November 11, 1962: "Seven Days In May" Is Published

November 11, 1962: Seven Days In May is published, written  by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II. A film based on it premiered on February 12, 1964. Kirk Douglas played the would-be hero, Burt Lancaster the villain, Frederic March the President caught in the middle, and Ava Gardner and Martin Balsam the people who hold the key to stopping a coup. Twilight Zone boss Rod Serling wrote the script.

Douglas, through his production company, and a friend of his, director John Frankenheimer, made the film. Frankenheimer didn't want to work with Lancaster again after clashing with him on The Birdman of Alcatraz, but Douglas insisted -- after beating the blacklist with Spartacus, he had that kind of clout (making him the George Clooney of his day). Oddly, Frankenheimer not only patched up his differences but became close friends with Lancaster, while he and Douglas fell out, and never worked together again.

President Kennedy had read the book, and was eager to see the film made, after the real-life actions of General Edwin Walker, whom Kennedy had forced to resign his commission. Kennedy had the White House staff cooperate with Douglas and Frankenheimer, heading up to Hyannis for a weekend so they could film outside without the Secret Service getting skittish over it. But, in a twist that Knebel and Bailey would have found poignant, JFK didn't live to see the premiere, for -- as the Warren Commission determined -- reasons that had nothing to do with a military coup.

March and Serling died in 1975, Gardner in 1990, Knebel in 1993, Lancaster in 1994, Balsam in 1996, Frankenheimer in 2002, Bailey in 2012, Douglas in 2020 (at the age of 103).

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November 11, 1962 was a Sunday. Actress Demi Moore was born.

Baseball was out of season. These games were played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboyss, 41-10 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 49-0 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Cleveland Browns, 17-9 at District of Columbia Stadium (later renamed Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington.

* The Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-30 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 26-17 at the 1st Busch Stadium, formerly the last Sportsman's Park, in St. Louis.

* The Baltimore Colts beat the Los Angeles Rams, 14-2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* And the Detroit Lions beat the San Francisco 49ers, 38-24 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

These games were played in the American Football League:

* The New York Titans, who became the Jets the next season, lost to the Dallas Texans, 52-31 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Boston Patriots beat the Denver Broncos, 33-29 at Bears Stadium (later renamed Mile High Stadium) in Denver.

* The Buffalo Bills beat the San Diego Chargers, 40-20 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego.

* And the Houston Oilers beat the Oakland Raiders, 28-20 at Frank Youll Field in Oakland.

There were 3 games in the NBA. This included a doubleheader at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. In the opener, the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks, 117-98. In the nightcap, the St. Louis Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons, 117-100 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

And the Chicago Zephyrs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-105 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Elgin Baylor scored 42 and Jerry West 30, in defeat. Terry Dischinger scored 30 to lead the Zephyrs, who became the Baltimore Bullets the next season, and are now known as the Washington Wizards.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 at the Boston Garden. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 5-3 at the Chicago Stadium. The New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings were not scheduled.