New Billy Fiske article…

A quick browse of the Internet Movie Database brings up no record of a Tom Cruise-related film project titled “The Few” (which was the name being touted many moons back). Director Michael Mann was slated to be at the helm for this one.

Possibly been shelved altogether?

Probably.
I saw a story not too long ago which said he didn’t have anything scheduled for release for the next 1-2 years.

His image over here isn’t the best right now, so maybe he’s laying low.

A quick browse of the Internet Movie Database brings up no record of a Tom Cruise-related film project titled “The Few” (which was the name being touted many moons back). Director Michael Mann was slated to be at the helm for this one.

Possibly been shelved altogether?

I’m very glad to hear that Fiske is highly regarded by Mr. Bond.
The Wiki entry (which I quoted in its entirety) may need be revised.
I understand the issue of the film…and Tom Cruise in it (but let’s give him credit, at least he’s a warbird pilot in real life…that works in his favor).

Learning a bit more about Fiske, a film sounds like a worthwhile project, especially if it tells his whole story rather than just focus on the Battle.
As for Cruise, if he’s involved, let’s hope it’s as a producer (to help get the film made) and that a younger man plays Fiske…and it doesn’t goes overboard showing him destroying the Luftwaffe single handedly.

Spot on Andy.
I think Bill Bonds statement was as a result of a querie that came his way from the press regarding the production of this much talked about Tom Cruise film. It wasn’t a bold off the cuff statement that Fiskes contribution was completely negligible – however it is easy to see that it could perceived as such.
I recall speaking to a Battle of Britain vet (Gordon Parkin 501 squadron) a few years ago and he said to me:-
“I can’t claim to have shot any down – but I did shoot at them. I’d like to think they were half as scared of me as I was of them!”.
Gerry

I did a big article on Fiske for the “other magazine” a couple of years ago.

To hopefully put the record straight, I think the critcism that emerged since (and certainly not in my article!!) was not of Billy Fiske nor the man he was. It was merely a degree of unease about how Hollywood would portray him, the Battle of Britain etc etc. – ie how the USA won the Battle of Britain. Also, unease about Tom Cruise playing him for a variety of reasons. Even then age was an issue. A few years along the road not sure how on earth Cruise could play him now anyway. In any case, I dont think there is any suggestion that he should/would.

Billy Fiske/Bill Bond

Hi John,
I know Bill Bond reasonably well and can assure one and all that he admires Billy Fiske immensly.
I think that the sentence quoted has been taken out of context and therefore reads badly.
Bill Bond recently commisioned an oil painting of Billy Fiske landing his hurricane at Tangmere on the day he was sadly killed. The last I heard he was trying to get it to the mayor of Chicago with a view to raising Fiskes profile there.
He also spent a long while searching for people that had served with Fiske. One such person was Geoff Faulkner who helped get Billy Fiske out of his Hurricane that day and remembered the incident well.
cheers
Gerry
p.s The painting was by John Howard Wordsley and can be seen on line if you do a google search. Geoff Faulkner recalled that it is an accurate depiction of the events that day.

There is an article about Billy Fiske in the May issue of Classic and Sportscar.

It deals with his blower Bentley and his friendship with Sir Henry Ralph Stanley “Tim” Birkin…one of WO.’s original “Bentley Boys”.
Happily, his car survives and the author drives it to his churchyard gravesite.

It might change some of your opinions about the young man.

I had and will always have high regards for Billy Fiske, he was like a hero character out of a Boys Own magazine or book, larger than life…..I would truly welcome a film about him…but tell it how it was…no need to glam up his story as it is already so and he was a true hero.

Since you ask…
In that he was quite a well rounded man, Olymipic athelete, friend of the the Bentley Boys, good pilot.
Sure he was a rich kid, but it seems a talented rich kid.

Judging by the comments made here when Tom Cruise was planning to make a film about him, it sounded like not many here had much time for him.
It sounded like some were afraid that making a film about a U.S. pilot in the BoB would somehow lessen the impact of the UK’s “Finest hour”.

To me, any guy who leaves a cushy, privledeged, existence to volunteer to fight for another country to fight the Nazis is a very worthwhile guy.

From wikipedia….
Bill Bond, founder of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, argued that Fiske
“… made several sorties but he didn’t shoot anything down, and his impact on the battle was negligible.”

While that is historically correct, he was certainly not an ace…people who dismiss his service out of hand are doing a disservice to Fiske and all the others. Remember, for every Al Deere there were a number of lads who didn’t survive very long in the cockpit of a Spitfire or Hurricane.

If he were a rich English playboy who was an Olympic sportsman, raced cars, and a pre-war pilot who died in the Battle…would there be the outcry over a proposed film of his life?

There is an article about Billy Fiske in the May issue of Classic and Sportscar.It might change some of your opinions about the young man.

In what way John ?