Douglas Day Stewart is best known for his original screenplay “An Officer and a Gentleman,” which was based on his own experiences as a Naval Officer Candidate in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1962, undergoing rigorous training while dating a local factory girl. In addition to the many accolades and awards garnered by the film, “Officer” was recently listed by the American Film Institute as one of the ten highest grossing love stories in cinema history.
A medical problem would keep Stewart from realizing his dream to fly jets, and unlike his hero, he did not marry the factory girl, but he would spend three years as a ship’s officer serving off of Vietnam, and become an “O.O.D. — Officer Of the Deck underway, which qualified him to be at the helm of an 18,000 ton ship with 1700 souls aboard.
To listen, click on the links below:
Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat chats with screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart
Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat chats with screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart Pt 2
Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat chats with screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart Pt 3
