The Stars of the World’s Largest Production Are Spotlighted in Premiere of The Americans on D-Day Film In Hollywood

New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA, April 29, 2009 —  

Hollywood’s American Legion Post 43 rolled out the

red carpet this week for the stars of the world’s largest

production – a film on the invasion of Normandy, 

“The Americans On D-Day.” Just under  100 people,



mostly veterans, gathered at the 80-year old building in 

Hollywood to see the debut of a first of its kind film,

now available on DVD Online (see details below).

Film Director Richard D. Lanni, who returns to New

York today (Wednesday) to appear on the Joey

Reynolds Show, WOR AM, New York,

(10:00 PM EST) told the Hollywood American



Legion audience, “I am honored to be here in

America to salute U.S. soldiers on this 65th

anniversary and to show our film that captures

an accurate and powerful illustration of D-Day.”

“It’s great to see friends and veterans of the

world’s most intense and largest production,”

said Morton (Mort) Schecter, Northridge, 

CA, who brought his son, and nine-year old

grandson,



who led the mostly veteran attended

ceremony in the flag salute and pledge

of allegiance. 

Photo: Morton (Mort) Schecter,

Glen Schecter (son) with 9-yr. old

grandson, Richard Lanni, film director,

and Terry Duddy, American Legion

post 43.



“When we flew over the English Channel,

there were a million ships in the water, and I

have yet to meet any of those guys who were

on those ships,” said 85-year old retired U.S.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Schecter, Northridge,

CA, who flew as a United States Army Air Corps

tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator warplane, the

most produced U.S. military aircraft during

World War II.



He was assigned to the 467th Bomb

Crew and 791st Bomb Squadron in England.



“I’m lucky to still be here, because and the

second day we had to abort our mission, and

ended up crash landing in a field with six

1,000 pound bombs onboard,” he said.

Schecter said he had an angel on his shoulder

that day, and still has his list of the missions

he flew. Schecter, who flew

35 missions out of England, is amongst the

American Veteran heroes attending the premiere.



He was assigned to the same division as Actor

Jimmy Stewart. “Actor Jimmy Stewart was in

our division, and he flew 28 missions. He entered

the service as a buck private and when he

died he was a General,” he said. “He used to

visit veterans hospitals and the American Legion

often.”

Also attending from Europe and the UK were

film star Ellwood von Seibold, who has spent

the last five years giving tours in Normandy.

"D-Day became a focus point of my interest

in life, and I decided to live a dream and move

to France and take people all around these areas,"

explained Seibold. "And the producer and director

of WW2-Reflections said 'why don't we

put one of your tours on film in Normandy'." 

"The Americans On D-Day provides an exciting

insight into one of the most pivotal events

of the 20th century," said Captain Dye, was a

drilled sergeant in Vietnam and told the

crowd “I don’t need a microphone. I'm really

proud to have a hand in this effort and film

that provides a foxhole-level view of what

happened in Normandy on June 6, 1944."

"I've seen a lot of tour videos that purport to

give viewers an insight into what gallant

Americans endured and accomplished on

D-Day, but this one really hits the mark.

The Americans On D-Day provides a stirring,

GI-level look at one of the most momentous

battles of World War II," explained Dye.

Photo: Gina Elise, PIn Up For Vets & Captain

Dale Dye at film premiere in Hollywood, CA



After the viewing several veterans including surviving 

Normandy  vets were speechless and had tears in their

eyes after seeing the film. “I lost a lot of friends and

would rather not talk about it," said one WW II Vet of

the 81st Airborne, as he exited the building.

"2,000 D-Day Soldiers are dying at an
alarming rate each month," Producer
Richard Lanni told WOR AM News Talk
Radio Host Joey Reynolds during his
first visit earlier this month. Tonight he
plans to share his tour of duty,
which included new veteran interviews,
museum visits and reactions from veterans
from New Orleans to Los Angeles wrapping
up his one month media and fact-finding tour
in America.

WOR's Historian Albert Wunsch, and Producer Myra

Chanin will join
Lanni to talk about the making of the film, which is a first of a series
on this 65^th Anniversary year of D-Day in Normandy. The European
film premiere is set for May 7^th, Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France and it is the film debut of the French language version of The Americans on D-Day.

 It is WW2-Reflections’ first tour film for its parent company,

Labyrinth Media & Publishing Ltd. Of Dublin,Ireland.  Labyrinth

specializes in WW II battlefield tour DVDS for the U.S. Market.

The film is now on sale at the official website: 

www.TheAmericansOnDDay.com.

Other veterans attending the event were Earl Norwood and

Howard Manoian. Manoian will be honored by the French Government

in Normandy on June 6, 2009, the 65th anniversary of D-Day. 

The Hollywood premiere also featured reenactment of WW II

soldiers and paratroopers from the National Historical Society and

Gina Elise, the Pin-Up For Vets nonprofit Calendar Girl. Elise,

nicknamed "The Betty Grable of a new generation" and

"The Calendar Angel" sold her T-Shirts and Calendars at American

Legion Hall to raise funds. Elise, who has donated $20,000 to aid

veteran hospital patients, has received numerous community awards

for her volunteer work.

“I want to raise $20,000 for veterans this year,” said Elise, who

has made countless personal visits to ill and injured veterans in

hospitals and facilities across the country.

She was featured on Fox News last January.

[Editor's note: To obtain a media preview copy of The Americans

on D-Day or for media interviews in New York contact Aida Mayo or

George Mc Quade, call 818-340-5300, or email:

|Publicity@mayocommunications.com  or

visit: www.TheAmericansOnDDay.com.



Lanni will be in New York until May 1st, 5:00 PM. 

Please call to arrange for media interviews.)

http://www.ww2-reflections.com/the-americans-on-d-day-press.html)



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