Strategic Air Command (film)
| Strategic Air Command | |
|---|---|
| File:Stategic Air Command (film).jpg Poster adapted for video cover | |
| Directed by | Anthony Mann |
| Written by | Valentine Davies Lt. Beirne Lay, Jr. |
| Produced by | Samuel J. Briskin |
| Starring | James Stewart June Allyson Frank Lovejoy Barry Sullivan Alex Nicol |
| Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | March 251955 |
Running time | 112 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
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Strategic Air Command is a 1955 American film starring James Stewart and June Allyson, and directed by Anthony Mann.
Cast:
- James Stewart as Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland.
- June Allyson as Sally Holland.
- Frank Lovejoy as Gen. Ennis C. Hawkes (character based on Gen. Curtis LeMay).
- Harry Morgan as Sgt. Bible, a flight engineer.
Synopsis
"Jimmy" Stewart plays a United States Air Force Reserve officer recalled to active duty to fly B-36 and B-47 nuclear bombers for the Strategic Air Command. The film accurately portrays (although more from a 1951 than a 1955 perspective) the duties and responsibilities of being an Air Force strategic bomber pilot, and the strains such service places on family life.
Stewart's character is a professional baseball player recalled to active duty. He is injured on duty, which not only bars him from further flying (he leaves the Air Force at the end of the film) but also appears to end his baseball career. Some commentators speculated that the plot was inspired by Ted Williams who was drafted for Korean War service as a Marine Corps pilot, at the height of his baseball career [1].
Production notes
In real life, Stewart had been a B-17 instructor pilot, then a B-24 squadron commander and group operations officer, completing 20 combat missions during World War II. At the time of filming, Stewart was a colonel in the Air Force Reserve; he was later promoted to brigadier general. Thus Stewart's character is not too far from a life he could have chosen.
Stewart's lifelong interest in aviation and especially his military service greatly influenced the making of the film. He pushed for an authentic but sympathetic portrayal of the Strategic Air Command with the result that Paramount assembled a strong group of veteran movie stars and production people to shepherd the film home. Along with Stewart, June Allyson and Frank Lovejoy (playing a character loosely based on SAC's General Curtis LeMay) along with director Anthony Mann and even top Hollywood stunt pilot, Paul Mantz were part of the production[2].
The film includes some of the most dramatic aerial photography ever filmed, for which it was awarded a special citation by the American National Board of Review. It is also the only motion picture to highlight the B-36 (depicted in the poster reproduced in this entry), the largest warplane and mass-produced piston powered plane ever built, and the first delivery method for the hydrogen bomb. The B-36 was then near the end of its service life and about to be replaced by the B-52. The aerial footage was accompanied by a dramatic and soaring musical score composed by Victor Young. The film was made with the cooperation of the United States Air Force, and was partly filmed on location at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado; and Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas.
Reception
Shot in the new VistaVision process, the film was the sixth-highest grossing film of 1955.[3] Critics were lukewarm about the performances of all except Stewart, who was called "capable," "charming," and "competent."[4] Public reaction centered on the spectacular aerial sequences, so that the B-36B-36 and B-47 aircraft were arguably the real "stars" of the film. The film's release resulted in a 25% increase in Air Force enlistments[citation needed].
Viewed from a present day perspective, the film's appeal lies in its optimistic portrayal of the dedicated personnel of the Strategic Air Command. Strategic Air Command asserts the role of strategic bombing as a means of ensuring peace through a nuclear deterrent. These premises contrast starkly with the later theme of Dr. Strangelove, released in 1964.
Spanish title: Nido de águilas ("Eagle's nest").
Awards
- 1955 Academy Award Nomination: Best Motion Picture Story (Beirne Lay Jr.)
- 1955 National Board of Review, USA: Special Citation to recognize the film's aerial photography
Trivia
The B-47 cockpit used in the film is now on display at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, CA [5].
References
- ^ NY Times Review
- ^ Thomas 1998, p. 166.
- ^ Dewey 1996, p. 356.
- ^ Jones McClure and Twomey 1970, p. 178.
- ^ Strategic Air Command Nominations and Awards
- Coe, Jonathan. James Stewart: Leading Man. London: Bloomsbury, 1994. ISBN 0-7475-1574-3.
- Dewey, Donald. James Stewart: A Biography. Atlanta: Turner Publishing Inc., 1996. ISBN 1-57036-227-0.
- Jones, Ken D., McClure, Arthur F. and Twomey, Alfred E. The Films of James Stewart. New York: Castle Books, 1970.
- Thomas, Tony. A Wonderful Life: The Films and Career of James Stewart. Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1988. ISBN 0-8065-1081-1.