Le téléphone rouge

Although Rock Hudson did finally excel in comedy genre as well as his one laudable effort in "Giant," during the scene where he is one-on-one performing with Robert Lansing (playing the maintenance sergeant) Hudson comes off a poor second. The quiet power demonstrated by Lansing simply staggers the imagination and causes it to catch its breath. It was not just a case of "underplaying," but rather bringing forth such great depth to the role's character and demeanor. One of the most underrated of our excellent American actors, it is a shame we couldn't have seen Robert Lansing in many more, larger roles on the big screen in Hollywood's truly major films. What did the casting directors miss here? Much, in my opinion.

Rock Hudson does a bit of stretching in his acting resume in playing a tough as nails Colonel who takes over a Strategic Air Command base and tries to whip it in shape. There's a guy over him who's tougher, a general played by Kevin McCarthy who just flunked the previous base commander in a surprise inspection and that's why Hudson has the job.

A few years earlier James Stewart who was in the Air Force and retired as a Brigadier General in their reserve did a film about the Strategic Air Command entitled just that. Stewart was way too close to the subject to make a really good film about it. This film is far better and has a more objective point of view.

Anyway Hudson moves bag, baggage, and pretty British wife Mary Peach from London to San Francisco. And Hudson thinks it's fortunate that an old pal from the Korean War Rod Taylor is his executive officer. That soon changes however.

A lot of the plot of A Gathering Of Eagles is taken from the John Wayne/ Robert Ryan World War II film Flying Leathernecks. In that one Wayne takes over command of a group of Marine aviators with Ryan as his Executive Officer. If you've seen that one, you know what happens in this film.

Hudson and Taylor as the clashing military officers fill their roles out quite well and look very official in their Air Force uniforms. Also pay attention to Barry Sullivan as an alcoholic officer whose problems bring the problems of Hudson and Taylor to a head.

A Gathering Of Eagles is a good service film and a nice recruiting film for the Air Force.

This is one of those films which nine out of ten would pass by but the tenth would be hooked .... and I am one of the 'tenth'. I liked the Air Force Base setting and although there isn't a great deal of plot, the script is tight and suspenseful. The Aerial sequences are excellent for the period, particularly the mid-air refuelling scenes. This is a film that I am going to own as a DVD someday.

Update: I got a DVD-R of this film in widescreen and watched it again for the first time in over 40 years. I now think it is a slightly better film than I originally thought with competent performances by all concerned. I agree that Kevin McCarthy's cameo as the snooping Major General 'Happy Jack' Kirby adds to the strange appeal of this film and despite the forced accent, Mary Peach is not as annoying as I previously believed. I increased my own rating from the previous 7 to 8.

I remember seeing this movie with my Dad when I was a boy, and later visiting Beale AFB to see the Thunderbirds perform. Much later, I saw it again and realized how true to life it must have been in the early 60's. You really get the feel of what it must have been like on alert during the height of the Cold War. The acting was above par, and the flying scenes are excellent. Any aviation or USAF buff should not miss this film.

"Rock Hudson" is almost synonymous with either lighthearted battle-of-the-sexes romantic comedy (many with Doris Day) or director Douglas Sirk's 'soap' melodrama (two with Jane Wyman), but a serious role in a story about military life (Air Force SAC squadron) is truly a departure.

I was fortunate to catch the film "A Gathering of Eagles" 1963 by director Delbert Mann on TCM cable in August when they showed several Rock Hudson movies the same day. This is a rare instance with Rock Hudson in an earnest role and he delivered a mighty convincing Col. Jim Caldwell in the Air Force to shape up the SAC (Strategic Air Command) squadron.

"A Gathering of Eagles" 1963, is known to be accurate in depicting the lives of SAC men. Director Delbert Mann himself is not unfamiliar with Air Force life, having been a bomber pilot and flew combat missions in the war years. Script by Robert Pirosh gave us a dramatic story covering military duty life in the Air Corps: family and wives, camaraderie spirits, demanding duties/schedules, firm disciplines and technical aspects included. Hudson was solid in his performance as a tough tireless Colonel assigned to lead the SAC members to ensure they're tightly trained with repeated alert exercises, that the fighter bombers be in absolute tip-top conditions for any unannounced "ORI" (operational readiness inspection).

Cinematography by Russell Harlan with editing by Russell Schoengarth 'showcased' scenes of "MITO" (Minimum Interval Take Off) of B-52's and aircraft aerials quite impressively. Good supporting cast includes Rod Taylor as Col. Hollis Farr, Barry Sullivan as Col. Bill Fowler, Henry Silva as Col. Joe Garcia, Leora Dana as Mrs. Fowler, and Mary Peach as Victoria Caldwell, the British wife to Hudson's colonel. Besides the involving 'storyline' of the day to day challenges of Col. Caldwell's military responsibilities, the family aspect of balancing the role of a loving husband to Victoria is well portrayed. The script poignantly afforded uncertainty situations in the mix for Peach, as 'military' wives may have to go through - adapting herself and trying to understand and to cope with her husband's dedication to the Air Force in his chosen career.

Music score is by the prolific Jerry Goldsmith. "A Gathering of Eagles" is not yet on DVD. Hope to catch it again on cable/TV, or VHS rental.

Other serious roles by Rock Hudson: "Seconds" 1966, the intriguing thriller/science-fiction directed by John Frankenheimer, enhanced by remarkable b/w cinematography by James Wong Howe. "Hornets' Nest" 1970, a wartime WWII story set in Italy with an 'army' of young boys helping Hudson's Captain Turner to complete his mission (I stumbled onto this movie one late TCM cable night). He's also in Douglas Sirk's "The Tarnish Angels" 1958, appearing once again with Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone (they were in Sirk's melodrama "Written on the Wind" 1956).