Fact In Film

Ferry Pilot ……1941

Docufilm loads of high quality footage inc Anson,spit,master,whitley (inc in cockpit) etc

Personalities inc Philip Wills , Joan Hughes , Jim Mollison ( I think) , Veronica Volkerz.

This dvd is now readily available on the net,no need to pay full price.
Imperial War Museum collection.

They Who Dare

A whole squadron of Savoia-Marchetti SM79 in “They Who Dare”

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jZXnL7Ec2F8

Son of Lassie

This very very bad film has footage of Blenheims p40 and venturas in colour.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sTYLFzlPUgo

There is also a film, with I think James Cagney, about the Commonwealth Training Scheme, which has lots of terrific footage of a busy training school in Canada.
Steve

Captain of the Clouds
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PSIGgHVlGZw

Just been looking & on 2nd site = came across this……….

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/479863/index.html

…at the end of ‘show full synopsis’,

paragraph 2 …. “and Hornchurch in Essex”

(which swings the ‘pendulum’ in favour of Hornchurch, not Rochford !!!!!!!!!)

‘The Lion Has Wings’, 74 Squadron is shown taking off from Rochford in 1939. There’s a shot of 74 Squadron office, a tent, and some good shots of 74 Squadron pilots: a moody couple of Ernie Mayne looking skyward.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

Funny you should mention that, Robert.

I was gonna post the same thing, but ya beat me to it

HOWEVER the footage you refer to is in all probability, taken at my namesake, Hornchurch, as a few years back I done a bit of research into it – as both Ralph Richardson & Merle Oberon were involved in the filming…….

Yeah, it’s a debateable point & sadly I don’t have anything to hand anymore

Will look into it, over the coming weeks & see if it really is/was Rochford OR the more probable, Hornchurch.

Anyhow, either-way; it’s captured on film !!!!!!!!

Out of the Couds

Another showing BOAC Boeing Stratocruisers had James Robertson Justice in it as a Captain. Seen recently on the box, but can’t remember the film’s name.

Bri

The film was “OUt of the Clouds” and one of the comedy pieces was an old lady, I think it was Esme Cannon, going on her first air trip. As soon as she is strapped in to her seat, she falls asleep. Mean while, James Robertson Justice, does’nt like the sound of one of the engines and refuses to take it. After arguing for some time, the passenger are taken of. Esme Cannon, who was afraid of flying anyway, wakes up and say’s what a lovely flight it was and she’s looking forward to the next one!!

Ken

Another showing BOAC Boeing Stratocruisers had James Robertson Justice in it as a Captain. Seen recently on the box, but can’t remember the film’s name.

Bri

Out of the Clouds?

The film ‘Theirs is the Glory’ was filmed in Arnhem as soon as the war was over some of the acting is awful because they used the surviving soldiers who had gone through the battle. 😮 That said and probably because of that the actions scenes are convincing.
Post traumatic stress councelling obviously didn’t exist in 1945

Another showing BOAC Boeing Stratocruisers had James Robertson Justice in it as a Captain. Seen recently on the box, but can’t remember the film’s name.

Bri

‘Ships with Wings’ – an appalling film, but with some lovely footage of Swordfish and Skuas flying from Ark Royal (in the Med in 1940), and some land-based footage of Fulmars as well.

I just wish Ealing had given us an hour and a half of that wonderful footage that was obtained and left out the hideous plot, awful acting and ropey miniature work.

I stumbled across a terribly bad film with rarely seen aircraft…
The 1955 release “Top of the World” is about a USAF fighter pilot who gets sent to run a weather station on the arctic icecap..

The fun begins when their C-47 (a bad model) falls into a melting glacier (and you thought global warming was new..) and they have to be rescued.

Four SB-17s (Gs modifed for rescue work) are seen in formation, along with F-82 Twin Mustangs.
Also, there is a lot of film of a LC-126….a Cessna 195 with skis that were actually used as rescue ships in Alaska…before the days of helicopters.

As I said, the film isn’t the best, but you’ll see planes you probably won’t see anywhere else.

Here’s a write up on the film from Scott Thompson’s B-17 website.
http://www.aerovintage.com/topworld.htm

…which has lots of terrific footage of a busy training school in Canada.

Steve

Trenton and Uplands (Ottawa)

Other great original footage… ’30 Seconds over Tokyo’ (oops, hadn’t fully read Scorpion’s post)

Here are a few I can think of,

Jet Pilot staring John Wayne allot of it was filmed up in Alaska
Strategic Air Command with Jimmmy Stewart we all know this movie
12OClock High filmed at a WWII Bomber base
30 Seconds over Tokyo the training stuff was filmed at Englins AFB
Dive Bomber most of it was filmed at NAS North Island

Thanks Mr Boyle, I’ve often wondered what the film was called as the only time I’ve seen it I missed the ‘first reel.’

Steve

There is also a film, with I think James Cagney, about the Commonwealth Training Scheme, which has lots of terrific footage of a busy training school in Canada.
Steve

That would be Captains of the Clouds from 1942.
Not only excellent RCAF film footage but nice shots of bush planes, all in colour.

‘The Lion Has Wings’, 74 Squadron is shown taking off from Rochford in 1939. There’s a shot of 74 Squadron office, a tent, and some good shots of 74 Squadron pilots: a moody couple of Ernie Mayne looking skyward.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

The follow up to Target for Tonight was my favourite Coastal Command. Details are on IMDB – and it is available on video

It shows a Sunderland and a Catalina on Atlantic patrols hunting u-boats and searching for a German raider. With a 1942 film you would expect wooden acting and a propaganda plot – and you get them, but you also get a snapshot of real crews onboard these aircraft and some wonderful photography – particularly a scene where a Sunderland comes in for the gentlest landing over a calm sea. Fabulous.

Allan

How about ‘Target for Tonight,’ whilst being propaganda; the crew find and destroy their target despite it being a period during the war when crews were lucky to drop their bombs with a couple of miles of the target. The film was shot on an active bomber station and I believe ‘stars’ Group Captain Picard of Amiens prison raid fame.

There is also a film, with I think James Cagney, about the Commonwealth Training Scheme, which has lots of terrific footage of a busy training school in Canada.

Steve

‘Now it Can Be Told’. The 1944 film of the history of SOE, featuring real agents and staff recreating their real jobs. A Lysander and Hudson recreate pickups in some (very accurate) detail, as well as drops from a Halifax. These are real 161 SD Squadron aircraft, flown by the real 161 SD crews. The Lysander is the example now in the RAF Museum. You can’t get more accurate, although the acting, is, as you’d expect, amateur.

Film available from the IWM as a Video.