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The Valiant Years was a documentary produced by ABC based on the memoirs of Winston Churchill, directed by Anthony Bushell and John Schlesinger, narrated by Gary Merrill and with extracts from the memoirs voiced by Richard Burton. It ran in the United States from 1960 to 1961, in 27 30-minute episodes and was broadcast in the UK by the BBC from February to August 1961. Its incidental music was written by Richard Rodgers, who won an Emmy for it in 1962. Scriptwriters included Victor Wolfson a dramatist and writer, playwright William Templeton, Quentin Reynolds, William L. Shirer, an American journalist, war correspondent and historian, and Richard Tregaskis. One of the programme's London-based producers was actor Patrick Macnee, just prior to his being cast as secret agent John Steed in the long-running cult TV series The Avengers.
Original Release
11/27/1960
US Release
11/27/1960
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Gary Merrill | Narrator / Self - Narrator |
Richard Burton | Winston Churchill |
Rita Webb | Housewife |
Omar N. Bradley | Self |
Maxwell Taylor | Self |
Walter Bedell Smith | Self |
# | Title | Air Date |
---|---|---|
1 | The Gathering Storm | Sunday, 27 November 1960 |
2 | Combat Deepens | Sunday, 04 December 1960 |
3 | Dunkirk | Sunday, 11 December 1960 |
4 | French Agony | Sunday, 08 January 1961 |
5 | Take One with You | Sunday, 15 January 1961 |
6 | The Ravens Remain | Sunday, 22 January 1961 |
7 | Struggle at Sea | Sunday, 29 January 1961 |
8 | Hinge of Fate | Sunday, 05 February 1961 |
9 | Alone No More | Sunday, 12 February 1961 |
10 | Out of the East | Sunday, 19 February 1961 |
11 | The Torch Is Lit | Sunday, 26 February 1961 |
12 | Sand and Snow | Sunday, 05 March 1961 |
13 | Strike Hard, Strike Home! | Sunday, 12 March 1961 |
14 | Closing the Ring | Sunday, 19 March 1961 |
15 | Be Sure You Win | Sunday, 26 March 1961 |
16 | Turning of the Tide | Sunday, 02 April 1961 |
17 | The Die Is Cast | Sunday, 09 April 1961 |
18 | D-Day | Sunday, 16 April 1961 |
19 | Set Europe Ablaze | Sunday, 23 April 1961 |
20 | Triumph in France | Sunday, 30 April 1961 |
21 | Beginning of the End | Sunday, 07 May 1961 |
22 | Final Christmas | Sunday, 14 May 1961 |
23 | Yalta | Sunday, 21 May 1961 |
24 | Tying the Knot | Sunday, 28 May 1961 |
25 | Gotterdammerung | Sunday, 04 June 1961 |
26 | Goodbye, Mr. Churchill | Sunday, 11 June 1961 |
Directors
Writers
Quentin Reynolds, A.J. Russell, William L. Shirer, Max Ehrlich, Victor Wolfson, Richard Tregaskis, Ralph Martin, Richard Harrity
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Gary Merrill | Narrator / Self - Narrator |
Richard Burton | Winston Churchill |
Rita Webb | Housewife |
Omar N. Bradley | Self |
Maxwell Taylor | Self |
Walter Bedell Smith | Self |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Robert D. Graff | Executive Producer |
Ben Feiner Jr. | Producer |
Year | Type | Category | Won |
---|
1962 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed for Television | Won |
1961 | Emmy | Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Public Service | Nominated |
1961 | Emmy | Outstanding Writing Achievement in the Documentary Field | Won |