Seven Days in May
original film poster
Directed by	John Frankenheimer
Produced by	John Frankenheimer Edward Lewis
Written by	Fletcher Knebel (novel) Charles W. Bailey II (novel) Rod Serling
Starring	Burt Lancaster Kirk Douglas Fredric March Ava Gardner
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	February 12, 1964 (U.S. release)
Running time	118 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

Seven Days in May is a political thriller novel published by Harper & Row, New York in 1962(current hardcover edition: ISBN 0-06-012436-9) written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey. The novel was made into a cinematic motion picture in 1964, with screenplay by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer. Image File history File links Sevendays_moviep. ... John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film director. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kirk Douglas (born December 9, 1916) is an American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as the kinds of characters Douglas himself once described as sons of bitches. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. ... Fredric March photograph by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Fredric March (August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. ... Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was a famous American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove is released. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television that includes numerous, often-overlapping sub-genres. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... Fletcher Knebel (1911-1993) was an American author of several popular works of political fiction. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... Rodman Rod Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, most famous for his science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone. ... John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film director. ...

The plot

The novel and film tell the story of fictitious U.S. President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March). The time is May 1974. As the story begins, Lyman faces a wave of public dissatisfaction with his decision to sign a treaty with the Soviet Union, an agreement that will supposedly result in both nations simultaneously destroying their nuclear weapons under mutual international inspection. This is extremely unpopular with both the President's opposition and the military, who believe the Soviets cannot be trusted. For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... Fredric March photograph by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Fredric March (August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

As the debate over the treaty rages on, an alert and well-positioned Pentagon insider, USMC Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas) becomes aware of a conspiracy among the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) led by his own superior officer, the charismatic head of the JCS, Air Force General James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster). As he digs deeper, he uncovers the conspiracy's shocking goal: Scott and his cohorts, along with allies in Congress and the news media, are plotting to stage a coup d'etat to remove President Lyman and his cabinet seven days hence. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located at 48 N. Rotary Road, Arlington, Virginia 22211 (Map). ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces to global crises. ... Kirk Douglas (born December 9, 1916) is an American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as the kinds of characters Douglas himself once described as sons of bitches. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. ... In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. ... Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America symbol The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a grouping comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. ... Aircraft of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition counterparts stationed together at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in southwest Asia, fly over the desert. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

The plot itself, called ECOMCON (for "Emergency Communications Control"), entails the seizure of the nation's telephone, radio, and television network infrastructure by a secret Army combat unit created and controlled by Scott's conspiracy and based at Fort Bliss, Texas. Once this is done, General Scott and his co-conspirators will control the nation's communications assets; then, from their headquarters within a vast underground nuclear shelter called "Mount Thunder" (based on the actual Alternate Seat of Government maintained by the U.S. at Mount Weather in Berryville, Virginia), they will use the power of the media and the military to prevent the implementation of the treaty. The telephone or phone is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Fort Bliss is a census-designated place and US Army post located in El Paso County, Texas. ... Official language(s) None See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Photo courtesy FEMA The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is a U.S. government facility located in Bluemont, Virginia. ... Berryville is a small main street community located in Clarke County, Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ...

Although personally opposed to President Lyman and to the treaty, Casey is appalled by the unconstitutional cabal and alerts Lyman and his inner circle. As the countdown begins, both sides maneuver behind the scenes: Lyman sends Casey to New York to ferret out secrets that can be used against Scott, forcing Casey to cruelly deceive the general's former mistress, the vulnerable Ellie Holbrook (Ava Gardner). Meanwhile, the plotters take action against Lyman's closest advisors, the aging, alcoholic Georgia Senator Raymond Clark (Edmond O'Brien) and earnest White House aide Paul Girard (Martin Balsam), as they race against time to derail ECOMCON. NY redirects here. ... Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. ... King Alcohol and his Prime Minister circa 1820 Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholics normal personal, family, social, or work life. ... Edmond OBrien (September 10, 1915–May 9, 1985) was an American film actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A.. Born in New York, New York, OBrien made his film debut in 1938, and gradually built a career as a highly regarded supporting... Martin Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ...

As events reach their climax, Lyman confronts Scott in the Oval Office; Clark and Girard each find that their pursuit of the truth has led them into deadly danger; and Casey must decide between his newborn love for Ellie Holbrook and his oath to protect and preserve the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

Awards

The film garnered several prestigious awards, including an Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for O'Brien and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White for Cary Odell and Edward G. Boyle. Edmond O'Brien won a Golden Globe award for his performance. The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Edmond OBrien (September 10, 1915–May 9, 1985) was an American film actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A.. Born in New York, New York, OBrien made his film debut in 1938, and gradually built a career as a highly regarded supporting... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

Trivia

• The novel states that the story is set in May 1974. By coincidence, 1974 did indeed see the ouster of a President of the United States, though constitutionally. The novel also referenced a stalemated war in Iran, but along conventional warfare lines similar to Korea.

• The scenario of the film may have been inspired by the clash between General Curtis LeMay and President John F. Kennedy. It is suspected that LeMay, furious after the Cuba crisis for not being allowed to use his atomic bombs, talked to some of his staff about removing the President from power. A later film, Thirteen Days, refers to this clash; in it, LeMay is directly quoted as calling Kennedy a traitor to the United States.

• Alternately, the inspiration for the novel and film is thought to originate with a failed effort to enlist retired Marine Gen. Smedley Butler to infiltrate FDR's inner circle on behalf of right wing interests.

• HBO's The Enemy Within (1994) loosely resembles Seven Days in May.

• Actor John Houseman debuts in the uncredited role of ECOMCON conspirator Admiral Farley Barnswell.

• A young Richard Anderson, better known as Oscar Goldman from the 1970s ABC-TV hit series The Six Million Dollar Man, plays Pentagon aide Colonel Murdock.

• Efforts were made in the film to make the movie appear to take place in the future, including the use of the then, futuristic technology of video teleconferencing in some scenes.

The Watergate building. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 or 조선, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was a General in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of independent candidate George C. Wallace in 1968. ... For other persons named John Kennedy, see John Kennedy (disambiguation). ... DVD cover Thirteen Days (2000) is a film is about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. ... Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed The Fighting Quaker and Old Gimlet Eye, was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and, at the time of his death, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. ... For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... John Houseman John Houseman (September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanian-born actor and film producer. ... Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman in The Six Million Dollar Man Richard Anderson, born Richard Norman Anderson (born August 8, 1926 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA) is an actor in film and television. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... ABC TV, sometimes ABC-TV, is a national public television channel in Australia. ... Part of The Bionic series The Six Million Dollar Man was an American television series about a cyborg working for a U.S. secret service called OSI. The show was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, and aired on the ABC network from 1973 to 1978. ... A videoconference (also known as a videoteleconference) is a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. ...

See also

• Politics in fiction

This is a list of fictional stories in which politics features as an important plot element. ...

External links

• Seven Days in May at the Internet Movie Database