By: aerovin - 27th October 2005 at 15:09
The three B-17s were:
B-17G 44-83525 (N83525) from Tallmantz
B-17G 44-83684 (N3713G) from The Air Museum
B-17F 42-29782 (N17W) from Aircraft Specialties (air tankers)
The location filming was done at the airport at Santa Maria, California, in January 1968 and utilized both Tallmantz B-25 camera ships (N1203 and N1042B). They spent a day or two doing some air to air filming, and a day or do doing landing and takeoff shots, and also scenes with the actors around the airplanes.
Jim Farmer did a great little article about the filming entitled “Santa Maria Diary” that was published in the AAHS Journal back in the 1970s. If someone really wants to know which issue I can look in my files.
There are also details and photos in the book Final Cut, which also covers other post war films using the B-17.
By: Kansan - 27th October 2005 at 14:54
Does anyone know which B-17s appeared in this film?
Daz,
Have a look on the aero vintage site or the Scott Thompson “Final Cut” book – I’m pretty sure one or two aircraft are mentioned specifically but I don’t remember which. Also I think there was a thread here with a couple of pictures not very long ago.
Rob / Kansan
By: DazDaMan - 27th October 2005 at 14:47
Well, there was the one doing the low-flying sequences seen on the “How low can you go?” thread. There seemed to be another couple on the ground, too.
A lot of it was cribbed from Memphis Belle, and 633 Squadron(!), too, from what I can see.
By: adrian_gray - 27th October 2005 at 14:32
Difficult to say Daz – IIRC wasn’t an awful lot of the footage cribbed from other B17 movies? I’m fairly certain that the belly landing from “Twelve O’clock High”, as flown by Paul Mantz, is in there along with a load of William Wyler “Memphis Belle” footage.
On the bright side it does mention Ridgewell – as far as I know the only movie ever to do so.
Adrian
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October 27, 2005 at 2:22 pm