Hollywood Studio Magazine (August 1969)

WAR CONFERENCE - General Patton’s pet dog “Willie ” a pet bull dog was a favorite of troops and the tough general himself. CAPTURE CITIES - Patton captured more than 12,000 cities and towns during his in¬ vasion of Eureopean countries occupied by the Germans. battles were only part of the General’s story, and Franklin Shaffner is quick to point out, that as the director, it was his task to tell the story of a man’s life, not re-live every engagement of WW II. Although he would probably be the first to admit Patton loved war, and any attempt to separate his story from battle is difficult at best. For instance, between August 1, 1944 and May 9, 1945, Patton’s troops, the U.S. Third Army liberated 12,000 cities and communities, marched 1225 miles in 291 days of combat, crossed 24 major rivers, captured approximately 81,000 square miles of occupied Europe and took more than 10,000 prisoners a day for several weeks. Obviously trying to avoid military action in re-telling these triumphs is impossible, if one is to keep the facts in order. Even more famous than his battles, was the periods when Patton seemed to be a brute or at best a nut in a military uniform. The famous slapping incident is one case. That is probably better remembered than any other single thing the General did in WW II. Rather than try to gloss over it, or excuse the burst of temper, McCarthy has tried to reconstruct the event as closely as possible to what happened - then expects the audience to make up its own mind from the facts as they are presented. Trying to be objective, McCarthy has approached his task with the idea his cameras and actors are reporters re-creating history. The facts should speak for themselves. George C. Scott who plays Patton will give many people a double take. He is a close resemblance to the fire breathing, frequently blasphemous, and inspired leader in combat that Patton seems to have been. Many of the men who knew him, served under him or over him during the years he was part of the United States Army, feel Patton was something of a mystic. Indeed, his bursts of near genius and leadership made him the most feared combat officer in Europe, by the German’s own admission. Their participation as technical advisors, (General Bradley spent long hours going over the script prior to shooting) became a labor of love. Not everyone will agree with what has been done by McCarthy and Schaffner, and not everyone will agree with the subject matter, but the one thing the producer hopes for is this: “When people go out of this picture they will hate Patton or they will love him. Since that’s pretty much the way he was in real life, I will feel we have done a good job of presenting his true story.” Trying to get a legend on film is never an easy task. Trying to pin down a figure of history as enigmatic as Patton’s is like catching lightning in a bottle. Frank McCarthy is betting he can do it. So is Fox. Patton’s son who until recently was serving in Viet Nam as a combat officer once was reported to have said: “I will shoot the SOB who tries to make a movie about my father,” and McCarthy hasn’t forgotten his threat. Perhaps once the younger Patton sees the film, shooting won’t be necessary. But he made the threat sound like he meant every word. -Jsloing Thing a for , 970 You Too Can Enjoy The Luxury Of CAR LEASING Have you considered leasing your automotive requirements? Want to know more about the many advantages you can enjoy from leasing? Come in, or give us a call. YOU CAN LEASE A NEW '70 FORD LTD Q Koo v/ P er month CAMPER RENTALS $95 week Our Low Rate includes Insurance LEASING-DAILY RENTALS 787-3800 15505 R0SC0E BLVD. SEPULVEDA 3A