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"Whether it was working with tigers, elephants and snakes on the island of Tobago for "-Swiss Family Robinson,' shooting in a crevice in the mountains of Switzerland for "-Third Man on the Mountain' or directing dozens of tanks in the snowy mountains of Spain for "-Battle of the Bulge,' he just got it done. This was his spirit."-
The last film to which MacArthur alluded, "Battle of the Bulge,"- released in 1965, contained a star-studded cast on the order of "The Longest Day"- and included, along with aforementioned MacArthur, Henry Fonda, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, Robert Shaw, and Charles Bronson.
As in the tradition of "The Longest Day"-, "Battle of the Bulge"- contains some of the most authentically and artistically rendered war scenes.
In 1965 another Annakin international spectacle was released, this one containing brilliant flying sequences. "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines"- also contained numerous laugh lines from British comedy greats Peter Ustinov, Terry-Thomas, and Benny Hill in a film based on an air race from London to Paris during the early years of aviation.
The innovative script co-written by Annakin with Jack Davies received an Academy Award nomination.
Robert Wagner, who starred with Raquel Welch, Edward G. Robinson, and Vittorio De Sica in the 1968 crime spoof "The Biggest Bundle of Them All,"- became a longtime friend.
"(He) just loved the movies, and he brought so much enthusiasm to it,"- Wagner explained. "He was just very adventurous. He had a tremendous curiosity, and up until the end of his life, he was still involved with the intrigue and the romance of making movies."-
Annakin's autobiography "So You Wanna Be a Director?"- was published in 2001 and detailed his adventurous life with rich sketches on his films and international locations. It contained the combination of keen insight, candor, and humility, ingredients that those who had the privilege to know him enjoyed and appreciated.
In 2002 Annakin had the honor of Order of the British Empire conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth. The British National Film Institute held a champagne dinner in his honor in conjunction with playing his films at the National Theatre for one month.
Annakin was married for the final half century of his life to a partner who not only shared a family and married life with him, but who was also a shrewd adviser regarding his film activity. When Ken met Pauline in London she was working in the film industry. Her love for it complemented his own.
