The Making Of The Guns Of Navarone

"Coinciding with the 60th Anniversary of the film's release with revised and expanded text and for the first time over 30 illustration. Despite later becoming a major critical and commercial success, the film had a difficult road through production. U.S. producer Carl Foreman, exiled in Britain after falling victim to the McCarthy anti-communist witch hunt in the early 1950s, lost his original screenwriter, preferred male cast which included William Holden and Cary Grant and two leading ladies, one of whom was opera star Maria Callas making her movie debut. The original director also left the production. David Niven nearly died during shooting and by the time the film came to release star Gregory Peck had turned into a box office liability. Calling on new research material, Brian Hannan takes the first in-depth look at an old favorite."