite films of all time. TV Guide used to describe it as "'Dr. Strangelove' without the laughs "

[Morbius]

3. There's a story there.

The story goes that Kubrick found out Fail Safe was being made as he was making Dr. Strangelove, and he did everything he could to ensure his movie came out first - which it did. Fail Safe was a box office bomb as a result. That's a shame, because while they deal with similar issues, both movies are quite different and quite good.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. "Dr. Strangelove" came out first

because the studio delayed release of "Fail-Safe" after JFK's assassination.

Also, there was a lawsuit filed by the author of Red Alert, claiming the authors of Fail-Safe, Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, had stolen from his book. I dunno how much effect that had on the film's release, though.

[CTyankee]

4. Fail Safe was a movie with great integrity. Fonda was superb as was Matthau.

Thanks for the listing, and for the memory. I might just get that on youtube and watch it again just to see the artistry at work.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. Larry Hagman gets overlooked

in "Fail-Safe," I think. His performance as Russian translator Peter Buck was outstanding. I can't forget his expression after the "Vindicator" bomber... oops, spoiler!

[edbermac]

7. Pretty good movie, but...(spoiler alert)

I didn’t buy the US president dropping a nuclear bomb on New York to make up for the one dropped on Moscow.