By: Ant.H - 31st August 2020 at 17:25
Hi Geoff,
I’m sorry to report that Rudy passed away in May, aged 89. The following link is a good tribute to him.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
By: Geoff Eastman - 31st August 2020 at 00:43
I lived in the Urbana, Il. Area for 21 years and met Rudy and Joe Frasca when a friend of mine got a job at Frasca Field on 45 N in Urbana, unfortunately Joe died in a areo stunt plane. I only met their father once, but knew Joe more than Rudy. I’ve seen this plane in the movie, Rudy also owned a Japanese zero. Both was used at fairs dog fighting with blanks, very impressive. each has two engines Rudy switches out after a certain amount of use. I haven’t lived in Urbana since 2001 so I don’t know if he still have the planes. That is all.
By: turbo_NZ - 19th August 2005 at 01:28
a little bit of movie trivia…..
The scene where Wild Bill Kelso slips and tumbles off of the wing of his airplane as he is about to take off was a real accident. John Belushi slipped as he was climbing into the plane. It was kept in the movie because it fit his character.
(http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0078723/trivia)
TNZ
By: BlackWolf3945 - 19th August 2005 at 00:44
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By: BlackWolf3945 - 18th August 2005 at 18:53
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By: Mark12 - 18th August 2005 at 07:55
Nice! Was that at Oshkosh?
Mark, once I get a page up on my website (see sig) for AK979, may I include that image? Proper credits would be given of course and I would appreciate it too much!
BlackWolf3945
Not Oshkosh.
…but ‘Airwar 74’ at Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Yes, you would be welcome to use the image as you wish.
Mark
By: turbo_NZ - 18th August 2005 at 07:11
Wasn’t Tallman also badly injured in the crash of the original “Phoenix” that killed Paul Mantz ?
TNZ
By: J Boyle - 18th August 2005 at 07:06
here’s why Frasca’s P-40 too?
A story I read at the time of production said Frasca’s P-40 was used for later scenes since it was already based in Illinois.
It seems John Belushi was in Chicago filming “The Blues Brothers” when it was decided to shoot more scenes of him in the aircraft. Frasca’s P-40 was handy.Also, Tallman did indeed own a P-40 at that time…he always considered it one of his favorites. BTW: “1941” had to be one of the last filmsTallman would participate in, as he was killed in a crash (of a Piper Aztec) in April 1978.
By: BlackWolf3945 - 18th August 2005 at 02:25
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By: turbo_NZ - 17th August 2005 at 23:32
A bit of triva for you peoples:
(from http://www.moviemistakes.com/film1847/trivia)
For the scene where the P-40 Tomahawk crashes in the street, the effects guys used a real airplane and put it on a long ramp so that it would actually fly into the scene. No one knew how far it would travel before it came to a stop, so the cast and crew started a pool and placed bets on how far it would go. The day after they shot the scene, some of the crew walked into director Steven Spielberg’s office and dumped a huge jar of money onto the desk in front of him. He’d won the pool.
A real P-40 ????? 😮
TNZ
By: turbo_NZ - 17th August 2005 at 23:16
Yeh, Never forget how Wild Bill Kelso tried to open the cocacola bottle between the canopyrails, and ended up smashing the top off.. all while pursuing zero’s through the streets of Manhattan
and also reading the map in the cockpit while flying through the mountains, and nearly crashing himself!!
TNZ
(pic from http://www.bbring.com/movies/1941.html)
By: Avro's Finest - 17th August 2005 at 18:49
Argue if u dare ,Forgivness is rare. (Iff u R me Then Never)
You don’t deserve it……………
Just fill the main and a low beach.
AF.
By: Bert van Dalen - 17th August 2005 at 12:53
hey! u r talkin about my darn P-40 here! 😀
Colonel “Madman” Maddox: Identify yourself!
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: Captain Wild Bill Kelso, United States Army Air Corps, where the Hell am I?
Colonel “Madman” Maddox: Barstow, where you coming from?
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: San Francisco, been chasing a Jap squadron for a day and a half. I lost ’em somewhere over Fresno.
Telephone Operator: I’m from Olene, Illionois.
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: Tough ****.:D:D:D:D:D
Alex
Yeh, Never forget how Wild Bill Kelso tried to open the cocacola bottle between the canopyrails, and ended up smashing the top off.. all while pursuing zero’s through the streets of Manhattan
By: Mark12 - 17th August 2005 at 09:54
Is the civilian painted P-51D in the background Mike Smith’s N166G?
T J
TJ,
It is indeed and I see in my logbook that I had 40 minutes back seat with Mike, in formation with two other P-51’s, one, ‘Boomer’, carrying Mrs Mark12.
Mark
By: T J Johansen - 17th August 2005 at 09:08
Perhaps there was more than one P-40.
In the BoB film in one scene alone for example, AI-H lands, taxies in, and the pilot dismounts – three different aircraft used.
Proximity to Hollywood or west coast USA may be a factor here.
Here is a shot of Tom Camp’s P-40 with the ‘odd’ canopy, that I took in August 1974.
Mark
Is the civilian painted P-51D in the background Mike Smith’s N166G?
T J
By: Mark12 - 17th August 2005 at 08:25
Perhaps there was more than one P-40.
In the BoB film in one scene alone for example, AI-H lands, taxies in, and the pilot dismounts – three different aircraft used.
Proximity to Hollywood or west coast USA may be a factor here.
Here is a shot of Tom Camp’s P-40 with the ‘odd’ canopy, that I took in August 1974.
Mark
By: turbo_NZ - 17th August 2005 at 04:10
Great movie !!! Saw it as a kid, never forget the P-40 landing on a dusty road, taxies up to a gas station, Wild Bill jumps out and says “Fill ‘er up..”
(and then forgets to put the park brake on……)
😀
Ah, I have to see that movie again I think.
TNZ
By: Hi-Octain - 17th August 2005 at 00:18
I think the P40 used belonged to Rudy Frasca, as far as I know he still owns it.
Mind you I may be wrong, it was only Rudy himself who told me.AF
Argue if u dare ,Forgivness is rare. (Iff u R me Then Never)
By: italian harvard - 17th August 2005 at 00:13
hey! u r talkin about my darn P-40 here! 😀
Colonel “Madman” Maddox: Identify yourself!
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: Captain Wild Bill Kelso, United States Army Air Corps, where the Hell am I?
Colonel “Madman” Maddox: Barstow, where you coming from?
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: San Francisco, been chasing a Jap squadron for a day and a half. I lost ’em somewhere over Fresno.
Telephone Operator: I’m from Olene, Illionois.
Captain Wild Bill Kelso: Tough ****.
:D:D:D:D:D
Alex
By: Avro's Finest - 16th August 2005 at 23:54
I’m trying to identify the airworthy P-40 that was used in the flick ‘1941’.
Tom Camp is listed in the credits as a pilot and I know that he owned a Kittyhawk I at the time. However, Frank Tallman has also been attributed to the film as a pilot and he also owned a P-40 or two during the same timeframe. But I believe that they were P-40Ns and I’m leaning towards Mr. Camp’s Hawk (AK979) as the likely suspect.
I know that the aircraft had a custom canopy fitted after being damaged during filming of ‘Tora Tora Tora’, retaining this canopy as late as 1975 and that Mr. Camp sold the aircraft in 1978. But I do not know when the custom unit was replaced again with a standard canopy; before or after the sale.
The airplane eventually wound up with Flying Tiger Line/Tiger International Inc, wearing an AVG paint scheme and here’s a sticking point for me… I seem to recall seeing an early 80s photo of the aircraft in this scheme with the custom canopy fitted, but the aircraft in the film (released in 1979) had a standard canopy.
My memory could be faulty, (I was about 12 or 13 when I first saw the photo) and I cannot locate said photo as confirmation either way.
Any information that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated!
Fade to Black…
I think the P40 used belonged to Rudy Frasca, as far as I know he still owns it.
Mind you I may be wrong, it was only Rudy himself who told me.
AF
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August 16, 2005 at 11:03 pm