Richard Anderson, who portrayed the obsequious prosecutor Major Saint-Auban in Stanley Kubrick's 1958 anti-war masterpiece Paths of Glory, has passed away at the age of 91. Anderson enjoyed steady work throughout the years before achieving the heights of popularity as fan favorite character Oscar Goldman in two hugely successful mid-70's science-fiction TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.
In an interview American Legends conducted with Anderson specifically to discuss Kubrick and Paths of Glory, we learn:
American Legends: Showing the execution of soldiers ran contrary to Hollywood's standard approach to filmmaking.
Richard Anderson: Max Youngstein insisted that the three soldiers not die at the end. He said, "If those guys die, who will go see the movie?" The studio wanted them reprieved at the last minute. In Munich, Stanley sent Youngstein the final script without making the changes Max wanted. He registered the script to show it had been sent--and held his breath. They prayed Max wouldn't call and say that the deal is off. No one at United Artists read the script. When Max was shown a cut of the picture, he turned to Stanley and said: "You were right."
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