I rewatched this film this week (the remake version with Sean Penn, Adrian Brody, Ben Chaplin, et al). Near the end there are several aircraft seen. I am not referring to the Harvards that were made up to look like Dauntlesses – on the ground there were three P39’s and a Wildcat seen.
I was wondering, since this was filmed in the Solomon Islands and the planes were seen in longshot only, were they perhaps the real thing? Were they real planes that have been there since the war and were they prettied up for the filming? Or were they merely replicas?
If they are replicas, what became of them? Were they given to a Solomons museum?
By: oscar duck - 12th August 2004 at 10:27
Fantastic to fly. The ultimate s/e tail dragger…
Painted authentically as “Georgia Peach” a TBM-3 flown by VT-83 of AG-83 from USS Essex in 1945 during Battle of Okinawa. I’ve been in touch with the gunner of the original “Peach”..
It’s a real trip….
By: DazDaMan - 12th August 2004 at 10:04
Nice 🙂
By: oscar duck - 12th August 2004 at 10:00
This is mine…..
By: DazDaMan - 12th August 2004 at 08:12
Gotta love the Avenger! 🙂
I got up close and personal to the one owned by the Shuttleworth Collection’s boss (Tony Haig-Thomas) a couple of years ago. Got a few pics of it, too, and loved to stand behind it when it started up! 😀
By: C170BDan - 12th August 2004 at 04:21
SBD
There are three regular fliers. The CAF’s, Planes of Fame’s and the Lone Star Flight Museum’s. Would be great to see some movie with a group of Wildcats, Dauntless, TBMs!
Check out the pictures from this airshow! TBMs everywhere!
By: Dave Homewood - 12th August 2004 at 01:35
Thanks Matt,
I never realised one was a Wirraway. A great pity about the accident, I wasn’t aware that one had even crashed. I’m very sorry to hear it.
Both the Wirraway and the Harvard made quite credible stand-ins for Dauntlesses. I’d love to see a Pacific film with real ones in though someday. I think there are now more than one flying too are there not? I know the CAF one is ex-RNZAF.
Cheers
Dave
By: OzMatt - 11th August 2004 at 23:51
Hi Dave,
I have to stick up for the humble Wirraway, and advise that of the two ‘Dauntlesses’ in the film, one of them was actually a Wirraway. The Wirraway was A20-719 (painted as A20-458), and is unfortunately the one that crashed with fatal results in 1999. Owen who was flying the aircraft when it crashed, did a lot of the movie flying. A mate who’ll never be forgotten.
The Harvard that was in the film was actually a true Harvard, and not a T-6. This aircraft is the one owned by John Rayner, and it is one of the regular Southern Knights team aircraft.
On the issue of the P-39 and Wildcat replicas, I seem to remember seeing a photo showing that Syd Beck at Mareeba had ended up with at least one Wildcat replica. But I certainly didn’t spot one when I was at his museum a bit over a month ago. The P-39 fibreglass replicas were made from moulds which were taken straight off Syd’s own P-39D.
Cheers,
Matt
Thanks Oscar,
A good deal of the film was filmed in the Solomons, but as soon as you said Cairns I remebered reading somewhere while it was being made that the Harvards were Aussie ones, so it makes sense that some scenes were filmed there. Well, that clears that up, they’re fakes.
Cheers
Dave
By: GDL - 11th August 2004 at 14:14
A lot of it was done in North Queensland, Australia. I was working at the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas when the entire production crew and cast were staying there for about 6 weeks while filming. Got to meet George Clooney too. Incidentally, so was Paradise Road with Glenn Close. A friend of mine was an extra in that film.
By: oscar duck - 11th August 2004 at 13:02
All flying was definately done in Oztraylia…
By: Dave Homewood - 11th August 2004 at 12:43
Thanks Oscar,
A good deal of the film was filmed in the Solomons, but as soon as you said Cairns I remebered reading somewhere while it was being made that the Harvards were Aussie ones, so it makes sense that some scenes were filmed there. Well, that clears that up, they’re fakes.
Cheers
Dave
By: oscar duck - 11th August 2004 at 12:11
Was not filmed in the Solomo :rolleyes: ns but at a place called Drumsara near Mossman north of Cairns. I flew my Avenger a couple of years later at the same little ag air strip during the making of the TV version of “South Pacific” starring Glenn Close/Harry Connick Jr and of course….me [only joking. The plastic Cobras were still there and used as back drops in this film as well. Jungle scenes were shot in and around this region as well. The Duck [or is it Turkey?]
By: Dave Homewood - 11th August 2004 at 11:57
IMDb says the sets were by Richard Hobbs and Suza Maybury
Ring any bells? Not with me
By: DazDaMan - 11th August 2004 at 11:12
Haven’t seen the film, but you could try looking up who did the set dressing? IMDB is bound to have that info…
By: Dave Homewood - 11th August 2004 at 11:05
No I don’t think they were flats, or at least not all of them, though that thought had crossed my mind too. But they are not ‘that’ far away from the camera and at least one P39 seems 3-dimensional and realistic. There are people beside it and it looks right.
By: DazDaMan - 11th August 2004 at 10:31
They could have been little more than elaborate mock-ups – “flatpacks” like those used in Memphis Belle and an episode of Foyle’s War
Sign In
August 11, 2004 at 10:12 am