July 22, 1961 - Steve McQueen (pictured right with Nick Adams), who once served a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, is currently filming "Hell is for Heroes," a World War II picture directed by Don Siegel. McQueen has declared flatly that he is determined to make his character, Private John Reese, the rankest heel ever let loose on screen or tube. "Only one thing matters to 'Reese,' the fellow I play," says McQueen. "That's staying alive. Reese knows four or five ways to stay alive in a war, one of which is that you can sometimes hack your way through with a butcher knife. So he'll carry one in the picture and use it. I think no hero has ever been painted like this before on the screen. My Reese is one of the bad cats that doesn't show off but will step on your face. Audiences are hip these days. Hollywood doesn't give them enough credit for knowing the truth. They'll know this man when they see him."
