Seven Days in May (1964) Movie Overview

Seven Days in May is a political thriller novel written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II and published in 1962. The novel was made into a motion picture in 1964, with screenplay by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. The story is said to have been influenced by the right-wing anti-Communist political activities of General Edwin A. Walker after he retired from the military. The author, Knebel, got the idea for the book after interviewing then Air Force Chief of Staff Curtis LeMay. The plot centers on the fictitious U.S. President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March). As the story begins, Lyman faces a wave of public dissatisfaction with his decision to sign a treaty with the Soviet Union, an agreement that will supposedly result in both nations simultaneously destroying their nuclear weapons under mutual international inspection. This is extremely unpopular with both the President’s opposition and the military, who believe the Soviets cannot be trusted. As the debate over the treaty rages on, an alert and well-positioned Pentagon insider, United States Marine Corps Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey (Kirk Douglas) becomes aware of… Source

• Seven Days in May Movie Details
• Director: John Frankenheimer
• Tagline: "I'm suggesting Mr President, there's a military plot to take over the Government of these United States, next Sunday…"
• Country: USA
• Run Time: 118 min
• Genre: Drama , Romance , Thriller

• Cast Overview
• Burt Lancaster as Gen. James Mattoon Scott
• Kirk Douglas as Col. Martin 'Jiggs' Casey
• Fredric March as President Jordan Lyman
• Ava Gardner as Eleanor Holbrook
• Edmond O'Brien as Sen. Raymond Clark
• Martin Balsam as Paul Girard

Seven Days in May Movie Overview – Yahoo Movies

Seven Days in May (1964): In the near future, the President of the United States discovers a miltary coup is being plotted by one of his Joint Chiefs and must find a way to dismantle it. Source

Seven Days in May Movie Review from New York Times

Adapted by Rod Serling from the best-selling novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles Waldo Bailey II, Seven Days in May was allegedly inspired by the far-right ramblings of one General Edwin Walker. Burt Lancaster plays General James M. Scott, who, convinced that liberal President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) is soft on America’s enemies, plots a mili… Source

Seven Days in May Movie Details from Imdb

An unpopular U.S. President manages to get a nuclear disarmament treaty through the Senate, but finds that the nation is turning against him. Jiggs Casey, a Marine Colonel, finds evidence that General Scott, the wildly popular head of the Joint Chiefs and certain Presidential Candidate in 2 years is not planning to wait. Casey goes to the president… Source

Seven Days in May (1964) from YouTube