William Holden & All Those Men in "Stalag 17!"

Also, there's an excellent copy of Stalag 17 linked in the review...

When I first saw the "Blondie" Peterson character, it made me think of platinum Bowie in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence."

Robert Shawley as Blondie Peterson, what a cutie. He seemed to give up showbiz early, despite this film boost. Died at 63 in 1990, never married, no kids. I've searched all over the internet and could find very little about him. Though he had few lines in Stalag 17, Shawley's always in the mix of the plot, helping outsmart the Nazi captors.

Holden was sex on a stick when he young. Talk about handsome...

William Pierson was great fun as Marko the Mailman in "Stalag 17." Also square jawed and lean! Unlike "Blondie," Pierson was a popular character actor, especially on TV. He played Jack Tripper's boss on "Three's Company" for awhile, something I don't want to see. Pierson never married or had kids, either.

I'll just fantasize that Bill's JJ Sefton had first dibs on Blondie Peterson!

Bill was indeed a golden boy in his prime!

Just watched this the other night. Richard Erdman was in it, too. He was still working when he was an old man. (On the left, in that photo above. On the right is Neville Brand.)

The film was based on a play written by two ex-POWs--one of them co-wrote the screenplay with Wilder and another writer. The movie was completely re-written from the play. Shawley was in the play, as were Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck, as Animal and Harry Shapiro. Sefton (Holden's part) was played by John Ericson.