ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University's Cornelius Ryan Collection will play a starring role in "History vs. Hollywood: The Longest Day" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, on The History Channel. "History vs. Hollywood" takes a look at films based on historical events and examines them for historical accuracy.
The Ryan Collection, a wealth of D-Day and other World War II memorabilia gathered by famed war correspondent Cornelius Ryan, presents much of the basis for the historical examination. Ryan, a reporter, photographer and author, published "The Longest Day," which captures events of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held France. The 1959 best-selling book was later the basis of a screenplay written by Ryan for the movie of the same name.
"The Ryan Collection offers one of the best chronicles of events on D-Day," said Doug McCabe, curator of manuscripts at Ohio University Libraries. "In addition to being historically significant, the collection also puts a very human face on war. The battle is brought to life by the many photos, interviews with soldiers and other artifacts. Viewing the collection allows an individual to not only study what happened but also to share the thoughts and emotions of those involved in the actual combat."
"The Longest Day" segment is the fifth in a 16-part "History vs. Hollywood" series. Previous programs dealt with the historical accuracy of the films "M*A*S*H," "Patton," "The French Connection" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
In addition to studying historical records, producers of the programs interview people involved in the making of the films and those involved in the actual events or with knowledge of them.
In October 2000, producer Rick Davis of Van Ness Films in Los Angeles was on campus to interview McCabe; Victoria (Ryan) Bida, the author's daughter; and D-Day soldiers Paul Sands of Athens, Jim Drumwright of Richardson, Texas; and Bill Jackson of Pomeroy.
Among others who were interviewed is Noel Dube, whose explosive destruction of a wall on Omaha Beach served as the climatic scene near the conclusion of the film.
"The 'History vs. Hollywood' series gives a provocative look at the films in a way that appeals to movie fans, history buffs and even those with a mild interest in both areas," McCabe said. "With the Ryan Collection as its basis, the show promises to be very enjoyable."
Ryan covered the war for Reuters and the "London Daily Telegraph" from 1941 until the fall of Berlin in 1945, and then reported on the war in the Pacific. Ryan wrote two other books on World War II, " The Last Battle" and "A Bridge Too Far," the latter of which will be featured on a future "History vs. Hollywood" program.
The Ryan Collection, which is housed on the fifth floor of Alden Library, includes 21,000 research files, of which at least 7,000 files contain transcribed interviews and correspondence with World War II participants. Also included are several exclusive black-and-white photos of the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, a 10- foot by 4-foot map of Normandy that Ryan used in tracking the invasion for the writing of the book, the desk he used and unusual artifacts such as Tojo's cigarette case and a piece of the urinal from Hitler's bunker, which was given to Ryan by long-time TV broadcaster Walter Cronkite.
Ohio University acquired the collection from Ryan's widow in 1981. Ryan was a close friend of the late Ohio University College of Communication Dean John Wilhelm, a fellow war correspondent.
The public may view Ryan Collection artifacts on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (740) 593-2710.
