Opening Today: “Von Ryan’s Express”

June 23, 1965 - Opening today is “Von Ryan’s Express,” a World War II adventure film starring Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, and Raffaella Carrà, and directed by Mark Robson. 

Produced in CinemaScope, the film depicts a group of Allied prisoners of war who conduct a daring escape by hijacking the freight train carrying the POW’s and fleeing through German-occupied Italy to Switzerland. 

Based on the 1964 novel by David Westheimer, the film changes several aspects of the novel, most notably the ending, which is considerably more upbeat in the book. The ending was changed at Sinatra’s insistence.

The novel was a best-seller, and 20th Century Fox bought the film rights for a reported $125,000. Frank Sinatra had read the novel and wanted to buy the film rights himself; when he heard they had been sold to Fox, he offered his services for the lead role.

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