FROM HERE TO ETERNITY 115
of three U.S. Army soldiers (played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, and Frank
Sinatra) who are stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the months leading up to the
Japa nese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Background
Published in 1951, James Jones’ 861 page debut novel, From Here to Eternity pre-
sented a shockingly caustic depiction of army life at Schofield Barracks in Hono-
lulu, Hawaii, just before the Japa nese attack on Pearl Harbor. A revisionist take on
the U.S. military in the midst of the Korean War, Jones’ book stirred controversy
but it also generated sales of nearly a quarter million copies and went on to win
the third annual National Book Award in 1952. A couple of weeks after the book’s
publication Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn purchased the film rights for
$85,000, but due to its sheer length, narrative complexity, and scandalous con-
tent, the majority opinion was that From Here to Eternity was unfilmable; the proj-
ect was quickly dubbed “Cohn’s folly.” Indeed, Cohn and his production team had
to overcome daunting challenges, not least of which was producing a viable script
that would get past Production Code restrictions and also win the crucial coop-
eration of the Department of Defense (DOD). Cohn hired James Jones to write a
screen adaptation of his own novel, but Jones could not come up with a workable
script, so Cohn hired screenwriter Daniel Taradash (Knock on Any Door) in his stead.
Initially, the Pentagon was adamant about refusing to cooperate with Columbia,
given the fact that Jones’ novel was bitterly anti- authoritarian and anti- military.
Eventually producer E. Maurice “Buddy” Adler, a lieutenant col o nel in the U.S.
Army Signal Corps during World War II, was able to win grudging DOD approval
by agreeing to two key script changes: (a) Fatso Judson’s sadistic treatment of Angelo
Maggio in the stockade could not be depicted on screen; and (b) Judson’s cruelty
had to be characterized as the aberrant be hav ior of a sick individual, not routine
Army policy at that time, as depicted in Jones’ novel. Director Fred Zinnemann
(High Noon) and Taradash took the first concession in stride, coming to the con-
clusion that Maggio’s death in Prewitt’s arms would be a more effective way to con-
vey his suffering at Fatso’s hands. They were less sanguine about the second
change, however. In the novel, Capt. Holmes is promoted to major, a plot point
the filmmakers found to be suitably ironic, but the Pentagon also insisted that a
scene be added showing Holmes confronted by his superiors and given the choice
of resigning from ser vice or facing a court- martial—an unctuous departure from
the novel that Zinnemann later characterized as “the worst moment in the film”
(Zinnemann, 1992). Casting also proved to be an arduous pro cess, fraught with
initial missteps. Harry Cohn wanted Humphrey Bogart to play Sgt. Warden. Bog-
art was still a major star in 1951 but as a craggy- faced 52- year- old, he wasn’t
anyone’s idea of a sexy leading man. Cohn wanted to hire Joan Crawford to play
Karen Holmes but rescinded the deal after Crawford carped about second billing
and insisted on being filmed by her own cameraman. The Warden role soon went
to Burt Lancaster and the Karen role went to Deborah Kerr, a 30- year- old Scottish
actress. Cohn’s first choice for Prewitt was Aldo Ray, but Zinnemann wanted Mont-
gomery Clift as Prewitt. He threatened to resign if Ray was hired, so Clift got the