Once An Eagle is a 1976 nine-hour American television miniseries directed by Richard Michaels and E.W. Swackhamer. The picture was written by Peter S. Fischer and based on the 1968 Anton Myrer novel of the same name.
The first and last installments of the seven-part series were each two-hour broadcasts, while the interim episodes were 60 minutes.
The mini-series concerns the thirty year careers of two military men, from the outbreak of World War I to the aftermath of World War II.
Plot summary
Sam Damon (Sam Elliott) is a virile and praiseworthy warrior.
Courtney Massengale (Cliff Potts) is the opposite—an impotent, self-aggrandizing conniver.
The story tracks their journey over 40 years, between the First and Second World Wars, as their lives, and the lives of those around them, change along with the world.
Cast
Sam Elliott as Sam Damon
Cliff Potts as Courtney Massengale
Darleen Carr as Tommy Caldwell
Amy Irving as Emily Pawlfrey Massengale
Glenn Ford as George Caldwell
Ralph Bellamy as Ed Caldwell
Dane Clark as Harry Sheppard
Andrew Duggan as General McKelvey
Lynda Day George as Marge Krisler
Gary Grimes as Jack Devlin
Clu Gulager as Alvin Merrick
Robert Hogan as Ben Krisler
Kim Hunter as Kitty Damon
David Huddleston as Earl Preis
Juliet Mills as Joyce
Albert Salmi as Senator McConnadin
John Saxon - Captain Townshend
James Shigeta - Lin Tso-Han
Barry Sullivan as General Bannerman
Phyllis Thaxter as Alma Caldwell
Forrest Tucker as Colonel Avery
David Wayne as Colonel Terwilliger
William Windom as General Pulleyne
Anthony Zerbe as Dave Shifkin
John Anderson as George Varney
Andrew Robinson as Reb Rayburne
Patti D'Arbanville as Michele
Andrew Stevens as Donny Damon
Melanie Griffith as Jinny Massengale
Kip Niven as Ryetower
Kent Smith as General Jacklyn
Background
Once An Eagle was the second of four story subseries of the NBC anthology series Best Sellers; it was preceded by Captains and the Kings, and followed by Seventh Avenue and The Rhineman Exchange.
Anton Myrer's book, on which the series is based, is a military novel written in the United States. The novel is noted for its stark descriptions of men in combat and in its analysis of human and technical challenges and the moral dilemmas of command. It is one of only two novels on the US Army's recommended reading list for Officer Professional Development; the other is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. A coincidental element to both novels is that Sam Elliott had a starring role in the film adaptation of each one, playing a US Army general officer.
Filming locations
Some of the scenes of the film were filmed in Napa Valley, California.
DVD release
Timeless Media Group released the complete television series on a two-disc DVD set on August 31, 2010.
Origin of title
The title is derived from a Persian poem: And so in the Libyan fable it is told, That once an eagle, stricken with a dart, Said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft, "With our own feathers, not by others' hands, Are we now stricken". — Naser Khosrow
Awards
Nominations
Emmy Awards: Emmy; Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series, J.J. Jones; for part I; 1977. Golden Globes: Golden Globe; Best Supporting Actress - Television, Darleen Carr; 1977.