24 Hour Alert

I loved watching this 31 minute short movie. This was a very good , 1955 historical account of the 1950's USAF inventory. Millville Army Air Force Base, NJ was a WWII training base between 1940-1946, near Dover AFB, DE. The photography was really good and I enjoyed Jack Webbs narration and story.

My older brother and I were both in the Air Force. He was a 1963 USAFA grad and I was a 1971 grad. Many of those planes were still flying in the 1960's when we were both in the USAF. I flew in several of them.

Unfortunately, most of the reviewers made some mistakes in identifying the aircraft. Jack Webb got a ride in a T-33 Trainer (note the "TR" number on the fuselage".) His description of the plane was inaccurate. I made two flights in T-33's from Peterson Field, Colo. Springs in 1967 and 1970.

An F-86 "nudged" the landing gear of the B-25, not an F-100.

The cargo plane was a C-123 Provider, not an "early C-130". I have flown in both types.

This movie was very relevant for its period. Some of the reviewers don't have the perspective of the seriousness of the Cold War situation in 1955. I woke up on my seventh birthday in May 1956, afraid that Kruschev was going to attack the US that day. I had recurring dreams for over twenty years of Russian Bombers and Missles flying over Main Street of my home town.

I saw it for the first time this morning (April.24,2023) on TCM, as a filler between two other movies. I can't believe that I never saw it, while a Cadet at the Air Force Academy or since.

Outstanding aerial shots of 1950's USAF fighter jets. If you like warplanes, this little gem of a movie is an absolute must see.

Great narration by Jack Webb. This film honors those who served in the USAF back in the Cold War 1950's. There are no combat scenes, but there is plenty of aerial action.

At the end, there is extensive high quality footage of a 1950's USAF air show. B-52's, F-100's, B-47's, early C-130's, and F-86's. The highlight was the Pre-Thunderbirds USAF aerial demonstration team called the Sabre Knights.

Never heard of this short movie. But it was great.

Jack Webb did a great job honoring the USAF.

I also caught this fine quasi-documentary between main features on TCM I was born in 1948 and as a child in the '50s and '60s thrilled to the excitement of jet fighters and bombers. In fact, my earliest career aspiration was to join the USAF to fly jet aircraft. Unfortunately my need for eyeglasses in the fourth grade put an end to that desire.

The GOOFS segment states that narrator Jack Webb described the Douglas A4D Skyhawk as the "Phantom Bomber." In fact, he was actually saying "BANTAM Bomber." The A4D was a US Navy attack bomber which was designed to be so small that it could fit on the deck elevators of aircraft carriers without the need for folding wings. Because of its small size it acquired the nickname of BANTAM BOMBER. It is the aircraft that was flown by GOP Presidential Candidate John McCain when he was shot down and taken prisoner by the North VIetnamese.

I would recommend this little film to people such as myself who are interested in aircraft in general and military aircraft in particular. I pass no judgement on the character and drama aspects of the film.

The story with Webb narrating is bland enough, as far as jack Webb can make it.

But the real treats are the flying sequences.

We get to see some of the great mid-50s jets, including an early look at the B-52.

The "drama" includes an F-100 assisting an old B-25 in deploying its landing gear.

And, what Webb off-handedly describes as a turbo-prop cargo aircraft, which turns out to be the early version of the famous workhorse C-130 Hercules.

Those are worth the price of admission.

N.I.M.B.Y.....an acronym for the phrase 'not in my backyard'. This term is quite appropriate for "24 Hour Alert", a short film about a troubled Interceptor base. This is because the air base is in a residential area and the neighbors are NOT happy about having the loud fighter planes disturbing them. The film is narrated by Jack Webb and stars him as he visits the base and does what he can to get the public to embrace such a base.

This is a relatively dull film that MIGHT still hold a lot of interest for some viewers...such as me. I love seeing the 1950s era airplanes, such as the F-86D Sabre, the F-100 Super Sabre as well as the B-47 bomber (among others) and aside from films like "Strategic Air Command" there are not a lot of films featuring these sorts of jet planes. Well worth seeing...IF you love classic jets and history.