Once Before I Die

Once Before I Die (1966)

When the heat of the jungle and the hell of war cross paths

Stranded behind enemy lines when the Japanese attack the Philippines in late 1941, Lt. Bailey must lead a group of soldiers and their families to safety and the streets of Manila. During the perilous trek, Alex befriends a virginal young soldier whose only desire is to have sex once before he dies.

Date of release
1966-12-01
TMDB
3.4 / 10 (5)
Runtime
1h 37m
Genres
Drama, War
Director
John Derek

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Philippines

Once Before I Die is a 1966 American war drama film starring Ursula Andress and directed and produced by then-husband John Derek, from whom she was officially divorced before the film was released, and who also appeared in the film. The directorial debut of Derek, the film was based on a 1945 novel Quit for the Next by Lieutenant Anthony March.

Production

Anthony March was a lieutenant in the US Cavalry who served in China and Burma in World War II. He wrote his debut novel Quit for the March at the encouragement of Maxwell Perkins. It was published by Scribner's in 1945. March's obituary said it had "slight initial success but was rediscovered two decades later."

Once Before I Die was the debut directorial effort from John Derek, a photographer and a former actor who finalized his divorce from the film's lead actress Ursula Andress eight months before its release.

Filming began on location in the Philippines in 1964. Filming was difficult, and the cast and crew were not fully paid. However, Richard Jaeckel later said the film was one of his favorites.

During the filming Rod Lauren met Filipino actress Nida Blanca, whom he later married. In 2001, Lauren fled the Philippines, charged with Blanca's murder. He killed himself in 2007.

The film was known as No Toys for Christmas and The 26th Cavalry. Jock Mahoney makes an uncredited appearance in the film.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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