From the film archives: Dialogue-laden 36 Hours thrilling

James Garner reads the vivid account of a World War II POW camp from William Shirer’s best-selling book “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” on Feb. 7, 1963. Garner starred in “The Great Escape,” the original incident upon which the story is based. He starred in another WWII movie involving Nazi spies, “36 Hours.”

0731-GO-James-Garner — James Garner reads the vivid account of a World War II POW camp from William Shirer’s best-selling book “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” on Feb. 7, 1963. Garner starred in “The Great Escape,” the original incident upon which the story is based. He starred in another WWII movie involving Nazi spies, “36 Hours.”

Editor’s note: Following the death of James Garner last week, movie archive reviewer Andrew Akers selected “36 Hours” to pay tribute to the famous actor. I often feel many classic movies are borne on the backs of their actors, as opposed to their screenwriters, but a film starring the recently departed James Garner is an exception to the rule. “36 Hours” is a surprisingly good psychological thriller about an unusual Nazi interrogation during World War II. Based on the short story “Beware of the Dog” by Roald Dahl — who is most famous for his children’s stories such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach” — the story takes place just days before the events of D-Day.

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