Strategic Air Command

Next year, 2005, will be the 50th anniversary of the movie, "Strategic Air Command." Nearly all reviews of this movie are quite similar...a somewhat boring movie with unsurpassed aerial photography of the magnificent B-36. (One really needs to see the in-flight sequences...they are extraordinary!)

These valid comments really ignore the "larger picture." The B-36 (Peacemaker) stopped flying before the average person living today was born...it was a long time ago. This movie captures a time in America when the military...SAC with its aircraft...ADC (Air Defense Command) with its hundreds of radar sites nationwide...civilians in The Ground Observer Corps...were all involved in "watching the sky" in order to help protect and defend from possible attack by our cold war enemies.

It is difficult, understandably, for many today to comprehend the times and attitudes depicted in "Strategic Air Command." I was there...it did happen. This movie captures some of the dedication that was required. With that in mind, perhaps we can forgive a script and story line that is weak. More importantly, let's celebrate that, a half-century ago, many served and did their duty as the times required. That is the real message of this movie.

James Stewart flew more than 26 combat missions in WWII as the commander of a B-24. The infamous Ploesti oil field raids were the most dangerous of the war, and he flew a B-24 50ft off the deck on several runs.

This was a great man, and a fine, fine actor. His commitment to the U.S. Air Force SAC command resonated in this film. His courage in WWII and the courage and sacrifice of that entire WWII generation has been forgotten in what is left of America---the remaining oldsters of that generation, and their baby-boomer offspring who did not sandblast their brains with pot and booze back in the 60s and 70s being the only group that would enjoy this film and remember what it was all like back then. The rest of the "citizens' of this country register nothing when WWI or II is talked about. They do not even remember the Cold War and the hammer of nukes we all lived under, and still are threatened by.

The massive 10-engined (6 props, 4 jets) B-36 was the iconic cornerstone of 50s bomber tech. A magnificent leviathan that could fly for days at very high altitudes, and carry massive amounts of dumb bombs, or, in one aircraft, enough H-bombs to end the world. Google the B-36 and gaze upon an almost surrealistic machine that broke plates, glasses and windows when it flew over with a basso profundo propeller sound unlike anything ever heard before or since.

I remember my father pointing them out, very high in the sky, white contrails feathering back for miles behind them....and that roar.....distant and discordant...you could hear a B-36 fly over even at 40,000 feet.

"Strategic Air Command" was an extended showpiece for that airplane, and a beautiful piece of music, "Symphony of Flight" carries the film into the in-flight scenes that make the movie so transcending of an admittedly formulaic human drama. It is an amazing historical piece that actually shows the transition from props to full jets that the Air Force went through in the 50s. At the end, there is pristine footage of the B-47, the first U.S. jet bomber, and Stewart has an adventure with that.

The cockpit shots of the B-36 and B-47 probably drove Russian spies to a frenzy, but for an aviation buff they were the stuff of dreams.

The crash landing of Stewart's B-36 was done in miniature format, and actually was a weak point of the film. The model was too small to make the crash look realistic---Howard and Theodore Lydecker could have knocked that scene out of the park.....the bad weather landing of the B-47 at the end of the film was also done in miniature, and looked better, reminding me of how much fun special effects must have been in the pre-CGI days.

For an intimate look at a huge Cold warrior, and some beautiful music, plus a look at June Allyson's legs that could make the whole movie for you, I highly recommend "Strategic Air Command"

As commented before, what makes this picture different from most "military PR" pictures is that it is quite frank on the sacrifices made by the people who serve and their families which still goes on today. It makes me wonder how we get people to serve when the pay and benefit are really a mere pittance, although I can understand why Dutch Holland took all those flights when whiny June Allyson is your wife.

As for the aircraft - what a visual treat to see these grand aircraft of a bygone era in vivid color. Almost makes up for the lackluster story.

On a side note, a commenter stated that the film erred in placing Thule AFB in Greenland, but the film is correct, Thule is in Greenland, not Iceland.

I'll be very quick to admit that this is NOT a film that would appeal to everyone. In fact, those who love the film are probably in the minority. So why did I like the film so much and consider it among Jimmy Stewart's best films? Well, I love airplanes as well as history and this film is a great lesson about the beginnings of the Strategic Air Command that was created after WWII in response to Soviet expansion. From the historical standpoint and combined with some of the very best aviation footage ever created, it's a fantastic film. Just watching the B-36 and B-47s flying in very vivid color (VISTAVISION) on a large screen is very inspiring and breathtaking to air aficionados. About the only downside, and this is only a minor gripe, is that occasionally the story itself involving Stewart and his wife, June Allyson, seems a tiny bit hokey. However, overall, this is a wonderful film.

UPDATE--After doing this review, I later read some of the other reviews and was very surprised with one that said how unbelievable the older Jimmy Stewart was in the film! This was pretty funny, since Stewart was in the air force reserves and did fly these planes for real--even eventually retiring as a brigadier general well after this movie was made. So apparently, at least according to some, Stewart wasn't believable even though he DID fly SAC bombers in real life!

There are many movie couples who appeared on the silver screen that were made for each other. Their special talent lent their persona's to the films they were in and the formula worked as they were thrust together time after time. That is the story here as James Stewart playing Lt. Col. Robert 'Dutch' Holland is paired with lovable June Allyson as Sally Holland. The film is a reoccurring one as many annoyed reservists of this day and age can testify. Having done his air service duty during W. W. II, Bob Holland has taken his civilian job seriously and plans a long and lucrative career as third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. However, what was suggested as a 'part-time' job with the U.S. Airforce Reserves, becomes a dream stealing task when his reserve status is activated. Frank Lovejoy plays Gen. Ennis C. Hawkes who doesn't care what Holland like to do, he 'has a job' to do and the ballplayer has become part of the military team. Barry Sullivan plays Lt. Col. Rocky Samford. Unable to get a release from the military, Dutch makes the best of a bitter situation, one felt by many other reservists, and learns to fly the newest aircrafts, traveling around the globe. A supremely haunting musical theme accompanies this movie and Stewart/Allyson fans accept it as a heart warmer. I would tend to agree. ***