Dangerous WWII film set with horrific injuries nearly kills stars | Movies | Entertainment

In 1961, Gregory Peck directed an all-star cast in The Guns of Navarone with David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, James Darren, Anthony Quayle and Richard Harris.

The iconic World War II adventure followed an Allied commando unit seeking to destroy a German fortress that threatened Allied warships in the Aegean Sea.

Long before CGI, the hollywood Stars were needed to capture a thrilling shipwreck which was filmed at Shepperton Studios.

However, this thrilling classic came at a great cost to the actors who suffered horrific injuries in near-fatal accidents on set.

According The telegraphA replica of a Greek fishing boat called a caique was lifted hydraulically into a 200 x 200 foot tank filled with 6,000 gallons of water. During the scene, the actors were thrown around while hoses shot water at the airplane engines, which then responded to them. Meanwhile, tanks were thrown from above as wind machines fired at them.

In the incredible stunt, Peck was swept overboard and nearly crushed by the hydraulics, while Niven also sank, getting his coat caught in the machinery. It was reported at the time: “Peck suffered a three-inch cut to his forehead; Quinn and Niven twisted their spines; “Baker sprained his neck and Darren was completely knocked out by a wave and almost drowned.”

If that wasn’t enough, Niven contracted a near-fatal infection by cutting his lip in dirty water while filming the scene in which he planted explosives to destroy the titular weapons. The Guns of Navarone were almost completely shut down when Niven was rushed to hospital in the early hours, suffering “in critical condition, struck down by sepsis”. In his memoirs, he later noted: “The dark times before antibiotics.”

Director J Lee Thompson recalls years later: “We had to decide whether to abandon the film – because we still had some important scenes to do with him – and take the insurance.” He then rushed to a studio executive for some emergency talks.

Niven referred to this studio executive as “Big Brass” and said, “What are we going to do if the son of a bitch dies?” Niven recalled: “The drug-fuelled son of a bitch returned to work against doctor’s orders much sooner than was prudent, completed the crucial three days of work and suffered a relapse that lasted seven weeks. The Big Brass didn’t even send me a grape.” Only thanks to his tenacity could the iconic war film be completed.