Tunisian Victory by Frank Capra

[Walt's Daughter]

This from Custerman. Good stuff!

 

Marion,

 

Here is another little tidbit that I'm putting together. I didn't learn this from the Reunion but from the son-in-law of a Vet who found my website.

 

Check this out. The 85th Infantry Division was in a Hollywood WW2 production.

 

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Tunisian Victory by Frank Capra (at imdb.com site)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037404/fullcredits

 

Sgt. Winfred Tolbert was a member of the 310th Engineer Battalion, 85th Infantry Division. He was killed in action in Italy in April 1945. Upon his death, a lady sent the family all the letters that he had written during his time in service while they were pen pals. The lady was Wanna Lee Zavitz, the daughter of Lee Zavitz. Lee Zavitz had done special effects for "Gone with the Wind" (but wasn't listed in the movie's credits) and later he went on to do special effects for "Pink Panther" and "The Alamo".

 

So, how did Sgt Tolbert meet Lee Zavitz's daughter? It appears that while the 85th Division was in training at the Desert Training Center in California(near Yuma, AZ), about 20 soldiers were selected from the 310th Engineers to help with the special effects for a movie being filmed by Frank Capra entitled "Tunisian Victory" (or also called "Desert Victory" below).

 

Para 1 is a letter from Sgt Tolbert. Para 2 also quotes from an interview with Frank Capra's son. What I found interesting is that they did use P-38 aircraft in the movie but used older model tanks.

 

Biography of T/Sgt Tolbert:

http://members.aol.com/Head0Class/Bios/Sgt...fredTolbert.htm

 

 

See what you think.

 

Steve

 

 

1. Excerpt from Winfred's letter of 7 August 1943 (punctuation and capitalization is as written):

 

"One reason I haven't written you was that about two day's after I got here, even before I was settled I had to leave. We went about 145 miles out into the desert to make a movie. Yes, a real hollywood movie. About twenty from my outfit had to go. We were gone about three week's and you should have seen me. We had to grow a beard and let our hair grow long! Boy! I looked like a real tramp. It was a war picture all about the battle in Tunsia. I didn't get into the picture myself in fact none of my crew did but what we did got into it good. We made all the explosion's that will be seen in the scene's. A lot of the picture we didn't have anything to do with for it was actually made in Africa but when you see the picture, and I understand it is for civilian consumption look for the P-38 airplane's attacking some tank's and we helped with that. The scene where the tank's are advancing with soldier's behind them we blowed up all the explosions in those scene's. One scene which was taken at night where the big gun's are blasting a hill and the infantry is marching into the hill when you see the flare's go off in that scene you can tell everybody that your little brother fired those. And the scene's where they are marching up the hill and the explosions are going off, well I was standing right beside the camera telling the men when to let them go. I worked with Lee Zavitz the man who did all the special effects for "Gone With The Wind". I even have a standing invitation to his home in hollywood but I don't know when I'll be able to accept it. He really is a fine fellow. The name of the picture will be "Hill 609" or "Operation Acrobatic". They called it both while they were making it so I don't know which one they will use when they release it. It was directed by Frank Capra yes the big hollywood director who has won the academy award. Directed "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and a lot of other good picture's. I've actually met him and talked to him and worked for him you can tell Piedmont that. John Huston the son of Walter Huston the great actor was the ass't director. We really had a lot of fun and learned a lot too. We just got back the other day."

John Huston's role is confirmed in the IMDB.com entry; interesting that he was identified as "ass't director".

 

2. Desert Victory was broadcast on the Discovery Channel in July 1991 as one in a series of Frank Capra's wartime documentaries. Each of the films in the series was introduced by Frank Capra, Jr, the director's son. About Desert Victory's production he said in part:

 

"Frank Capra's 834th Photo Signal Detachment had access to literally millions of feet of rare film footage. In its vaults: Hollywood film, Navy and Air Corps combat film, captured German and Japanese footage and, of course, U.S. Army Signal Corps film. But when Tunisian Victory was being produced my father discovered that no film existed for many of the key events of the North African campaign. So, he and his camera crew, along with Army soldiers and tanks, headed for the desert outside Hollywood to recreate certain combat scenes which had not been captured by the combat photographers. The scenes filmed in California were intercut with actual combat footage. They blended seamlessly into the body of the film."

 

Actually, to the viewer, the blending is not "seamless". When viewing the film the added footage of US Army men, tanks, and planes is easy to identify. The usual differences in film stock (grainy vs. smooth), camera technique (handheld vs.mounted camera), and inclusions of staged footage are as noticeable in Desert Victory as in any number of other films of the era. The fact that the U.S. Army's participation is mainly depicted in the last third of the film also helps in finding the scenes Winfred lists. Winfred's catalog tells the viewer just what to look for and all of the 310th contributions do seem to be present in the final film. Because of editing, some of the night sequence footage is slightly rearranged and the tank/troop/explosions sequence is especially cut up and spread out. The P38/tank attack sequence seems to be largely untouched.

CLIPS from the Movie.