| A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (TV 1956) |
| Originally shown on March 28th, 1956, it was the biggest, most lavish and costly TV production up until that time. Author Walter Lord was enjoying his success with his best seller "A Night To Remember". Representatives from NBC TV approached him about helping helm a dramatization of his book for "Kraft Theater". Directing the episode would be newcomer George Roy Hill (who would later direct the box office hits "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting") Their first step was to screen the German propaganda film "Titanic" to see if any footage could be used. They took the sinking ship shots and the interior scenes of water bursting into different spaces. For the show itself, the studios in Brooklyn filled up with 31 different sets for the 100+ cast members to be filmed on. Several sets were built in duplicate-one for dry filming, the other for submersion. Over 3,000 gallons of water would be used! George Roy Hill wrote the script with John Whedon. Claude Rains was hired to narrate the show. They had one dress rehearsal, and in it, the "dummy" of Thomas Andrews was decapitated by a chandelier, and his head had to be duct-taped back on. The show was a huge hit and was "rerun" a few weeks later. |
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| PHOTOS : THE TITANIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY / ROBERT H. GIBBONS |