NCIS Star Ducky’s Hidden Role in the Iconic WWII Film ‘The Great Escape’ Revealed!

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For more than six decades, Scottish-American actor David McCallum, who departed in 2023 at the age of 90, was a consistent presence on television screens. Though he gained initial fame as the international secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., it’s likely that modern audiences will remember him best as the quirky yet brilliant medical examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the long-running police procedural series NCIS. He remained a regular cast member for an impressive 20 seasons until his passing.

Before either of those TV shows made their debut, McCallum had already starred in one of the iconic Hollywood films of the 1960s: the World War II prison movie “The Great Escape.” Released in 1963 by director John Sturges, this film is a dramatized account of the actual mass escape from a German POW camp by dozens of Allied soldiers in 1944. The film is renowned for its star-studded cast that includes McCallum, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, as well as for showcasing one of the most legendary stunt driving sequences in cinema history. It’s often hailed as a timeless classic within both the war and prison film genres.

What’s So Great About this Escape?

The movie starts with a sizable group of Allied captives being transported to a German detention center, where the guards warned that any escape attempt would be met with deadly force. However, a powerful alliance consisting of American, British, and other Allied prisoners, known as “X Organisation,” devised an intricate scheme to burrow a network of tunnels beneath the camp for a mass breakout under the cloak of darkness. This may appear to be a plot straight out of a movie, but it’s true that this is how real Allied captives managed their escape. It’s important to clarify that, in reality, there were no American prisoners involved in the escape. The filmmakers chose to include Americans and famous American actors to boost the film’s attractiveness for American audiences.

Indeed, I found myself greatly admiring David McCallum’s portrayal of Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt in the Royal Navy. In a pivotal moment during the preparations for the escape, his character proved instrumental. When the leaders of the X Organisation faced the challenge of camouflaging the darker soil dislodged from the tunnel digging, which could potentially expose their plans, Ashley-Pitt brilliantly suggested concealing this underground dirt in the garden plots surrounding the camp as they were being tilled. In many ways, Ashley-Pitt’s resourcefulness foreshadows the sharp intellect that would become synonymous with Ducky’s character on NCIS.

The Motorcycle Scene

Discussing “The Great Escape” wouldn’t be complete without bringing up its most memorable moment – the thrilling chase scene near the end of the movie. Steve McQueen, playing Captain Virgil Hilts, steals a bike to dash through the German countryside, aiming for the German-Swiss border while hotly pursued by the German army. In the sequence’s most renowned shot, as Hilts recognizes he’s encircled by German soldiers, he revs his bike along a barbed wire fence until reaching a small hill that propels the motorcycle over the barrier. Unfortunately, another taller barbed wire fence lay hidden behind it, giving the Germans an opportunity to shoot down the bike and recapture Hilts.

Regardless of its underwhelming ending, this series remains iconic as one of the most breathtaking motorcycle stunt sequences ever filmed in Hollywood, still revered more than six decades on. Interestingly, McQueen, who was an accomplished motorcyclist and stunt driver himself, was unable to execute the jump due to insurance issues. Instead, it was his friend and fellow stunt driver, Bud Ekins, who successfully pulled off the stunt.

To clarify, the sequence featuring motorcycles in “The Great Escape” is purely fictional; none of the actual escapees were said to have used a motorcycle while trying to flee from Germany. Interestingly, Steve McQueen requested this scene specifically to display his exceptional motorcycle stunts. Undeniably, the motorcycle chase sequence greatly contributed to “The Great Escape” becoming a timeless classic. In its absence, the film might not have retained its prominence over time. Lastly, it’s worth noting that both the movie and the real-life story behind it are significant enough to be commemorated.

The Tragic Legacy of the (Real) Great Escape

Although the title The Great Escape suggests a victorious conclusion, the film’s primary characters generally experience tragic fates instead. Not only does Hilts get recaptured, but most other escapees either get re-arrested or meet their end. A particularly poignant moment occurs when Ashley-Pitt deliberately assaults a Gestapo officer who recognizes RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Attenborough) at a train station. This distraction allows his comrade to flee, but Ashley-Pitt is fatally shot by the Gestapo in return. To make matters worse, Bartlett, along with many other escapees and prisoners of war, are eventually caught by the Gestapo again. They are then transported in a truck to an isolated field…only to be executed there.

As a cinephile, I must confess that the escape scene depicted in this film wasn’t just a clever twist by the directors – it was a chilling reality. Out of the 76 men who managed to flee from the camp, only three actually made it out of Germany, experiencing the true taste of freedom. The rest were recaptured, and unfortunately, Hitler ordered the execution of 50 of them. Although they were executed individually, not as a single group as portrayed in the movie. After the war, several Nazi officials were brought to justice for their war crimes at the renowned Nuremberg Trials, where they were convicted for their involvement in these executions. The subsequent hunt and trial of these criminals were later dramatized in the 1988 sequel titled “The Great Escape II: The Untold Story“.

The Great Escape, in essence, transcends beyond a typical action movie starring top-tier Hollywood actors. It serves as a heartfelt tribute to the indomitable spirits of men who chose not to yield to their Nazi captors, continuing their resistance even at the cost of their lives. The film can be streamed across various platforms such as Pluto TV and Tubi.

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2025-01-30 02:02