Dad vs Clooney

In which Mr Clooney reprises a famous role of my Dad's

The seminal movie Failsafe was released in 1964. It’s a Cold War Thriller in which Henry Fonda plays the president, and buddies of dad’s like Frank Overton and Larry Hagman also starred, as well as Walter Matthau and Fritz Weaver. Failsafe was directed by Sidney Lumet, who cast my father many times, in movies such as 12 Angry Men (in which dad also starred with Henry Fonda, among many others), The Verdict (with Paul Newman), and Lovin’ Molly (Blythe Danner, Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges). Lumet and my dad originally met in the fifties, when Lumet directed “The Mechanical Heart” for Goodyear Playhouse, and three of the actors from that production would follow Lumet to 12 Angry Men: My dad, Jack Klugman, and Jack Warden.

Failsafe tagline: A technical malfunction sends American planes to Moscow to deliver a nuclear attack. Can all-out war be averted?

From Wikipedia: The film follows a crisis caused by a critical error that sends a group of U.S. bombers to destroy Moscow, and the ensuing attempts to stop the bomber group before it can deploy a nuclear first strike.

Dad plays Col. Grady, the pilot of the bomber, who is the subject of increasingly frantic calls to abandon his bombing run on Moscow, including a direct radio communication with his wife. But he sticks, literally, to his guns. Its a nail-biter, with a terrifying and apocalyptic ending.

In 2000, George Clooney spearheaded a live teleplay adaptation of Failsafe on CBS, in which he reprised my dad’s role as Col. Grady, alongside Noah Wyle, Richard Dreyfuss, Don Cheadle, and Sam Elliot. While, in the original, my dad’s face was frequently obscured by his oxygen mask, Clooney played Col. Grady without the mask.

Thank goodness.

Four Tidbits For The Week of March 4, 2024

Brigit’s What I’m

DOING NOW ➡️ Being excited about tomorrow's official launch of Rottenkid: A Succulent Story of Survival, and upcoming in-person appearances
CURRENTLY LOVING ➡️ My family
THINKING ABOUT ➡️ What is my next book.....hmmmmm. No rest for the wicked. 
LISTENING TO ➡️ The calm before the storm