One Minute to Zero

One Minute to Zero (1952)

Produced at a cost of millions...to bring you A MILLION THRILLS!

An idealistic United Nations official learns the harrowing truth about war when she falls in love with an American officer charged with the evacuation of civilians. As hostilities escalate, the officer and his small detachment are left to hold the line until allied forces can be brought into action.

Date of release
1952-09-19
TMDB
5.8 / 10 (21)
Runtime
1h 45m
Genres
War, Drama, Romance
Director
Tay Garnett

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Colorado

One Minute to Zero is a 1952 American romantic Korean War film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth. It marked Howard Hughes' final film as a producer.

Production

The film's working title was The Korean Story. Ted Tetzlaff was the first director assigned by RKO Radio Pictures but was replaced by Tay Garnett because producer Edmund Grainger desired wanted a more recognizable name.

Claudette Colbert was cast in the lead female role but contracted pneumonia and withdrew. Grainger wanted Joan Crawford, but the role had been rewritten for a younger woman, which eventually became Ann Blyth.

Although RKO attempted to shoot second-unit footage in South Korea, One Minute to Zero was filmed at Fort Carson, Colorado, using troops of the 148th Field Artillery. During a break in production, Charles McGraw became involved in a fistfight with soldiers at a hotel bar and Mitchum attempted to stop it. In response, Army officials threatened to pull their support for the film, but producer and studio owner Howard Hughes intervened.

Victor Young's score for the film includes the first appearance of "When I Fall in Love" as an instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". It later became a popular hit song for several singers, including Doris Day.

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

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