ausf
Master at Arms
I've been reading Masters Of the Air, a phenomenal book about the 8th Air Force.
It mentions the authors of Twelve O'Clock High since they were there in the thick of it and it got me to go back and watch the film. I hadn't seen it in years, I watched it whenever it was on TV, but I remember being put off by all the talk and little action and when there was combat footage, it was actual footage. This was at the time the Monogram model came out (with the Shep Paine pamphlet) and I wanted to see action, not what looked like newsreel stuff.
Of course now, as an adult I was riveted to it as well as the dialog, especially while reading the book.
One thing that struck me that I never appreciated before, they actually crashed a '17 on camera. This isn't an effects shot, it's a real belly landing, destroying the props and bunch more I'm sure. Granted the film was released in '49, so probably shot in 47-48 so 17s were most likely being given away, but still. Then later, there are scenes with Peck walking in front of turning props. Now I understand staging, camera angles and forced perspective, but he's trying to climb into the plane a few feet away from the turning engines. Then right after, they're all in the jeep while the wings of the taxiing 17s roll overhead. I can't imagine the insurance costs of that, an A list star.
I had to order a book that covers the writing of the novel, as well as filming of the movie and TV series. I wanted to read the book itself, but even mass market paperbacks are going well north of $200 a copy.
If you get a chance to read Masters Of the Air, do it. Spielberg and Hanks are using it to make their next series like BOB and The Pacific. I knew about the 8th a bit, but never realized how bad it really was. The book ties it all in with the battle of the Atlantic and how the early crew's chance of survival was less than that of being diagnosed with advanced cancer, basically 1 in 10.
Oh, I also had to order the new HK Model 1/48 17G, you , just because.
It mentions the authors of Twelve O'Clock High since they were there in the thick of it and it got me to go back and watch the film. I hadn't seen it in years, I watched it whenever it was on TV, but I remember being put off by all the talk and little action and when there was combat footage, it was actual footage. This was at the time the Monogram model came out (with the Shep Paine pamphlet) and I wanted to see action, not what looked like newsreel stuff.
Of course now, as an adult I was riveted to it as well as the dialog, especially while reading the book.
One thing that struck me that I never appreciated before, they actually crashed a '17 on camera. This isn't an effects shot, it's a real belly landing, destroying the props and bunch more I'm sure. Granted the film was released in '49, so probably shot in 47-48 so 17s were most likely being given away, but still. Then later, there are scenes with Peck walking in front of turning props. Now I understand staging, camera angles and forced perspective, but he's trying to climb into the plane a few feet away from the turning engines. Then right after, they're all in the jeep while the wings of the taxiing 17s roll overhead. I can't imagine the insurance costs of that, an A list star.
I had to order a book that covers the writing of the novel, as well as filming of the movie and TV series. I wanted to read the book itself, but even mass market paperbacks are going well north of $200 a copy.
If you get a chance to read Masters Of the Air, do it. Spielberg and Hanks are using it to make their next series like BOB and The Pacific. I knew about the 8th a bit, but never realized how bad it really was. The book ties it all in with the battle of the Atlantic and how the early crew's chance of survival was less than that of being diagnosed with advanced cancer, basically 1 in 10.
Oh, I also had to order the new HK Model 1/48 17G, you , just because.
