Interview with Richard Michaels, Director, "Once An Eagle" Miniseries

Interview:
Richard Michaels, Director,
“Once An Eagle” Miniseries
by Tom Hebert, OAE Enterprises

Question: How was it that you came to be selected as a director for the “Once An Eagle” miniseries?

I had been directing only episodes of comedy series (“Bewitched,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Love, American Style,” etc.) I was branded a comedy director – nobody would trust me with a dramatic show. Then one day a producer friend of mine offered me the final episode of Universal’s “Ellery Queen” because it was about to be cancelled and I couldn’t possibly do any damage. That’s when I met Peter Fischer, the co-producer. My episode turned out to be one of the best of the series and led to my directing five episodes the next season on Universal’s “Delvecchio.” William Sackheim was the Executive Producer. Bill Sackheim came to me one day and asked if I thought I could direct a war movie. I said, “Sure. I’ve seen most of John Wayne’s movies!” I got the job.

Question: There were two directors involved with the “Once An Eagle” miniseries. Can you tell us which episodes you directed?

During production the episodes were identified as Part One through Part Nine. Parts One & Two and Parts Eight & Nine were each packaged together as two-hour presentations and Parts Three through Seven were televised as one-hour episodes each week. On the DVD they are identified as Chapters 1 through 7 with 1 and 7 being the two hour versions, 2 through 6 the one hour episodes. I directed Chapters 2, 3 and 7. My friend E. W. Swackhamer directed Chapters 1, 4, 5 and 6.

Question: In your very accomplished career, you directed 54 episodes and was Associate Producer for 161 episodes of the enormously popular television miniseries, “Bewitched,” and more than two dozen made-for-tv movies. Where does your involvement in “Once An Eagle” fit within those accomplishments and your career as a whole?

“Bewitched,” of course, is the show most associated with my name. Just about everyone has seen some episodes of “Bewitched,” it has been in syndication for over thirty years and all eight seasons have been available for years on DVD. “Once An Eagle,” on the other hand, disappeared from sight until you rescued it from obscurity. No one has seen it in all these years and almost no one knows I had anything to do with it. Nevertheless, it vaulted me into long form TV in a huge way. Long form includes TV movies and miniseries, truly the director’s medium in TV. Series television is the producer’s medium – the director can only recreate what has already been established. Long forms are like features, with the director choosing cast, locations and creating the movie. “Once An Eagle” was my first long form and was the beginning of 18 wonderful years directing TV movies and miniseries.

Question: The “Once An Eagle” miniseries was a critical success and it was an enormous hit with viewers who have carried memories of it and a burning desire to see it again for more than 30 years. It is certainly fair to say that, in today’s vernacular, you “got it right”. You must have done your homework. How did you prepare? What resources did you draw on? What do you consider to be your biggest directorial achievements within the miniseries? Finally, why do you think the miniseries was so popular?

It starts with the novel and the script. While a director can certainly screw up good material, it is difficult to create a great film without great material. We have Anton Myrer and Peter Fischer to thank for the absorbing and complex story of “Once An Eagle.”

The one element of preparation that was new to me was getting ready to shoot the complex battle sequences in Chapter 7. We don’t shoot scenes in the order they appear in the movie, but rather we shoot everything that occurs in a similar set together. The battle sequence cuts back and forth between Division HQ, Regimental HQ, the jungle, the beach, and the battlefield. To be certain I didn’t forget anything, I took an extra copy of the script and cut out all the different scenes, then pasted them back together by location instead of in continuity. Now I had all the jungle scenes together, all the beach scenes, etc. In this way, I was able to be sure I didn’t forget something because only the director decides what shots to make. There’s an old saying – you can’t cut to a shot you didn’t shoot.

As for my biggest directorial achievement in the miniseries, I’d say earning the respect and confidence of the cast. They knew this was the biggest show I had ever done and my friend “Swack,” the other director, was far more experienced. In the beginning many of the old pros would tend to stay arms length from the new, young director. It was up to me to gain their trust. I believe I did.

Why was it so popular? Great story, great all-star cast. Our job was to keep it real and prevent it from falling into over-dramatic melodrama. The result speaks for itself.

Question: Did you have the opportunity to meet Anton Myrer? If so, please share that experience with us?

No, unfortunately.

Question: Can you share with us your three most memorable directorial moments while shooting the “Once An Eagle” miniseries?

I’ll tell you one. In Chapter 2, in one of the very first scenes I shot, Glenn Ford confronts Sam with his own experience of having a close friend killed in front of him. The uninterrupted monologue ran almost a whole page of script and Glenn had difficulty getting all the lines correct. He wondered if perhaps it would help to have cue cards held off screen to assist him with the dialogue. I took him off to the side and told him quite privately that I wanted him to recreate and actually experience the scene in Cuba the dialogue was describing. Make it so real he is actually there with his buddy when it happened. Then, describe that experience to Sam. I didn’t care what words came out as long as he stayed with the experience. I think it is Glenn Ford’s best moment in the film.

Question: What was it like to work with a film legend like Glenn Ford?

Humbling.

Question: Which “Once An Eagle” miniseries actor or actors did you enjoy directing the most and why?

Sam Elliott – I believe he is our generation’s Gary Cooper. Glenn Ford – what an honor to direct this acting icon. Amy Irving – unpredictable and always interesting - 100% committed to her work. Darleen Carr – you just want to hug her.

Question: I am sure “Once An Eagle” fans would love to hear any behind-the-scenes, never-before-shared stories about the making of the “Once An Eagle” miniseries. What can you tell us?

When the studio was considering locations for the World War II Pacific theater scenes (Chapter 7), they sent me to Florida to look at places they had found. It was awful. It didn’t look anything like the Pacific islands. I asked to scout Hawaii. They balked because it would be much more expensive but eventually sent me anyway. The Army took me on a tour of Oahu by helicopter. We found exactly what I was looking for in Haliewa on the north shore. What we couldn’t have forseen was an enormous swell the day we were ready to shoot that wiped out our set and our wardrobe truck on the way to the set. We had to shoot other scenes, even not prepared for that day, while the set was rebuilt. The wardrobe was rescued by another truck.

Question: Other than the “Once An Eagle” miniseries, do you have a favorite war movie? Which one and why?

More than one. “Saving Private Ryan” (5 Academy Awards – 1998) Most war movies are sanitized. Spielberg showed the true hell of combat. Also, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Best Picture, Best Director - 1930), “Paths of Glory” (1957), a classic good vs. evil war story, and “The Best Years of Our Lives” (7 Academy Awards - 1946) “Best Years” is not technically a war movie but, instead, the story of three veterans of WW II coming home and adjusting after the war. More films should deal with the effect war has on veterans.

Question: Are you in touch with any of the key players involved in the “Once An Eagle” miniseries?

I’ve run into Sam once or twice. I directed Clu Gulager and Ralph Bellamy in a western, “Charlie Cobb,” for Peter Fischer, right after finishing “Once An Eagle,” and Cliff Potts the following year, but I have not really been in touch with the actors through the years.

Question: In a country dogged by two wars, plagued by a sour economy, and victimized by a business and political world rife with mismanagement, trickery, deception, and outright fraud, does the “Once An Eagle” story line with its good vs. evil theme, have a role to play?

As they say, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” There are probably a lot of miniseries stories out there in the runup to the worst economic crisis of our lives. But I think it would be a stretch for most people to relate Sam vs. Courtney to what is going on today. That being said, there is always a role for films about the good guys vs. the bad guys.

Question: When did you retire and how are you enjoying your retirement?

I retired in 1994. The golden years of TV movies and miniseries were coming to a close (today there are almost none made anymore.) The networks had become more focused on ratings and pleasing sponsors, less on the quality of the material. What used to be great fun had turned into a job. That’s when I quit. We live in Maui now and I am putting my energy into preserving the wonderful environment here. I’m even producing and directing TV shows about issues of importance to Maui for local public access TV.

Tom Hebert: In closing, Mr. Michaels, thank you for your absolutely outstanding work on the “Once An Eagle”. My involvement in the “Once An Eagle” phenomenon, and my interaction with fans, has convinced me that you have made a film for the ages! Thank you also for your time, your recollections, and your insights.

You are very welcome and thanks again for your successful campaign to bring back “Once An Eagle” on DVD. Well done!