Aviation movie night!

[Skyracer]

Re: Aviation movie night!

"Gypsy Angels" with Vanna White is another air racing treat.

Also has Eddie VanFossen, Al Goss, and others from the T6 ranks.

[sandramore]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Also has Eddie VanFossen, Al Goss, and others from the T6 ranks.

I was going to say, I need more of a reason to watch this flick than Vann White. lol

[Donald McMullin]

Re: Aviation movie night!

A movie not mentioned yet is "The Big Lift" which is about the Berlin Airlift.

Mostly C-54's with P&W R-2000 engines and good flying and ground control scenes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Lift

[MustangFan]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Haven't seen these mentioned yet, so I'll add:

1. "Empire of the Sun": Pretty good (to me at least) Spielberg flic about a boy coming of age during the Japanese occupation of China. Best scene is when a squad of Mustangs bombs and strafes the camp where the kid (played by Christian Bale) is a prisoner, and the kid is on top of the guard tower yelling "P51!! Cadillac of the Sky!!".

2. "One Six Right": Great documentary about the history of Van Nuys Airport in SoCal. Wonderful flying scenes.

3. "Speed and Angels": Documentary on two of the last USN pilots to qualify in the F-14 Tomcat (including the only woman). Good story on what it takes to get a fighter driver job, and the risks associated with it.

[eagledriver]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Blue Max (my favorite) and Wild Blue Yonder a Czech movie with a great spitfire blasting a train scene, Happy Birthday. Thanks, KC

You mean "Dark Blue World". Fantastic movie, most Czech films are...

[eagledriver]

Re: Aviation movie night!

A couple to add to your list(s):

Captain of the Clouds - James Cagney

Flight from Ashiya - Yul Brenner

Dragonfly Squadron - I've been looking for a copy of this for years. RoKAF Mustang footage during the Korean conflict.

[N22252]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Don't forget the The Right Stuff

"There was a demon that lived in the air...."

[AirDOGGe]

What if "Airplane" was a serious movie?

I just ran across this one I have never seen nor heard of before. Surely, "Airplane" CAN be serious, so don't call me "Shirley"...


The description of this 1957 film may sound VERY familiar, as said comedy movie was a send-up of this drama flick. Even character names are similar, although "Joey" was not "Ted's" son in the later 1980 parody:

IMBD description page...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051221/

ZERO HOUR!

Ted Stryker is an ex-World War II squadron leader and fighter pilot who, 10 years after the end of the war, is still haunted by a decision he made that resulted in the death of several of his men. He's been unable to keep a job and when he gets home one day, he finds a note from his wife saying she and their young son Joey are leaving him and flying to Vancouver.

He manages to get on board the aircraft before it leaves but when the pilot and co-pilot - along with many passengers, including his son Joey - fall severely ill due to food poisoning, Stryker is the only man on-board with any flying experience, though not in multi-engine aircraft. He has to overcome his fears if he is to save the life of his loved ones and the rest of the passengers and crew.

[tim]

Re: What if "Airplane" was a serious movie?

I just ran across this one I have never seen nor heard of before. Surely, "Airplane" CAN be serious, so don't call me "Shirley"...


The description of this 1957 film may sound VERY familiar, as said comedy movie was a send-up of this drama flick. Even character names are similar, although "Joey" was not "Ted's" son in the later 1980 parody:

IMBD description page...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051221/

ZERO HOUR!

Ted Stryker is an ex-World War II squadron leader and fighter pilot who, 10 years after the end of the war, is still haunted by a decision he made that resulted in the death of several of his men. He's been unable to keep a job and when he gets home one day, he finds a note from his wife saying she and their young son Joey are leaving him and flying to Vancouver.

He manages to get on board the aircraft before it leaves but when the pilot and co-pilot - along with many passengers, including his son Joey - fall severely ill due to food poisoning, Stryker is the only man on-board with any flying experience, though not in multi-engine aircraft. He has to overcome his fears if he is to save the life of his loved ones and the rest of the passengers and crew.

Over Macho Grande? I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande?

[RBriscoe]

Re: Aviation movie night!

I have Blue Max on my original list, not sure I've ever seen War Lover, I'll chase that down!

Spacegrrrl

Great air-to-air formation sequences. Each side of the aircraft were painted differently so that the shots where McQueen looked out one window the camera saw one set of birds and then they would move the formation to the other side where the different paint job would make them look like different aircraft when he looked out the other window.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0056676/trivia

The major problem with "The Great Waldo Pepper" is that I have yet to find a widescreen transfer of it.

One film that I think missed the list is "A Gathering of Eagles" which has some great shots of an entire B-52 wing scrambling.

"Jet Pilot" with John Wayne and Janet Leigh has a few interesting, but all too brief, aerial sequences that were interesting.

[Leo]

Re: Aviation movie night!

"Bombers B-52" with Karl Malden had some good bomber stuff in it also.

Martin Caidin wrote a book "Everything but the Flak" about the recovery and cross atlantic flight of the B-17's used in "War Lover". One of the first warbird books I read.
The buzzing scene in it (if you can find a version not cut to pieces) is legendary and real. B-17 below and between the hangars!

[xmh53wrench]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Hey folks, just FYI.....just scored "Twelve o'clock High", "Flying Leathernecks", "Tora Tora Tora", and "Battle of Britain" for the mere 5 bucks each DVD at the local Wally World (WalMart). They are have a run on them for Veterans Day.

[sierra fox]

Re: Aviation movie night!

[QUOTE=Leo;95865]I watched one a while back on TCM that was about flight ops in the arctic (not Island in the Sky) and it was FULL of P-82 footage and other era Air-Force stuff, including a Fulton recovery. For the life of me I cannot remember the name and I did not DVR it.

This could be fun![/QUOTE

Hey Leo, the movie you mention is "Top Of the World" starring Frank Lovejoy. I own this one and agree its got some great footage of twin-stangs as well as some Flying Forts and a few other notables!

"Only Angels Have Wings" with Cary Grant and Thomas Mitchell is worth a look, cargo pilots flying the in the Andes!

"Cloud Dancer" which i havent seen on the list, this one gets alot of bad press but its worth the flying of Jimmy Leeward alone, "way" better than TOR!!!

"Too Hot to Handle" with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy, worth seeing for the water landing of a float equipped staggerwing with Loy at the controls!

"Command Decision" with Gable, Pigeon and Van Johnson. Outstanding film evolves around the Flying Fortress crews over Berlin!

If i repeated any, my appologies

Anthony

[First time Juke]

Re: Aviation movie night!

Wing and a Prayer
Porco Rosso
Iron Eagle I, II, II IV