The Americanization of Emily (1964)

An American naval officer's talent for living the good life in wartime is challenged when he falls in love and is sent on a dangerous mission.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Paddy Chayefsky (screenplay), William Bradford Huie (novel)

Stars:

James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Lt. Cmdr. Charles Edward Madison
Julie Andrews	...	Emily Barham
Melvyn Douglas	...	Adm. William Jessup
James Coburn	...	Lt. Cmdr. Paul 'Bus' Cummings
Joyce Grenfell	...	Mrs. Barham
Edward Binns	...	Adm. Thomas Healy
Liz Fraser	...	Sheila
Keenan Wynn	...	Old Sailor
William Windom	...	Capt. Harry Spaulding
John Crawford	...	Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams
Douglas Henderson	...	Capt. Marvin Ellender
Edmon Ryan	...	Adm. Hoyle
Steve Franken	...	Young Sailor
Paul Newlan	...	Gen. William Hallerton
Gary Cockrell	...	Lt. Victor Wade

Storyline

During the build-up to D-Day in 1944, the British found their island hosting many thousands of American soldiers who were "oversexed, overpaid, and over here". That's Charlie Madison exactly; he knows all the angles to make life as smooth and risk-free as possible for himself. But things become complicated when he falls for an English woman, and his commanding officer's nervous breakdown leads to Charlie being sent on a senseless and dangerous mission.

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Plot Keywords:

d day | monument | widow | newspaper headline | americanization | 

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Taglines:

Why did Emily call Charlie the most immoral man she'd ever met?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Emily

Filming Locations:

Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Filmways Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Stereo

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the DVD cover states that film historian Drew Casper does the audio commentary, it's actually Arthur Hiller. He speaks very fondly of the making of the movie.

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Goofs

In one shot of Charlie's hotel room door, the exterior of the door is white, in another the exterior of the door is wood grain.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lt. Cmdr. Charles E. Madison: Hi, Harry. It'll only be a few moments, sir. Put that hand luggage in the automobile. Paul? Paul!
Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams: Yeah.
Lt. Cmdr. Charles E. Madison: Put the footlocker in the jeep. Everything else goes in the two-and-a-half. Unloading shouldn't take long, so you won't be more than a few minutes behind us. I'll see you back at the hotel. Harry. Is everything set at the hotel?
[Slaps driver on butt]
Female driver, unidentified: Hiya, Charlie.

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Crazy Credits

The three women that James Coburn sleeps with are collectively credited as "The Three Nameless Broads (in order of appearance)".

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Connections

Referenced in The Bob Newhart Show: The Modernization of Emily (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Emily"
Music composed by Johnny Mandel
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

User Reviews

Intelligent, poignant satire on the the meaning of heroism

Simply put, this is one of my all-time favorite movies. I can't possibly agree with the individual who wrote this was possibly James Garner's worst movie. The exact opposite is true. The character of Charlie is callous, and self-serving, but he has a dedication to the admiral that is logical and touching. It is the admiral, after all, who saved Charlie from the realities of war.

Listen to Charlie's speech about how he got there. He started off by going to war with all the ideals of any other Marine, but in the teeth of war he realized he wasn't the man he thought he was and "the glory" certainly wasn't worth it. Charlie is a coward, but not a deserter. He has priorities, which he lists to Emily.

Garner does a fine job in communicating the role of an outwardly selfish and uncaring man struggling hard to suppress his principles.

Julie Andrews' Emily is just the person to bring those principles out. And James Coburn is outstanding as the one person who actually takes the admiral's plan for a sailor to be the first casualty on Omaha Beach seriously.

Very good acting by all. Fine comic performances in a film that is easily overlooked by today's audiences because it isn't the type of humor that hits you over the head with a baseball bat to make its point. Instead, it uses characterization and intelligence.

How sad we are that we are no longer required to think about movies, since so many of them have no thought behind them other than making money.

"The Americanization of Emily" is definitely worth a look if you like smart, intelligent characters with something to say.