Old Corps

Dale Dye describes work on HBO’s “The Pacific”

Tom Hanks, Capt Dale Dye and Steven Spielberg discuss filming on the set of HBO's "The Pacific." Photo by David James/HBO

CC Lifemember, Capt Dale Dye on the set of HBO's "The Pacific." Photo by David James/HBO

By Capt. Dale Dye USMC (Ret), Senior Military Advisor on HBO’s “The Pacific.”

It took nearly two years of hard campaigning to get it right but in March of this year American TV audiences will get an unflinching, historically accurate and very absorbing look at World War II in the Pacific as fought by men of the vaunted 1st Marine Division. 

In my billet as the Senior Military Advisor for this monster undertaking, Executive Producer Tom Hanks gave me a set of deceptively simple marching orders:  “Get up under the helmet of those Marines and take the audience on the trip they made to hell and back between 1942 and 1945.”  That’s what we did over the year we spent in shooting the project which HBO has given a simple, evocative title:   “The Pacific.” 

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By Jason Fudge, ago

CC Bob Long retires but keeps it funny

By Kevin Roderick, LA Observed
More transitions at Channel 4 (Los Angeles). Longtime TV news figure Bob Long has announced his retirement as VP and News Director at KNBC. There are lighter and more serious versions of the news circulating in the Burbank newsroom. Long’s funnier take begins below; the announcement from the suits is below:

A younger Bob Long and actor Mary Tyler Moore

A younger Bob Long and actor Mary Tyler Moore

From: Long, Robert (NBC Universal, KNBC)
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 11:18 AM
Subject: Last Writethru

BURBANK (AP) — Los Angeles newsman Robert Long today announced his retirement from KNBC. A station spokesman, who would give her name only as “Trixie”, said that KNBC staffers were sorry to see Long go, but they’d get over it.

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By Jason Fudge, ago

Dale Dye advisor to new HBO series

In 2010, “The Pacific” will air on HBO as a ten part mini series.

A clip from HBOs series Pacific.
A clip from HBO’s series “The Pacific.”

“The Pacific” is based on the books “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, which was hailed by historian Paul Fussell as “one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war,” and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie (recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Annual Award), as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers. Continuing the World War II oral history work begun by his father Stephen E. Ambrose (author of the book Band of Brothers), Hugh Ambrose serves as a consultant on the miniseries, as does Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and Platoon).

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By Jason Fudge, ago