‘History’ Fact-Checks ‘Longest Day’

“History vs. Hollywood,� the History Channel program that separates fact from fiction in famous films, launches a weekly run tonight at 8 with a report on “The Longest Day,� producer Darryl F. Zanuck’s 1962 epic about the pivotal D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Filmed over eight months, this acclaimed World War II drama had an international cast headed by John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton and Red Buttons. The production was based on a book by Cornelius Ryan, who wanted to tell the story from the viewpoints of the Allied forces, French resistance fighters and the Germans.

Zanuck, a stickler for accuracy, cast actors who had served in the conflict, including Britain’s Richard Todd. Yet he often faced the dilemma of balancing the battle’s historical truth with the expectations of his moviegoing audience.

According to tonight’s show, that may have explained some of the film’s historical deviations. For example, a former serviceman interviewed during the hour disputes the verisimilitude of a scene which depicted a paratrooper who mistakenly landed in a woman’s garden, far from his actual target on the beach.

Moreover, says another veteran, actual paratroopers could not have fired a weapon as they descended toward the ground, though several are shown using machine guns to fend off the enemy in the film.

Hollywood flourishes aside, Zanuck firmly believed his film should reflect the futility and despair of warfare. “The Longest Day� was a box-office hit, earning Oscars for special effects and cinematography.

Surf Report

SERIES

The WB charmer “Gilmore Girls� moves to Tuesdays with back-to-back episodes. At 8 p.m., Luke misreads Lorelai’s call for help as an invitation for romance. At 9 p.m., Rory’s father turns up for an unexpected visit.

“Errol Morris’ First Person� (8 p.m. Independent Film Channel), a half-hour show hosted by the veteran filmmaker (“The Thin Blue Line�), begins its second season.

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Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton get down and dirty, delivering fiercely good performances in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?� (8 p.m. TCM).