''Once An Eagle'' is a 1976 nine-hour American television miniseries directed by

Richard Michaels Richard Michaels (born February 15, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired American film and TV show director and producer whose career spanned five decades. His directing credits include the television series ''Bewitched'', '' The Brady Bunc ...

and

E.W. Swackhamer Egbert Warnderink "E. W." Swackhamer Jr. (January 17, 1927 – December 5, 1994) was an American Television director, television and film director. Career Swackhamer's credits included ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Murder, Sh ...

. The picture was written by Peter S. Fischer and based on the 1968

Anton Myrer Anton Olmstead Myrer (November 3, 1922 – January 19, 1996) was a United States Marine Corps veteran and a best-selling author of American war novels that accurately and sensitively depict the lives of United States military personnel while ...

novel of the same name. The first and last installments of the seven-part series were each two-hour broadcasts, while the interim episodes were 60 minutes. The mini-series concerns the thirty year careers of two military men, from the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

to the aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Plot summary

Sam Damon ( Sam Elliott) is a virile and praiseworthy warrior. Courtney Massengale ( Cliff Potts) is the opposite—an impotent, self-aggrandizing conniver. The story tracks their journey over 40 years, between the First and Second World Wars, as their lives, and the lives of those around them, change along with the world.

Cast

* Sam Elliott as Sam Damon * Cliff Potts as Courtney Massengale * Darleen Carr as Tommy Caldwell *

Amy Irving Amy Davis Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Born in Palo Alto, Ca ...

as Emily Pawlfrey Massengale *

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

as George Caldwell *

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...

as Ed Caldwell * Dane Clark as Harry Sheppard * Andrew Duggan as General McKelvey *

Lynda Day George Lynda Louise Day George (born December 11, 1944) is an American television and film actress whose career spanned three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was a cast member on '' Mission: Impossible'' (1971–1973). She was also the wife ...

as Marge Krisler *

Gary Grimes Gary Grimes (born June 2, 1955) is a former American actor. Biography Grimes was born in San Francisco, California. His uncle was actor Rudy Solari. Grimes' first major role was in the 1971 film ''Summer of '42'', playing a teenager, based on a ...

as Jack Devlin *

Clu Gulager William Martin Gulager (; November 16, 1928 – August 5, 2022), better known as Clu Gulager, was an American television and film actor and director born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He first became known for his work in television, appearing in ...

as Alvin Merrick * Robert Hogan as Ben Krisler *

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

as Kitty Damon *

David Huddleston David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films including:'' Rio Lobo'', ''Blazing Saddles'', '' Crime Buste ...

as Earl Preis *

Juliet Mills Juliet Maryon Mills (born 21 November 1941) is an English-American actress. She is the daughter of actor Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and the eldest of three siblings; her younger siblings are actress Hayley Mills and director Jonathan ...

as Joyce *

Albert Salmi Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. Early life Salmi was born and raised ...

as Senator McConnadin *

John Saxon John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playing ...

- Captain Townshend * James Shigeta - Lin Tso-Han *

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer) Barry Sullivan is ...

as General Bannerman *

Phyllis Thaxter Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter (November 20, 1919 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Ellen Lawson in ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) and Martha Kent in ''Superman'' (1978). She also appeared in ''Bewi ...

as Alma Caldwell *

Forrest Tucker Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker worked as a vaudeville straight man at the age of fifteen. A mentor provided fund ...

as Colonel Avery *

David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...

as Colonel Terwilliger * William Windom as General Pulleyne *

Anthony Zerbe Anthony Jared Zerbe (born May 20, 1936) is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in ''The Omega Man'', a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, '' I Am Legend''; as an Irish C ...

as Dave Shifkin * John Anderson as George Varney *

Andrew Robinson Andrew or Andy Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Andrew Robinson (actor) (born 1942), American actor * Andrew Cornell Robinson (born 1968), American artist * Andrew R. Robinson, writer of ''Kaijudo'' and other television shows * Andrew Robin ...

as Reb Rayburne * Patti D'Arbanville as Michele *

Andrew Stevens Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens. Ca ...

as Donny Damon *

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

as Jinny Massengale *

Kip Niven Clifford Wallace "Kip" Niven (May 27, 1945 – May 6, 2019) was an American actor and theatre director. Early life Niven was born in Kansas City and grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas, the son of William Watson Niven and Elizabeth Hopkins Niven ...

as Ryetower *

Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...

as General Jacklyn

Background

''Once An Eagle'' was the second of four story subseries of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

'' Best Sellers''; it was preceded by ''

Captains and the Kings ''Captains and the Kings'' is a 1972 historical novel by Taylor Caldwell chronicling the rise to wealth and power of an Irish immigrant, Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh, who emigrates as a penniless teenager to the United States, along with his you ...

'', and followed by '' Seventh Avenue'' and ''The Rhineman Exchange''. Anton Myrer's book, on which the series is based, is a military novel written in the United States. The novel is noted for its stark descriptions of men in combat and in its analysis of human and technical challenges and the moral dilemmas of command. It is one of only two novels on the US Army's recommended reading list for Officer Professional Development; the other is ''

The Killer Angels ''The Killer Angels'' is a 1974 historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book depicts the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, and the days leading up to it ...

'' by Michael Shaara. A coincidental element to both novels is that Sam Elliott had a starring role in the film adaptation of each one, playing a US Army general officer.''Military Times''
newsweekly web site. Last accessed: February 9, 2011.

Filming locations

Some of the scenes of the film were filmed in

Napa Valley, California Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

DVD release

Timeless Media Group released the complete television series on a two-disc DVD set on August 31, 2010.

Origin of title

The title is derived from a Persian poem: :And so in the

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

n fable it is told, ::That once an eagle, stricken with a dart, :::Said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft, ::::"With our own feathers, not by others' hands, :::::Are we now stricken". ::::::— Naser Khosrow

Awards

;Nominations *

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

: Emmy; Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series, J.J. Jones; for part I; 1977. *

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

: Golden Globe; Best Supporting Actress - Television, Darleen Carr; 1977.

References

External links

* *
''Once an Eagle''
in the news {{Anton Myrer , state=autocollapse 1970s American television series English-language television shows NBC original programming Films based on American novels Films based on military novels Films set in the 1910s Films set in the 1940s Television series based on actual events Television shows based on American novels World War I television series World War I television drama series World War II television series World War II television drama series Films directed by E. W. Swackhamer 1970s English-language films