The Pigeon That Took Rome

The Pigeon That Took Rome is a 1962 film directed and written by Melville Shavelson and starring Charlton Heston.  The film is a comedy set in World War II and was based on the 1961 novel The Easter Dinner by former spy Donald Downes. 

Plot
In 1944, during the last stages of the war in Europe, American officers Paul MacDougall (Heston) and Joseph Contini (Guardino) are sent to Italy to act as spies for the Allies, even though they have no experience in espionage.  Working with Partisan resistance soldier Ciccio Massimo (Baccaloni), MacDougall and Contini send regular reports to their superiors by carrier pigeon. 

Contini also finds himself falling in love with Massimo's pregnant daughter Rosalba (Pallotta), while her sister Antonella (Martinelli) has her eye on MacDougall.  Contini proposes to Rosalba, and Ciccio prepares a feast to celebrate his daughter's upcoming wedding.  However, Ciccio prepares squab for the occasion, killing all but one of the carrier pigeons.  Ciccio scrambles to replace them, but the new pigeons he finds are German, and they deliver MacDougall's and Contini's messages directly into enemy hands, creating new confusion. 

Cast
Charlton Heston - Captain Paul MacDougall, Benny the Snatch and Narrator
Elsa Martinelli - Antonella Massimo
Harry Guardino - Sgt.  Joseph Contini
Salvatore Baccaloni - Ciccio Massimo
Carlo Angeletti ("Marietto") - Livio Massimo
Gabriella Pallotta - Rosalba Massimo
Brian Donlevy - Col.  Sherman Harrington
Arthur Shields - Monsignor O'Toole
Rudolph Anders - Col.  Wilhelm Krafft
Vadim Wolkowsky - Conte Danesi

Awards and nominations
 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Samuel M. Comer, Frank R. McKelvy) (nominated)  Golden Globe Awards
Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy (Charlton Heston, nominated)
Best Supporting Actor (Harry Guardino, nominated)
Best Supporting Actress (Gabriella Pallotta, nominated)

''' Writers Guild of America
Best Written American Comedy (Melville Shavelson, nominated)

See also
 List of American films of 1962
War pigeon

References

External links

Category:1962 films
Category:1960s spy comedy films
Category:American films
Category:American spy comedy films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films based on American novels
Category:Films directed by Melville Shavelson
Category:Films set in 1944
Category:Italian Campaign of World War II films
Category:Military humor in film
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:World War II spy films
Category:Films set in Rome