[LT Ducky]

I watched this last night; never saw it before.

The plot is very hokey, it was done in the early 50's and was obviously little more than propaganda for SAC, but it had some great airplane scenes in it. I've never seen that many B-36's in one spot before - and they were all REAL! Early on in the film a civilian DC-3 declares an emergency and we see it making a single-engine approach to a SAC base, the left engine feathered. After landing, while taxiing to the ramp, the dead engine starts up and the plane intrudes into the B-36 flight line. As it comes to a stop, the door opens and out jump a bunch of 'agressor' soldiers, who are quickly surrounded by Base security. Then a cigar-smoking 4-star (GEN Hawke(s)!!!) emerges to tell all concerned it was just a security check.

Anyway, the photography is outstanding, including a B-47 RATO take-off, an tour through the interior of the B-36 and 9 B-47's in formation. A good view of the last of the piston engine bombers with the first all jet bomber, neither of which ever dropped a bomb in anger. If you get a chance to watch it, it is well worth it.

[DKTanker]

LT Ducky, on Sun 8 Feb 2009 1010, said:

I watched this last night; never saw it before.

A pretty good period propoganda piece. Can't go much wrong with Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, and baseball.

[BP]

DKTanker, on Sun 8 Feb 2009 1632, said:

A pretty good period propoganda piece. Can't go much wrong with Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, and baseball.

Hell ya! I always thought the same thing.

I inherently liked Jimmy Stewart as a kid, but he really went up in my estimation when I read about his war record and retirment as a USAF Reserve Brigadier General. He could have done his own flying in that movie!

[sunday]

BP, on Sun 8 Feb 2009 1817, said:

Hell ya! I always thought the same thing.

I inherently liked Jimmy Stewart as a kid, but he really went up in my estimation when I read about his war record and retirment as a USAF Reserve Brigadier General. He could have done his own flying in that movie!

I think he did.

[DKTanker]

sunday, on Sun 8 Feb 2009 1135, said:

I think he did.

I believe he was checked out on both the B-36 and B-47 but any flying scenes were either film footage of aircraft on excercise or in a mockup cockpit.

[Jeff]

Great footage and a favorite.

Another movie with great footage though story is weak is Jet Pilot with John Wayne. Janet Leigh is nice to watch too. Howard Hughes made it in 1950 but didn't release it until 1957. :blink:

[BP]

As an aside, the B-47 had to be one of the most supremely graceful aircraft of all times, especially for a relatively large bird. There's one on the side of I-95 outside of Savannah, GA (8th AF Museum) that still is stunning every time I drive by.

[sunday]

DKTanker, on Sun 8 Feb 2009 1844, said:

I believe he was checked out on both the B-36 and B-47 but any flying scenes were either film footage of aircraft on excercise or in a mockup cockpit.

After some not-so-cursory search, seems you're right..

[Bob B]

Stewart's Recruiting film Winning Your Wings:

http://video.google....2...Wings&hl=en

It would have worked on me. ;)



Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yoY8Cj1larg

This is a narrative done by Stewart about is flight training and WW2. It shows several takes of a news real that he filmed.

[shep854]

This movie has some of the most stunning air-to-air-photography I have ever seen. The scene of the fighter escort crossing over the B-36 just above the cumulous clouds, with everyone dragging contrails is a 10++++ in my book! On a big screen, it had to be incredible

[Fritz]

Where do I find this movie?

[Kenneth P. Katz]

A great piece of propaganda and a classic period piece. My father (SAC KC-97G navigator) always got a thrill out of the aerial refueling shot.

[aevans]

Fritz, on Mon 9 Feb 2009 0115, said:

Where do I find this movie?

Apparently only available on NTSC VHS tape.

[Bob B]

Fritz, on Mon 9 Feb 2009 0115, said:

Where do I find this movie?

Here is a small bit of it I found on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.c...4...55&index=93

And another small bit I found:

http://www.livevideo...stewart-at.aspx

Here is one more from the beginning of the film:

http://video.google....&...art&start=0

And just for fun here is an appearance on the Old Whats My Line TV show:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ADQpyXEIFtM

FWIW, Stewart later flew at least on mission over North Vietnam as an observer.

This post has been edited by Bob B: 08 February 2009 - 2226 PM

[shep854]

aevans, on Mon 9 Feb 2009 0201, said:

Apparently only available on NTSC VHS tape.

Here you go. Be sure you are seated and relaxed before you click the link; carefully look at the price:

http://www.warshows....ail.bok?no=2234

[Al]

It is a cool movie, for the plane shots alone. Both types are being restored at the Strategic Air & Space Museum (formerly the SAC Museum) just west of my location.

http://www.sasmuseum.com/

[rmgill]

Thin plot, I don't know. It wasn't drama'd up like most movies about real peace time service is. If Hollywood made that movie today, there'd be a Female Officer in command, she'd be banging some enlisted guy on the flight line, and there'd be some sort of love triangle thing going on, expose how airforce pilots were involved with the tailhook scandal ( :huh: ), a bunch of criminal actions by various officers and the overall story would twist around the fact that the Air Force is a bunch of racist war mongers. <_<


I consider SAC a good movie, dry, but technically accurate as can be. Heck, when the B-36 is taxing out to the flight line you get the squealing of the VERY large brakes as the pilot presses one brake and then the other to turn the big bird. I've heard B17s make the same noise. It sends shivers down my spine when I hear it though.

SAC is a movie made when hollywood was still under the right impression that the military defends it along with the rest of the nation.

[Bob B]

If you can get Turner Classic Movies mark your calenders!

April 19, 2009, 1:00 PM EST

http://www.tcm.com/t...e.jsp?stid=4246

This post has been edited by Bob B: 08 February 2009 - 2231 PM

[Kenneth P. Katz]

You forgot sexist, homophobic and Islamophobic.

rmgill, on Mon 9 Feb 2009 0328, said:

... the overall story would twist around the fact that the Air Force is a bunch of racist war mongers.

[aevans]

rmgill, on Mon 9 Feb 2009 0328, said:

SAC is a movie made when hollywood was still under the right impression that the military defends it along with the rest of the nation.

It took Stewart's personal influence to get it made and made well. Basically he called in his markers to get one good film. Most of the national policy films of that period are absolute dreck, juiced up with the 1950s versions of all of the extraneous plot complications you mentioned.