This is a combination of travelogue and a stroll down memory lane of WWII. It passes as a primer reader for young students of history. Robert Mitchum is more than adequate in the role of "Pug", but being an unreasonably stern boss to his son (played by hunk-of-the-day Jan Michael Vincent) at the same time as being a prostrated doormat to his luxury-loving, airhead wife (played very well by Polly Bergen) would test any actor ever born. There used to be an educational cartoon on tv about "Hector Heathcote", who through mishaps found his way at various junctures of history surrounded by legendary figures. And here Pug is, a lowly naval commander who somehow, in very short order, becomes an advisor, buddy and confidant to Roosevelt and Churchill on the way to sipping cocktails with Hitler and Stalin. The hardest to take is when Pug turns down a beautiful English rose who is head-over-heels for him in favor of his insufferable wife who is carrying on an affair with a very boring diplomat (Peter Graves).
Review of The Winds of War
