12 O'Clock High

Quinn Martin & Irwin Allen were 2 of the mainstays of 1960's ABC TV. It amazes me that this show did not last longer. It is very well done. Between this, the Fugitive, & The FBI, Martin pulled a big load for ABC.

This series presented the story of the bombing crews in World War 2, specifically the B series bombers with the machine gunners in the turrets & the bombing runs over Europe. While the movie is well done, this series is also excellently done.

The surprise is this lasted only 3 seasons. I often wondered when a quality series like this one got canceled if the ratings were rigged back then. They would cancel quality series like this & Star Trek in 3 seasons. Yet some series that were real garbage in comparison would last longer.

The pretty much male cast in this show were all excellent actors who seemed to fit their roles very well. When this was made, the planes were still available to use to make things look realistic too. Overall, this was an excellent series. The stories were always the same & Martin did not get a chance to produce a finale for this one. Considering it went off about the same time as the Fugitive, it is hard to imagine him being able to finale this, though a re-creation of V-E day for these bomber crews would be exciting.

I watched this program with my dad, who was a WWII vet and former POW, when I was very little. Recently, I purchased the entire set and began to watch all over again. I, too, did not accept the death of General Savage and always thought they would find him somewhere and bring him back. The naiveté of the young....

I always felt Colonel Gallagher was a poor replacement until I began to really watch these episodes as an adult. I think people tend to compare the two and there is just not a comparison to be made. Frank Savage was a maverick and a very decisive character. You didn't see him delving out too much sympathy or being overly sentimental. Joe Gallagher had a lot of baggage to carry around with an overbearing General (Max Gallagher) for a father and issues with his self worth. Each character should be judged for their own merit. We knew a lot more about Joe than we did about Frank.

I don't think Robert Lansing should have been replaced and I do think the program would have fared very well had he been allowed to continue the role. However, since the powers that be decided to replace him, we should judge Paul Burke for the person he was portraying and not for his ability to play like he was Frank Savage.

'Twelve O'Clock High', the television version of Gregory Peck's classic war film, was a remarkable achievement when it debuted, in 1964. While utilizing stock war footage for bombardment and dogfight scenes, the story lines addressed the timeless issues of warfare (heroism and cowardice, integrity, loyalty) on an intimate scale that 'the big screen' couldn't match. It also made a star of Robert Lansing, the rugged, pensive actor who had previously garnered rave reviews in the series, '87th Precinct'. His 'Frank Savage' was a man of courage and a conscience, and he lifted each episode far above the 'typical' TV war show of the era.

With a soaring, beautiful theme (by the versatile Dominic Frontiere), the strong production values of Quinn Martin, and a veteran supporting cast including Frank Overton and John Larkin, the series garnered rave reviews, and was poised for a long, award-winning 'life' on the small screen.

Unfortunately, ABC stepped in, however, and decided to 'improve' the series...

The network produced figures that indicated that younger audiences weren't watching in big enough numbers, and that the show didn't provide enough 'action' for fans craving battle scenes. Lansing wasn't 'pretty' enough to attract female viewers, and there were no 'hunky' co-stars to fill the gap. As for offering a 'Message'? Sure, that was okay...as long as it didn't interfere with the bullets flying, the plane crashes, and the mostly happy endings.

So the program was retooled for the second season. Robert Lansing was killed off, shot down over Europe, and Paul Burke was brought in as his replacement. Best known from the cop show, 'Naked City', Burke was actually two years older than Lansing, but he had a more 'classic' leading man 'look', and had gotten a lot of female fan mail during the run of the earlier show. Most of the older cast also got the ax, and young Chris Robinson was brought in, as another potential 'heartthrob'.

The result of the changes was a diluted show, with less 'heart', if more 'glamor' and 'action'. While Burke tried to provide Lansing's subtlety and depth, he simply wasn't as good an actor, and the series lost the very qualities that had made it, initially, so memorable.

When 'Twelve O'Clock High' was canceled, after struggling through two seasons with the new cast, ABC downplayed the event, choosing to ignore the fact that the series had begun so promisingly, and that they had 'killed' it.

But for those of us who remember that first season with fondness, it is a reminder that creative minds make 'Classic TV', not network demographics!

This was a not only a thinking man's series about WWII but also one that had a psychological approach to the fatigue and emotional stress that these men had to face in the line of duty. This was one of the best if not the greatest television shows of its day that depicted the outcome of the challenges of the 918th Bombardment Group of the United States Air Force during the horrors of battle in WWII.

When "Twelve O'Clock High",premiered on ABC in the fall of 1964,it was like a show unlike no other since it was based on the classic 1949 war film that starred Gregory Peck. The television show was a remarkable achievement that lasted three years on the air from 1964 until 1967,and produced 78 episodes,with the last 17 episodes in color in its final season. The black and white episodes lasted only two seasons from 1964 until 1966,while the color episodes ran from 1966 until 1967(the 61 episodes were in black and white from 1964-1966;the 17 episodes were in color from 1966-1967,in its final season). "Twelve O'Clock High" was head and shoulders above its competition and it is ranked to "Combat!" as one of the most intense dramas to ever depict about the horrors and scars and emotional traumas in the line of duty,that was World War II. While utilizing stock war footage for bombardment and astounding dogfight scenes,the brilliant story lines really addressed the timeless issues of the warfare and the effects on some of the individuals who were in the line of battle both on the ground and in the air. Issues and subject matter like heroism and cowardice,and integrity along with compassion and commitment were the order of the day. And it was brought to life on a intimate scale.

It also made a huge star out of actor Robert Lansing as General Frank Savage. His character during the first two seasons of the show brought more depth and integrity to the character than any other actor I have ever seen and it shows in the earlier episodes of the series. With a beautiful soaring theme by composer Dominic Frontiere,the strong production values of legendary producer Quinn Martin("The Untouchables", "The Fugitive","The FBI","The Invaders")along with long time QM associates Charles Larson,Phillip Saltzman,and fellow executives Howard Alston,Adrian Samish,and John Conwell as well as the supporting cast of the series including Frank Overton,John Larkin,and Andrew Duggan. The series garnered rave reviews,and was poised for a long network run on the small screen. However,the network executives over at ABC stepped in to make improvements which killed it. When the program was retooled for the second season,Robert Lansing's character of General Savage was killed off.....reportedly his plane was shot down somewhere over in Europe in hostile German country(in a gripping second season opener episode titled "The Loneliest Place In The World",which aired on September 13,1965).

However,Paul Burke(from the 1950's cop show Naked City)was brought in as his replacement and from there the results to the changes really killed it. Paul Burke to me was never the right choice for the role and simply out he was not a very good actor. The show took even a major dive when the episodes were in color. When the show was cancelled in the summer of 1967,after struggling for two seasons with the new cast,the network downplayed this show just to ignore the fact the this series had promise after it received rave reviews and a Golden Globe Nomination during the first season of the series.

The first season of 12 O'clock High was a credit to all involved. As a 10 year old watching in 1965 there was not enough action. However, the story lines were good and the acting and production seemed believable. You really felt an empathy for COL Savage as one of his planes and 10 men took a hit and went down in flames. Filming in Black & White added that "look" that was also the trade mark of that great TV series "Combat". It is a shame that Lansing did not get along with Quinn Martin (mentioned above) as the series went down hill when he left. I still recall the episode when he did'nt come back from a mission. Twelve O'clock High is a memorial to those Pilots and Aircrew of the US 8th/5th Air Force as the majority of the young men did not make it through to their 20 odd missions and return to the States. Imagine sitting in a B-17, cold and miserable, freezing to death for up to 8 hours or more then having to fly through the wall flak on that final run to the target. Being jumped by enemy fighters on the way in and out of the target with nowhere to hide. They were sitting ducks. The British gave up daylight Bombimg.

Regrads Pete H, Sydney, Australia