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TLS, one page, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, September 15, 1958. Letter to Henry J. Taylor, the American Ambassador to Switzerland, in full: “Thank you for your letter regarding our picture, THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN, which we are filming in Switzerland. Our story is based on a novel, BANNER IN THE SKY, by James Ramsey Ullman, who is an adventurer and mountain climber as well as a noted writer. The subject of his novel is a fictionalized version of the first climbing of the Matterhorn, which is identified as ‘The Citadel’ in the story. We have been shooting the film at Zermatt with the complete cooperation of the guides, town council and the people of the community. We respect the traditions of the guides and mountain climbers, and are doing everything we can to make our film authentic. Since we have always maintained a high standard of authenticity in our films, I was at somewhat of a loss to understand your concern, but hope that this will reassure you.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA.
The 1954 book Banner in the Sky was written by American writer and mountaineer James Ramsey Ullman and inspired by a real-life event in 1865 when an Englishman named Edward Whymper became the first to climb the Matterhorn. The film rights were bought by Walt Disney in July 1957 and filming began June 23, 1958. The movie was mostly filmed on location in Zermatt, Switzerland, a location that Disney was familiar with from his ski trips, and the studio portions of the film were done in London. The entire cast and crew, numbering 170, did a course in mountaineering before filming began on June 23, 1958. The film inspired the creation of Disneyland Park’s Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction, which was conceived when Disney sent a souvenir on a postcard to his lead Imagineer at the time, writing only two words: ‘build this.'
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