I Was Monty's Double (titled Hell, Heaven or Hoboken in the U.S.) is a 1958 film produced by the Associated British Picture Corporation and directed by John Guillermin. The screenplay was adapted by Bryan Forbes from the autobiography of M. E. Clifton James, an actor who pretended to be General Bernard Montgomery as a decoy during World War II.
Plot
A few months before the D-Day landings during World War II, the British government launches a misinformation campaign, spreading a rumour that the landings might occur at a location other than Normandy. The details of the operation are handed to two intelligence officers, Colonel Logan and Major Harvey. They are initially unable to devise such a plan, but one night, Harvey sees an actor at a London theatre performing a convincing impression of General Bernard Montgomery.
The actor is M. E. Clifton James, a lieutenant stationed in Leicester with the Royal Army Pay Corps and a professional actor during peacetime. He is summoned to London purportedly to test for an army film, and a plan is devised by which he will tour North Africa impersonating Montgomery.
James doubts that he can successfully impersonate Montgomery, but he agrees to try. Disguised as a corporal, he spends time at Montgomery's headquarters and learns to copy the general's mannerisms and style. After an interview with the general, James is dispatched to tour North Africa.
Accompanied by Harvey, who is playing the role of a brigadier and Montgomery's aide-de-camp, James arrives at Gibraltar, where the governor, who has known Montgomery for years, is astounded by the likeness. To further the deception, local businessman and known German agent Karl Nielson is invited to dinner so that he will learn of and spread the information.
James and Harvey tour North Africa and visit the troops. With only a few days remaining before the landings, it is learned that the Germans have indeed been fooled and have kept many troops in the south, away from Normandy. His job completed, James hides at a heavily guarded villa on the coast.
The Germans have been deceived further than Harvey realises. A team of German commandos are transported by submarine to kidnap Montgomery. They kill his guards and are ready to embark with James, but Harvey learns of the kidnapping and foils it at the last moment. They return quietly to London.
Cast
M. E. Clifton James as himself and General Montgomery
John Mills as Major Harvey
Cecil Parker as Colonel E. F. Logan
Patrick Allen as Colonel Mathers
Patrick Holt as Colonel Dawson
Leslie Phillips as Major Tennant
Michael Hordern as Governor of Gibraltar
Marius Goring as Karl Nielson
Barbara Hicks as Hester Baring
Duncan Lamont as Wing Commander Bates
Anthony Sagar as Guard Sergeant
John Gale as Flight Lieutenant Osborne
Kenneth J. Warren as Flying Officer Davies
James Hayter as Sergeant Adams
Sid James as Desk Clerk Y.M.C.A. MacDonald Parke as American General John Le Mesurier as RAPC adjutant Vera Day as Angela George Eugeniou as Garcia Patrick Connor as Soldier in Tent (uncredited) Sam Kydd as Soldier in Cinema Alfie Bass as man on train Allan Cuthbertson as Guards Officer
Comparison with book
The film broadly follows the account by James in his book of the same name, but according to James, there was no attempt to kidnap him. The German high command did plan to have him killed, but Hitler vetoed the plan until he could be sure where the landings would actually take place.
Gibraltar was in reality a hotbed of German agents, and James/Montgomery was watched by several operatives who were smuggled into Gibraltar specifically for that purpose. James/Montgomery deliberately talked about nonexistent operations and plans in the hope that the spies would overhear and take his misinformation seriously.
The intelligence officer who initially recruited James was David Niven, who was serving as a lieutenant colonel at the war office.
Production
When James agreed to impersonate Montgomery, he was barred from mentioning it under army regulations. However, after Operation Copperhead was mentioned in the book My Three Years with Eisenhower, James asked for and received permission to write a book, which was published in 1954.