Production Notes
José Ferrer had Bryan Forbes's script rewritten by Richard Maibaum, but Irving Allen decided Maibaum's script didn't have enough comedy, so he had Forbes rewrite Maibaum's revision and direct some sequences without telling Ferrer. When Ferrer found out, he left the film.
The movie was filmed in Portugal and several Royal Marine establishments with the Commandant-General Royal Marines ensuring the actors were trained in proper drill and canoe handling. The training camp scenes in the film were shot at Eastney Barracks in Southsea, Hampshire. Eastney Barracks is now the home of the Royal Marines Museum. The Royal Navy ships, HMS Flint Castle (K383) and Leeds Castle (K384), were used to portray a German anti-submarine vessel dropping depth charges.
Lieutenant Colonel Herbert "Blondie" Hasler, the leader of the real-life raid, was seconded to Warwick Films as technical advisor. Ex-Corporal Bill Sparks, the other survivor of the raid, was also an advisor.
The film briefly uses several railway locations including the level crossing at Fort Brockhurst on the (by then 'goods only') Gosport branch in Hampshire. As he cycles south, José Ferrer has to wait for a passing train (a van hauled by T9 class locomotive 30729) so takes the opportunity to abandon his bicycle in favour of a ride in the rear of a fish lorry. Later Ferrer steals the fish lorry only to abandon it at Shepperton Station (Surrey) in order to catch a just-departing train.
In another sequence David Lodge ducks out of sight into a WC alongside the North Woolwich Branch. This was possibly at the footbridge opposite Fernhill Street on Albert Road, west of North Woolwich station. David Lodge is also filmed running over the road bridge adjacent to Chertsey station where a Southern electric train can be seen.
Read more about this topic: The Cockleshell Heroes
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