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The Missiles of October is a 1974 docudrama made-for-television play about the Cuban Missile Crisis. The title evokes the book The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman about the missteps amongst the great powers and the failed chances to give an opponent a graceful way out, which led to the First World War. The teleplay introduced William Devane as President John F. Kennedy and cast Martin Sheen as United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The script is based on Robert Kennedy's book Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Original Release
12/18/1974
US Release
12/18/1974
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| William Devane | President John F. Kennedy / John F. Kennedy - US President |
| Ralph Bellamy | U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson / Adlai Stevenson - US Ambassador to UN |
| Howard Da Silva | Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev / Nikita Khrushchev - Soviet Premier |
| James Hong | U.N. Secretary-General U Thant / U Thant - U.N. Secretary-General |
| Martin Sheen | Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy / Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy |
| James T. Callahan | David Powers, Special Assistant to the President / David Powers - Special Assistant to the President |
| Peter Canon | Admiral's Aide |
| Keene Curtis | John McCone, Director CIA / John McCone - Director CIA |
| Charles Cyphers | Press Photographer |
| Clifford David | Theodore Sorensen, Special Counsel / Theodore Sorensen - Special Counsel |
Directors
Writers
Stanley R. Greenberg, Robert F. Kennedy
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| William Devane | President John F. Kennedy / John F. Kennedy - US President |
| Ralph Bellamy | U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson / Adlai Stevenson - US Ambassador to UN |
| Howard Da Silva | Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev / Nikita Khrushchev - Soviet Premier |
| James Hong | U.N. Secretary-General U Thant / U Thant - U.N. Secretary-General |
| Martin Sheen | Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy / Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy |
| James T. Callahan | David Powers, Special Assistant to the President / David Powers - Special Assistant to the President |
| Peter Canon | Admiral's Aide |
| Keene Curtis | John McCone, Director CIA / John McCone - Director CIA |
| Charles Cyphers | Press Photographer |
| Clifford David | Theodore Sorensen, Special Counsel / Theodore Sorensen - Special Counsel |
| Francis De Sales | Senator |
| John Dehner | Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson / Dean Acheson - Former Secretary of State |
| Peter Donat | David Ormsby-Gore, British Ambassador to U.S. / David Ormsby-Gore - British Ambassador to U.S. |
| Andrew Duggan | Gen. Maxwell Taylor, Army Chief of Staff / Gen. Maxwell Taylor - Army Chief of Staff |
| Richard Eastham | Gen. David M. Shoup, USMC Commandant / Gen. David M. Shoup - USMC Commandant |
| Dana Elcar | Robert McNamara - Secretary of Defense |
| Eugene Elman | Russian Presidium Member |
| Ron Feinberg | Gen. Charles De Gaulle |
| Michael Fox | Soviet Marshal |
| Arthur Franz | Congressman Charles A. Halleck |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Irv Wilson | Executive Producer |
| Robert Berger | Producer |
| Herbert Brodkin | Producer |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Video Tape Editing | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film or Tape Sound Mixing | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction | Won |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy | Nominated |
