Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Once an Eagle

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1976–19771976–1977
  • 9h
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
465
YOUR RATING
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sam Elliott in Once an Eagle (1976)
  • Drama
  • War
A story of the professional and private lives of two Army officers, Court Massengale an incompetent schemer who doesn't care about his men, and Sam Damon, a heroic and caring leader from Wor... Read allA story of the professional and private lives of two Army officers, Court Massengale an incompetent schemer who doesn't care about his men, and Sam Damon, a heroic and caring leader from World War I to the end of World War II.A story of the professional and private lives of two Army officers, Court Massengale an incompetent schemer who doesn't care about his men, and Sam Damon, a heroic and caring leader from World War I to the end of World War II.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
465
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Sam Elliott
    • Cliff Potts
    • Darleen Carr
Top credits
  • Stars
    • Sam Elliott
    • Cliff Potts
    • Darleen Carr
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 nominations total

    Episodes9

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season

    Photos

    Sam Elliott in Once an Eagle (1976)
    Once an Eagle (1976)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sam Elliott
    Sam Elliott
    • Sam Damonas Sam Damon
    7 episodes7 eps • 1976–1977
    Cliff Potts
    Cliff Potts
    • Courtenay Massengaleas Courtenay Massengale
    7 episodes7 eps • 1976–1977
    Darleen Carr
    Darleen Carr
    • Tommy Caldwellas Tommy Caldwell
    7 episodes7 eps • 1976–1977
    Amy Irving
    Amy Irving
    • Emily Pawlfrey Massengaleas Emily Pawlfrey Massengale
    7 episodes7 eps • 1976–1977
    Glenn Ford
    Glenn Ford
    • George Caldwellas George Caldwell
    7 episodes7 eps • 1976–1977
    Robert Hogan
    Robert Hogan
    • Ben Krisleras Ben Krisler
    5 episodes5 eps • 1976–1977
    Lynda Day George
    Lynda Day George
    • Marge Krisleras Marge Krisler
    4 episodes4 eps • 1976–1977
    Clu Gulager
    Clu Gulager
    • Alvin Merrickas Alvin Merrick
    4 episodes4 eps • 1976–1977
    Kario Salem
    Kario Salem
    • Joe Brandas Joe Brand
    4 episodes4 eps • 1976–1977
    Andrew Stevens
    Andrew Stevens
    • Donny Damonas Donny Damon
    3 episodes3 eps • 1976–1977
    Kip Niven
    Kip Niven
    • Ryetoweras Ryetower
    3 episodes3 eps • 1976–1977
    Melanie Griffith
    Melanie Griffith
    • Jinny Massengaleas Jinny Massengale
    3 episodes3 eps • 1976–1977
    Andrew Duggan
    Andrew Duggan
    • Gen. McKelveyas Gen. McKelvey
    2 episodes2 eps • 1976–1977
    Bert Kramer
    Bert Kramer2 episodes2 eps • 1976–1977
    John Saxon
    John Saxon
    • Capt. Townshendas Capt. Townshend
    2 episodes2 eps • 1976
    Forrest Tucker
    Forrest Tucker
    • Col. Averyas Col. Avery
    2 episodes2 eps • 1976
    Kim Hunter
    Kim Hunter
    • Kitty Damonas Kitty Damon
    2 episodes2 eps • 1976
    David Wayne
    David Wayne
    • Col. Terwilligeras Col. Terwilliger
    2 episodes2 eps • 1976
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    The Quick and the Dead
    6.9
    The Quick and the Dead
    Hondo
    7.0
    Hondo
    Captains and the Kings
    7.9
    Captains and the Kings
    The Juggler
    6.5
    The Juggler
    Aspen
    7.7
    Aspen
    QB VII
    7.7
    QB VII
    Gettysburg
    7.6
    Gettysburg
    Wild Times
    6.7
    Wild Times
    I Will Fight No More Forever
    7.3
    I Will Fight No More Forever
    Cape Fear
    7.7
    Cape Fear
    Evel Knievel
    6.2
    Evel Knievel
    Houston: The Legend of Texas
    6.4
    Houston: The Legend of Texas

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Charlton Heston had wanted to make a movie of this back in the 1960s.
    • Goofs
      In the World War One scenes (set in 1918), the German soldiers are shown wearing the 1914-style uniforms with spiked helmets, which were phased out in 1916.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: John Davidson/Richard Pryor/Darleen Carr/Dr. Michael Fox (1976)

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    AWESOME!!!
    This miniseries is the mystery of the ages. It rightfully enjoys one of the highest ratings--if not the very highest reviewer rating on record--of any product on film, yet for some inexplicable reason nobody has managed to release it commercially for a quarter century. Does anyone know why? A new generation of viewers never have seen this masterpiece, and to compare it to inferior products as The Winds of War led by the ever sleepy Robert Mitchum is like making an analogy of Lawrence of Arabia to Ishtar.

    The cast was incredibly deep for television and included early roles for such actors as Melanie Griffith and Amy Irving and late ones for the likes of Ralph Bellamy and Glenn Ford. And at center stage was the steady work of Sam Elliott, who seemed tailor made for his interpretation of Anton Myror's straight arrow soldier Sam Damon. Truly, it ranks with his John Buford character in Gettysburg as among his best roles.

    If anyone knows any way to locate a dub of even a part of this epic please email me. I have been trying to use it for a course on leadership that I teach at a California university. This drama, for our purposes, ranks above such acclaimed films as Hoosiers, Twelve O'Clock High, and Wall Street for lessons to be learned. A must see for anybody who can--and the number seems to be near zero today. What a tragedy.
    helpful•33
    1
    • jeswartz
    • Aug 30, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 2, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Una vez un águila
    • Filming locations
      • Napa Valley, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      9 hours
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Sam Elliott in Once an Eagle (1976)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Once an Eagle (1976) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page
    Add episode

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.