This is an AUTHENTIC HAND SIGNED ORIGINAL VINTAGE 8"x 10" color photo of 2 main cast members in the comedy war film "KELLY'S HEROES" featuring the autographs by DONALD SUTHERLAND and DON RICKLES. Kelly's Heroes is a 1970 American war film, directed by Brian G. Hutton, about a group of World War II American soldiers who go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor, and Donald Sutherland, with secondary roles played by Harry Dean Stanton, Gavin MacLeod, and Stuart Margolin. The screenplay was written by British film and television writer Troy Kennedy Martin. The film was a US-Yugoslav co-production, filmed mainly in the Croatian village of Vižinada on the Istria peninsula.

The screenplay was written by British film and television writer Troy Kennedy Martin. He relied on a true story which was featured as “The Greatest Robbery on Record” in Guinness World Records from 1956 to 2000. On December 4, 1968, Elliott Morgan, MGM’s Head of Research wrote to the Guinness Book of World Records requesting information on this entry: “The greatest robbery on record was of the German National Gold Reserves in Bavaria by a combine of US military personnel and German civilians in 1945”. On the 10th December the editor, Norris D McWhirter, wrote back to Morgan stating that he had very little information and that he essentially suspected that there had been a cover-up which required that the story should be subject to a ‘restricted classification’. He closed by suggesting that until that security classification was changed, ‘due to death or eflux(sic) of time, any film made will have to be an historical romance rather than history’.

In 1975 British researcher Ian Sayer began a nine-year investigation into the Guinness entry. The results of his investigation, which confirmed a cover up by the US government together with the involvement of US military and former Wehrmacht and SS officers in the theft, were published in the 1984 book Nazi Gold – The Sensational Story of the World’s Greatest Robbery – and the Greatest Criminal Cover-Up. The investigation finally led to two of the missing gold bars (valued in 2019 at over $1m) being handed over by German officials to the American government in a secret ceremony at Bonn on the 27th September 1996. The bullion was transported to the Bank of England where it was held to the account of the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold (TCRMG). The first disclosure that the Bank was holding the two bars (complete with Nazi markings) came from a press release issued by the bank on the 8th May 1997 which confirmed that the two bars were those which had been identified as missing in the book Nazi Gold.

This is an awesome autographed piece of entertainment memorabilia and will look great framed. This signed photo comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. All of the autographed items I have listed are from my personal collection. They were either obtained by me personally from the celebrity(s) or through a reputable dealer. If not satisfied with this item you may return it within 10 days. This photo is boldly signed and is in Xlt. condition. Any of the (LOGOS ON PICTURES ARE NOT ON ACTUAL PHOTO). Any flaws you might see in the picture other than mentioned are from my camera, not the photo itself! All photos are sent in either top loaders and/or archival acid free backer boards and clear plastic sleeves. Shipping and handling is $8.00 U.S, $18.00 Canada, OVERSEAS- OUTSIDE OF CANADA PLEASE EMAIL FOR S/H QUOTE AS IT COULD BE MORE. Insurance is extra cost. Seller not responsible for uninsured items. WE WILL COMBINE ORDERS TO SAVE YOU COSTS FOR S/H. We do our very best to ship items within 24 hours of payment being received. Email us if you have any questions regarding this item.    8-5-16 POP BK# 430-25   CHECK OUT OUR MANY OTHER GREAT ITEMS LISTED!