History Trivia / TheLongestDay

** For the British: Creator/RichardBurton, Leo Genn, Creator/RoddyMcDowall, Creator/DonaldHouston, Creator/SeanConnery [[note]]Retroactively a star, sort-of. He filmed his (rather small) role just before leaving to film ''Film/DrNo'', but ''Dr. No'' premiered in British cinemas before ''The Longest Day'' did[[/note]], Richard Todd [[note]]actually playing the Captain he served under on D-Day[[/note]].

*** Richard Todd, who plays Major Howard of the British Airborne, was a British paratrooper during the war and actually took part in the D-Day landings -- in fact, he was initially approached to play ''himself'' in the film.

** Creator/{{Bourvil}} was a native of Normandy, and played the Resistance-affiliated mayor of the Norman town of Colleville.

** For the French: Arletty, Christian Marquand, Creator/{{Bourvil}}, Jean-Louis Barrault, Georges Wilson and Madeleine Renaud.

** UsefulNotes/WorldWarII ended less than twenty years before the movie came out, a number of cast members were actual veterans.

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/MelFerrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Creator/RodSteiger, Music/PaulAnka, Creator/RedButtons, Richard Beymer (fresh off the success of ''Film/{{West Side Story|1961}}''), Creator/RobertWagner (pre-fame), Creator/JeffreyHunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

** Creator/ChristopherLee, who fought in the War as an intelligence officer with the RAF, auditioned for any role he could get. He was turned down because the producers felt [[{{Irony}} he didn't look like a military officer]].

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/MelFerrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Richard Beymer (fresh off the success of ''Film/{{West Side Story|1961}}''), Creator/RobertWagner (pre-fame), Creator/JeffreyHunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

* PlayingAgainstType: Red Buttons usually played goofy comic-relief or funny hero types. Here, while there's some humor with him, his main scene is one of the film's most horrific parts.

** Creator/JohnWayne as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort. The real Benjamin Vandervoort was 12 years younger than Wayne, and on D-Day, he had been just 27, while Wayne was '''54''' when the movie was filmed.

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/MelFerrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Creator/RobertWagner (pre-fame), Creator/JeffreyHunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

** Creator/{{Bourvil}} was a native of Normandy, and plays the Resistance-affiliated mayor of the Norman town of Colleville.

* ActorSharedBackground: UsefulNotes/WorldWarII ended less than twenty years before the movie came out, a number of cast members were actual veterans.
** Richard Todd, who plays Major Howard of the British Airborne, was a British paratrooper during the war and actually took part in the D-Day landings -- in fact, he was initially approached to play ''himself'' in the film.
** As a 22-year-old private, Joseph Lowe landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day with the Second Ranger Battalion and scaled the cliffs at Point-Du-Hoc. He scaled those 100-foot cliffs all over again, for the cameras, some 17 years later.
** Creator/DonaldHouston, who has one scene as an RAF pilot, actually was in the RAF during World War II.
** Eddie Albert, who played Colonel Thompson, was a World War II veteran, but he served in the Pacific, not in Europe.
** Creator/HansChristianBlech (Werner Pluskat) was a German army veteran, although he fought on the Eastern front, not in the West.
** Creator/GertFrobe, who had a couple brief but memorable scenes as "Sergeant Kaffeekanne"[[note]]literally "Coffee Can"[[/note]] also served in the German army towards the end of the war.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Averted - Fox was planning on just doing a quick wide release to earn some cash they needed to offset their pre-release losses from ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}''. Darryl Zanuck threatened to bring ''The Longest Day'' to Warner Bros. if they didn't do a proper roadshow release, and Fox had to comply. (it still was the box office hit the studio needed).

** Creator/JohnWayne (a very conservative Republican) and Robert Ryan (a very liberal Democrat) had managed to put their political differences aside when they made '' Flying Leathernecks'', but they did not get along at all while making this film.

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Mel Ferrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Creator/RobertWagner (pre-fame), Creator/JeffreyHunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

* BackedByThePentagon: About 23,000(!) real US, British and French soldiers were used as extras in the movie. They also rented two Messerschmitts from the Spanish air force and four Spitfires from the Belgian air force.

** Creator/JohnWayne as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort. The real Benjamin Vandervoort was 12 years younger than Wayne, and on D-Day he had been just 27, while Wayne was '''54''' when the movie was filmed.

** Creator/RichardBurton said he felt that both he and Donald Houston were too old to play RAF pilots. During his national service in the RAF he never saw a pilot older than 30.

** The part of the British padre was first offered to Dirk Bogarde, who turned it down.

** Creator/JohnWayne (a very conservative Republican) and Robert Ryan (a very liberal Democrat) had managed to put their political differences aside when they made ''Film/FlyingLeathernecks'', but they did not get along at all while making this film.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Averted - Fox was planning on just doing a quick wide release to earn some cash they needed to offset their pre-release losses from ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}''. Darryl Zanuck threatened to bring''The Longest Day'' to Warner Bros. if they didn't do a proper roadshow release, and Fox had to comply. (it still was the box office hit the studio needed)

** For the British: Creator/RichardBurton, Leo Genn, Creator/RoddyMcDowall, Creator/DonaldHouston, Creator/SeanConnery [[note]]retroactively a star, those were his pre-James Bond days, and the role was pretty small[[/note]], Richard Todd [[note]]actually playing the Captain he served under on D-Day[[/note]].

** Donald Houston, who has one scene as an RAF pilot, actually was in the RAF during World War II.

** For the British: Creator/RichardBurton, Leo Genn, Creator/RoddyMcDowall, Creator/SeanConnery [[note]]retroactively a star, those were his pre-James Bond days, and the role was pretty small[[/note]], Richard Todd [[note]]actually playing the Captain he served under on D-Day[[/note]].

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Mel Ferrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Creator/RobertWagner (pre-fame), Jeffrey Hunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Mel Ferrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, Creator/GeorgeSegal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Robert Wagner (pre-fame), Jeffrey Hunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

** Creator/HansChristianBlech (Werner Pluskat) was a German army veteran, although he fought on the Eastern front.

* BackedByThePentagon: About 23.000(!) real US, British and French soldiers were used as extras in the movie. They also rented two Messerschmitts from the Spanish air force and four Spitfires from the Belgian air force.

** For the Americans and Canadians: Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/RobertMitchum, Mel Ferrer, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/RobertRyan, George Segal, Rod Steiger, Paul Anka, Red Buttons, Robert Wagner (pre-fame), Jeffrey Hunter, Alexander Knox, Sal Mineo.

* WagTheDirector: As part of Creator/JohnWayne's contract, in addition to his high fee, he insisted on getting separate billing. The usual practice in film credits for this type of situation is to start off with "Starring John Wayne and ''the other actors''; however, the credits begin with "starring ''the other actors''... and John Wayne". Wayne's name appears last on the credits, while still meeting the separate billing clause of his contract.