Big Picture: The Making of Patton and Its America

Nicholas Evan SarantakesAssociate ProfessorNaval War College

Part I:Introduction

Thesis

The argument of this book is: that this film is a superior piece of art that inspired strong reactions because it used mythical standards to connect to powerful ideas that Americans think important about their nation, ranging from personal character, to the nature of the society, and even the place of the United States in the world.

Issues●Vietnam● Gender● Race● Globalization● Economics● Technological change● Popular culture● Public opinion● History vs. memory vs. public myth

Source Material

● Papers of Frank McCarthy● Papers of Franklin J. Schaffner● Twentieth-Century Fox Archives● Memoirs● DVD commentaries● DVDs● Oral histories● Newspaper/Magazine articles & reviews

Part II:ORGANIZATION

The Introduction

This chapter reproduces the opening scene of the film, contrasting the shooting of this scene (Scott was hung over and did it in one take) to the reactions of various audiences.

Chapter 1: The General

When most people think of Patton, they think of a then-42 year old actor named, George C. Scott and not the 60-year old General. This chapter provides a short biographical sketch of the actual George S. Patton, Jr.

Chapter 2: The Producer

Frank McCarthy spent 17 years as an executive at 20th Century Fox attempting to make this film. This chapter looks at the first decade he spent trying to put this project together.

Chapter 3: The Screenwriter

McCarthy had commissioned a writer to begin working on a screenplay when 20th Century Fox nearly went bankrupt in the wake of the cost overruns associated with Cleopatra. He lost his job, but three years later as the studio recovered with the success of The Longest Day, he returned to Fox and commissioned a new writer, Francis Ford Coppola. This chapter examines the work of these two to produce a screenplay that was dramatic—focusing on the General’s character—but also historically accurate.

Chapter 4: The Director

McCarthy needed a director. He talked with John Frankenheimer, John Huston, and William Wyler. Huston and Wyler did not like the Coppola script and McCarthy hired a new screenwriter. After Wyler left the project, McCarthy turned to Franklin Schaffner. This director was much in demand just having overseen The Planet of the Apes, a monster hit for 20th Century Fox.

Chapter 5:The Actor

John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, George C. Scott, and Rod Serling all turned down the lead in Patton. Ronald Reagan wanted the part but McCarthy never considered him seriously. Scott later said he would take the part if the studio used the Coppola script.

Chapter 6: The Field Marshal

As Edmund H. North revised the Coppola script, McCarthy hired Omar N. Bradley as a special consultant. Bradley was extremely sensitive to his reputation and it is no accident that the Bradley character emerges as the one true clear hero of the film. McCarthy gave him the right of review over the script. He, however, did not want Bradley or his “troublesome” second wife on the set. He had bought Bradley’s name for marketing purposes only.

Chapter 7: The Viscount

This chapter explores the ramifications of what we now call “globalization.” The film was shot mainly in Spain for a number of reasons, which saved money. On the other hand, studio executives feared The Viscount Montgomery of El Alemien would file a suite against the studio for slander.

Chapter 8: The President

Patton was both a commercial and artistic success despite being released at the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement. The public went to see the movie in droves and it became according to press accounts, Richard Nixon’s favorite film. McCarthy also collected hundreds of letters from individuals in all walks of life; some praising him for making an anti-war film and many, others—like Reagan—thanking him for this pro-military film.

Chapter 9: The Legacy

Patton has had a profound legacy within the motion picture industry. Since 1970 dozens of films and television programs have paid tribute to Patton in dozens of ways, using lines of dialogue, and reproducing key scenes. The film has often made critics’ list of the greatest motion pictures of all time.

Chapter 10: The Marine

Life often imitates art. Patton has influenced World War II historiography. Many people have used a clip of the opening scene as a motivational tool. The strangest incident might have been when Marine Captain Oliver North, reproduced the opening in the Dress Mess Uniform of a United States Marine Corps officer at the U.S. Naval Academy in an effort to get midshipmen to opt for a career in the Corps.

Conclusion

A brief (two or three page) conclusion restating the major thesis and importance of this study.

Part III:Status

Done● Primary Research● Organization of Material● Two Chapters Written

To Be Done● Follow Up Research (Filling holes) ● Finishing of Outline● Finding Photos● Primary Writing ● Finding Publisher