The Longest Day Trivia

1. John Wayne portrayed which USA officer?

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: LTC Benjamin Vandervoort

All four of these individuals took part in the Normandy landing. Vandervoort was the Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 505 PIR of the 82nd Airborne. General Ridgeway described LTC Vandervoort "as one of the bravest and toughest battle commanders I ever knew". Charlton Heston wanted to play the role of Vandervoort, but Wayne decided to take the role at the last minute.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: The Lt. Col. aide de camp to Norm Cota played by Eddie Albert

The Americans have finally created a gap in the concrete to be able to move inland off Omaha Beach. Brig. Gen. Norm Cota urges the men to move forward, Eddie Albert's character stands up and waves his arms to move the men up off the beach. A shot rings out and the Lt. Colonel falls over into one of the barbed wire obstacles. NOTE: only a handful of characters are actually identified by name in the movie. Most of the people are nameless warriors trying to accomplish their task and stay alive doing it.

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: 29th Division

Gen. Cota was the Assistant Division Commander of the 29th Division. He landed on Omaha Beach on the second wave with the 116th Infantry Regiment, approximately one hour after H-Hour. During the confusion on Omaha Beach, Gen Cota asked what outfit it was that was huddled around where he was. The reply was "5th Rangers". Gen. Cota replied, "Rangers lead the way!" Those words became the Ranger's motto.

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: rosary beads

While Schultz (Richard Beymer) counted his winnings, his bunk mate told him he was always lucky and reminded him of a previous occasion in Fort Bragg, when he also won at dice. Schultz recalled that after he won he broke his leg in a jump and spent two months in traction. He stared at the rosary beads and decided to play to lose the money and hoped that would insure a "clean jump".

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Roosevelt Jr., was Assistant Division Commander of the 4th Division. His troops landed at the wrong location on D-Day; however he told his staff "We'll start the war from right here." Gen Roosevelt Jr. died of a heart attack a little more than a month into the invasion.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: Cornelius Ryan

Cornelius Ryan wrote two fantastic books about World War II that also became equally fantastic movies. "The Longest Day" was one and "A Bridge Too Far" (about Operation Market Garden) was the other.

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: He had his personal piper playing the bagpipes.

Lord Lovat's commandos were engaged in the battle at Dieppe. Lord Lovat came ashore with his troops on Sword Beach, being piped ashore by his personal bagpiper Bill Millin. He did carry his personal Winchester rifle and not a standard issue Enfield .303.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: Richard Beymer

Richard Beymer's character thinks that if he has been lucky at craps, he will be unlucky in the upcoming battle, so he goes back to try and deliberately lose his winnings, so that when he parachutes into combat he will be "jumping clean". While "West Side Story" is his most famous role, Beymer has made guest appearances on several TV shows, including "Twin Peaks" in the 90s and "Paper Dolls" in the 80s.

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: pair of shoes

Convinced that the invasion would not take place in bad weather, Rommel was on leave and returned to Germany to celebrate his wife's birthday on June 6. He gave her a pair of shoes, handmade in Paris.

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: He got hung up by his parachute on a church spire next to some ringing bells.

In the movie, Pvt Steele was left hanging for several hours before being rescued. In the actual jump he was taken prisoner by the Germans for a little while and later escaped to join his unit. In the movie, Steele's hanging by the constantly ringing bells, made him deaf, at least temporarily. The other three events also were presented in the movie. They did actually happen.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: Ouisterham

The French soldiers are first seen on one of the British ships going over a 3-D map of Ouisterham. Their primary objective is to take out the German gun sitting in the top floor of the casino. The best part of the whole scene is the nuns who calmly walk right through the middle of the battle and set up a first aid station in one of the buildings that the French are fighting out of.

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: He broke his ankle.

In the movie LTC Vandervoort said that the troops were dropped five miles from their drop zone on the edge of a swamp. He did break his ankle on the jump.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: Henry Fonda

Brig. Gen. Teddy Roosevelt (son of President Teddy Roosevelt) led the US 4th Infantry onto Utah Beach. He is first seen on ship requesting to go ashore with the first wave of troops, which is reluctantly granted by his superior. The actual Teddy Roosevelt died of a heart attack one week after leading his troops onto Utah Beach.

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: Paul Anka

His cameo in "The Longest day" marked his first acting role. The Canadian singer, songwriter and actor also wrote "My Way" made famous by Frank Sinatra, "She's a Lady", "Puppy Love", "Put Your Head on my Shoulder", to name a few. The lyrics are: "Many men came here as soldiers Many men will pass this way Many men will count the hours As they live the longest day Many men are tired and weary Many men are here to stay Many men won't see the sunset When it ends the longest day The longest day, the longest day This will be the longest day Filled with hopes and filled with fears Filled with blood and sweat and tears Many men, the mighty thousands Many men to victory Marching on, right into battle In the longest day in history".

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: A toy cricket.

The troops were issued a toy cricket. The sign and countersign was one click of the cricket, to be answered by two clicks of the cricket. In the movie, a US paratrooper heard a noise. He dropped and gave the one click of cricket sign. He heard two clicks. He jumped up and was shot by a German soldier. As he was dying, he said "I heard two clicks". The German soldier then chambered another round into his rifle and the bolt, loading and locking procedure made two clicking noises.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: Straight for me!

This is one of many great one-liners throughout the movie. At the end of a long night in one of the bunkers overlooking Omaha Beach, Pluskat decides to take one final look out over the channel, when he sees the Allied armada appear out of the mist on the horizon. Pluskat immediately radios his commander to inform him that the invasion is coming. His commander does not seem as concerned which leads to this poignant exchange: "My dear Pluskat, where are all these ships heading?" "Straight for me!"

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: carrier pigeons

Denied the use of official communications equipment they decided to use the pigeons. When the pigeons flew off in the wrong direction, heading straight to the German troops one Canadian correspondent accused the wayward carrier pigeons of being traitors!

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: Eddie Albert

Eddie Albert played a lot of US army officers during his acting career. He is best known as playing Oliver Douglas on "Green Acres" along side Eva Gabor. Eddie Albert was a Lieutenant in the US Navy and won the Bronze Star for his actions during the invasion of Tarawa.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: He becomes deaf.

In the beginning of the movie, Red Buttons' character is constantly referring to his hearing. In one of the craps games, he asks the shooter to use a cup to roll the dice because he "likes to hear the sound of the dice coming out of the cup." And when Col. Vandervoort (John Wayne) finishes briefing his troops, he barks out "Do you read me?" Buttons' character is the lone voice that answers. "Loud and clear, sir!" His character ultimately winds up stuck on the roof of a church whose bells are ringing all night and thus he loses his hearing.

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: arthritis

When he requested to go ashore he deliberately went to talk to his commanding officer without his cane. He was the highest-ranking officer on Utah Beach that day and the only General to land with the first wave--walking cane and all! His presence and leadership proved essential when his division landed a mile out of position. "We'll start the war from here," he said confidently!

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: He had his boots on the wrong feet.

This was just about the last scene in the movie. Campbell was wounded in the leg, ripped open from crotch to knee. A medic had come by and given him a shot of morphine and then closed the wound with safety pins. Burton's character was talking to a lost US paratrooper and said, "He 's dead, I 'm crippled, and you 're lost. I guess it is always like that in war."

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: "Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor"

The poem is first heard as the Nazis are trying to decipher various radio messages to the French Resistance. The first line of the poem is played, and the espionage report claims that when the second line of the poem is broadcast, the invasion can be expected within 24 hours.

From Quiz Honoring D-Day Heroes

Answer: He treated himself to a fresh cigar.

Robert Mitchum had the same cigar stub throughout the entire film! It was great to see him throw it away, take new one from his pocket and smile as he got in his jeep and told the driver "Take me up the hill, son!"

From Quiz Reliving "The Longest Day"

Answer: Utah Beach

Roosevelt Jr., was the only general officer going ashore on a Normandy beach on the first wave. Roosevelt Jr. had to ask by written request to be allowed to go ashore on the first wave on Utah Beach. His request was reluctantly approved by Gen. Barton, who thought Roosevelt would be dead by the end of the day.

From Quiz The Longest Day

Answer: "Sometimes I wonder which side God is on?"

All are examples of still more great one-liners in the movie. Vandervoort utters the line the day before the invasion, when he is complaining about the rainy weather. Blumentritt says the line when he learns that Hitler is still asleep and nobody wants to wake him to get permission to move the Panzers to the front. "We'll start the war from right here!" - Brig. Gen. Teddy Roosevelt. "There are only two types of soldiers..." - Brig. Gen. Norm Cota. "Which would the troops rather be..." - Field marshall Erwin Rommel.

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