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.

August 5, 1953: "From Here to Eternity" Premieres

Burt Lancaster (left) and Deborah Kerr

August 5, 1953: The film From Here to Eternity premieres, based on the 1951 novel by James Jones. Fred Zinneman directed, in his follow-up to the Western High Noon. It becomes one of the best-known films set during World War II, but is controversial.

The film is set at a U.S. Army base in Hawaii, in the weeks leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Burt Lancaster plays a Sergeant having an affair with his commanding officer's wife (Deborah Kerr). The film is best known for their love scene on the beach, with the tide flowing over them in mid-kiss.

Various self-appointed moral arbiters raised a fit over the film's affair, but probably would have lost their minds over seeing what was cut from Jones' novel, just so the film could pass the Hays Code:

* Captain Holmes, the man the moral arbiters would have wanted Karen to stay faithful to, was, himself, unfaithful, giving her a venereal disease, requiring a hysterectomy, which the film changed to a miscarriage.

* The character of Lorene (Donna Reed) is changed from a prostitute in a brothel to the hostess at a private social club.

* And several of the book's male soldiers consorted with gay men.

Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra also had significant roles, with Sinatra's struggle to get this role, at a time when his career and his personal life were both at low ebbs, reflected in the story of Johnny Fontaine (Al Martino) in The Godfather. However, his character of Private Angelo Maggio is a combination of two from the novel: There, Maggio lives in spite of the abuse he gets, while Private Bloom, who commits suicide, doesn't appear in the film, and it's Maggio who dies, and not by his own hand.

Ernest Borgnine plays the film's villain, outside of the Japanese. The film also includes The Adventures of Superman star George Reeves.

It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning 8, including Best Picture, Best Director for Zinneman, Best Supporting Actor for Sinatra, and Best Supporting Actress for Reed.

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August 5, 1953 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Gus Triandos and Billy Martin, unlikely sluggers both, hit home runs, while Mickey Mantle went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Al Kaline, an 18-year-old rookie, appeared as a pinch-runner.

* The New York Giants were swept in a doubleheader by the Chicago Cubs, 9-6 and 7-6 at the Polo Grounds. Willie Mays was unavailable to them, serving in the U.S. Army, with the Korean War having just ended. Tommy Brown singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the nightcap.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Milwaukee Braves, 5-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Jackie Robinson appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base. Warren Spahn appeared for the Braves as a pinch-runner.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. They did this without Ted Williams, serving in the U.S,. Marine Corps. Ben Flowers pitched an 8-hit shutout. Don Larsen went the distance in defeat for the Browns. Within weeks, the season would end, and the Browns would be moved, becoming the Baltimore Orioles.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 9-7 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Sam Mele, later to manage the Minnesota Twins to the 1965 American League Pennant, won this game with a home run in the top of the 14th inning.

* The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians, 11-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Bob Porterfield pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-4 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3 at the last Sportsman's Park, which had just been rebranded as the 1st Busch Stadium. Stan Musial hit a home run.