"36 Hours" (1964)Rod Taylor plays Maj. Walter Gerber, a German psychiatrist pressed into service by the Nazis as an intelligence agent. This movie has well-drawn characters played by top-notch performers. It has an unusual premise, a good deal of suspense and a touch of humor. Perhaps the biggest mystery is why this movie isn't more well-known. In the days just before D-Day, American Maj. Jefferson Pike (James Garner) is sent to Lisbon to confirm that the Nazis erroneously think the Allied assault will be at Calais rather than Normandy. But Pike is captured by the Nazis, who use a novel method of espionage to get him to disclose the true location of the invasion: They try to convince Pike that the war has been over for six years and there is no reason to keep the Allied assault a secret. This plan is the brainchild of "Walt" Gerber, an earnest, intelligent, likeable man. Originally, the doctor used this brainwashing device to treat young, shellshocked soldiers -- convincing them that years had passed, the war was over and they were safe. He was interested only in healing and helping. But the Nazis found a way to twist his expertise to suit their needs. The prize subject is Pike, who after his capture awakens in a hospital, supposedly suffering from severe amnesia. His is startled to see that he has aged -- he needs glasses and has gray hair. The newspaper says it's 1950. And Pike eventually is told that his nurse, Anna (Eva Marie Saint), is his wife. All of this, however, is a carefully crafted fiction. And Gerber -- who appears to be an American doctor -- has 36 hours to get Pike to reveal the site of the D-Day invasion -- or else the SS will turn to more violent methods. Taylor is brilliant in his role, creating a warm and engaging character -- not an easy task considering Gerber is a German officer during World War II. That's generally not a sympathetic character type, but Gerber is different: He's a good soldier, a good doctor, but not a good Nazi. In fact, Taylor once commented:
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