Twelve O'Clock High
original film poster
Directed by	Henry King
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by	Sy Bartlett Henry King Beirne Lay, Jr.
Starring	Gregory Peck Hugh Marlowe Gary Merrill Dean Jagger Millard Mitchell
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Editing by	Barbara McLean
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	21 December 1949 (LA - premiere) 26 January 1950 (NYC)
Running time	132 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Gross revenue	$3,225,000 (U.S.)
IMDb profile

Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 war film about crews of the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King (uncredited) and Beirne Lay Jr. from the 1948 novel by Bartlett and Lay. It was directed by King and stars Gregory Peck as Brigadier General Frank Savage, Gary Merrill as Colonel Keith Davenport, Millard Mitchell as General Patrick Pritchard, Dean Jagger as Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Harvey Stovall, Hugh Marlowe as Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately, and Robert Arthur as Sergeant McIllhenny. Twelve OClock High or 12 OClock High was an ABC television series that ran for three seasons from September 1964 to January 1967. ... Image File history File links 259025. ... Henry King (* 24th January 1886 in Christiansburg, Virginia; † 29th June 1982 in Toluca Lake, California) was an American film director. ... Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902–December 22, 1979) was a producer, writer, actor and director who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the length of his career being rivalled only by that of Adolph Zukor). ... Sy Bartlett was a U.S. author and screenwriter/producer of Hollywood films. ... Henry King may refer to: Henry King (poet), (1592-1669), English poet, Bishop of Chichester Henry Churchill King, (1858–1934) theologian and educator; served on King-Crane Commission Henry King, (1855-1923) Australian studio and landscape photographer Henry T. King was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials Herny King (congressman... Beirne Lay, Jr. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Marlowe in Night and the City (1950) Hugh Marlowe was a film, television, stage and radio actor. ... Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Actor Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 17, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film actor. ... Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appearances. ... Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was a major American composer of music for films. ... Leon Shamroy (July 16, 1901 – July 7, 1974) was an American film cinematographer. ... Related articles FOX Television Network Fox Searchlight Pictures Fox Entertainment Group List of Hollywood movie studios List of movies Variant of current 20th Century Fox logo External links 20th Century Fox Movies official site Twentieth Century Fox is also the punning title of a song by The Doors on their... is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1950 in film involved some significant events. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The war film is a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force (NAF) of the major command (MAJCOM) of Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force and it is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Sy Bartlett was a U.S. author and screenwriter/producer of Hollywood films. ... Henry King (* 24th January 1886 in Christiansburg, Virginia; † 29th June 1982 in Toluca Lake, California) was an American film director. ... Beirne Lay, Jr. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appearances. ... Actor Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 17, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film actor. ... Marlowe in Night and the City (1950) Hugh Marlowe was a film, television, stage and radio actor. ... Robert Bob Arthur (born June 18, 1925 in Aberdeen, Washington) is a former American radio personality in Los Angeles, California and motion picture actor. ...

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two: Dean Jagger for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Sound, Recording. In 1998, Twelve O'Clock High was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most aesthetic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

Plot

The film begins in 1949, as American attorney Harvey Stovall (Dean Jagger) spies a familiar toby jug in an English antique shop. He buys it, boards a train and then bicycles to the abandoned airbase at Archbury where he served in World War II. The film then flashes back to 1942. Actor Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 17, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film actor. ... An Irish pottery water jug Another Irish pottery jug A jug is a container for liquid, with a handle and an opening for pouring or drinking from. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ...

Colonel Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) is the commanding officer of the 918th Bomb Group, a hard-luck unit suffering from poor morale. He has become too close to his men and is troubled by the losses sustained. General Patrick Pritchard (Millard Mitchell), commanding general of the VIII Bomber Command, Eighth Air Force, recognizes that Davenport himself is the problem and after a disastrous mission in which half the Group's bombers were shot down, relieves him of command, but places him in an important staff position at headquarters. Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck), General Pritchard's A-3 (Operations Officer) who commanded the first B-17 group to fight over Europe, is his replacement. Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appearances. ... Bomber Command is an organizational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. ... The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force (NAF) of the major command (MAJCOM) of Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force and it is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ...

Savage finds his new command in disarray and begins to address the discipline problems, dealing with everyone so harshly that the men begin to detest him. Savage is particularly hard on Colonel Ben Gately (Hugh Marlowe), the Group Air Executive Officer, placing him under arrest for being Absent Without Leave in the time between Davenport being relieved and Savage arriving. Gately tries to challenge Savage, but the general demotes him to command of a B-17 Flying Fortress named "Leper Colony", manned by the least competent airmen in the group. Whenever any man in the 918th fails to measure up, Savage transfers him to Gately's plane. Major Joe Cobb (John Kellogg), one of Savage's squadron commanders, takes Gately's place as Air Exec. Marlowe in Night and the City (1950) Hugh Marlowe was a film, television, stage and radio actor. ... While Executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an organization, the exact meaning of the role is highly variable, depending on the organization. ... AWOL can also stand for: Alcohol Without Liquid AWOL is an acronym for the United States and other armed forces expression Absent WithOut Leave or Absence Without Official Leave. The United States Marine Corps uses the term Unauthorized Absence (UA) instead. ... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ...

Upset by Savage's stern brand of leadership, all of the 918th's pilots apply for transfers. Savage asks the Group Adjutant, Major Stovall, to delay processing their applications, to get himself more time to turn the Group around. Stovall, skating on the edge of regulations, does so. Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. ...

The 918th resumes combat operations, and Savage continues to earn everyone's enmity with his harsh post-mission critiques. However, the airmen and pilots begin to change their minds about him after he leads them on a mission in which the 918th is the only group to bomb the target and all of the aircraft make it back safely.

Publicity shot of Gregory Peck in Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Savage tries to enlist a young pilot, Medal of Honor-nominee Lieutenant Jesse Bishop (Robert Patten) to help him change the attitude of the other pilots. Bishop eventually comes to believe in the general, and when the Inspector General arrives to check out the unrest, Bishop convinces the other pilots to withdraw their requests for transfer. Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... Inspector General is a fact finding officer whose responsibility is to investigate charges of corruption, fraud, waste and abuse and other complaints regarding government officials. ...

Later, Savage learns that Gately has been hospitalized, having flown two missions with a chipped vertebrae that caused him acute pain. Gately's stoicism in flying without complaint despite his injury brings about a rapprochement between him and Savage. The Leper Colony was lost in the crash which had injured Gately, but there is no longer a need for a special "disciplinary" aircraft as Gately moves back to a position of importance. A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ...

As the air war advances deeper into Germany, missions become longer and riskier, with enemy resistance increasingly intense. Many of Savage's best men are shot down or killed. General Pritchard tries to get Savage to return to a staff job with him, but Savage refuses because he feels that the 918th Group isn't quite ready to stand up without him yet. Pritchard reluctantly leaves Savage in command because he needs a proven leader for a series of important raids (known in Air Force history as Big Week). The Big Week (20 February - 25 February 1944) was an American bombing campaign during World War II. On February 20, 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign of the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) launched a series of missions against Third Reich that became known as Big...

The first of these missions, aimed at destroying Germany's ball bearing industry, has the Luftwaffe throwing everything available at the bomber force. Although the target is hit, the 918th takes a beating, losing six of 21 B-17s. Savage watches Cobb's airplane blow up from a direct flak hit after he has to turn the bomber stream to pass directly over a known antiaircraft battery, and is shaken by the loss of one of his best combat commanders. On returning to base, Savage concludes that a second strike on the same target is necessary. A follow-up mission is scheduled for the next day. Working principle for a ball bearing. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

However, as the Flying Fortresses are warming up for takeoff, Savage is unable to haul himself up into his B-17. He suffers a nervous breakdown, finally becoming temporarily catatonic. As with Keith Davenport before him, Savage allowed himself to care too much for "his boys" and has paid the price. Gately takes over the air command and the mission lead, eventually bringing most of the group back safely, after destroying the target. Savage's fate is unclear. (In the novel, he returns to the United States to take command of the Second Air Force.) This is a page about catatonic state. ... The Second Air Force was formed in the United States to provide air defense and train personnel of newly formed units in World War II. The Second was briefly a part of Air Defense Command after the war. ...

The flashback ends; Harvey Stovall rides away from the airbase on his bicycle.

Paul Mantz deliberately crash-lands B17G 44-83592 at Ozark AAF, Alabama, in June 1949 for the filming of Twelve O'Clock High.^[1]

Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was a noted movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid 1960s. ...

Production

According to their files, Twentieth-Century Fox paid "$100,000 outright for the [rights to the book] plus up to $100,000 more in escalator and book club clauses." Darryl Zanuck was apparently convinced to pay this high price when he heard that William Wyler was interesting in purchasing it for Paramount. Even then, Zanuck only went through with the deal in October 1947 when he was certain that the United States Air Force would support the production.^[2] Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902 - December 22, 1979) was one of the major figures in the Hollywood studio system and the longest survivor of that system. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... Look up Paramount on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Paramount can refer to: Paramount, California, a city in Los Angeles County Paramount Pictures, a motion picture company Paramount Records, a record label United Paramount Network (UPN), a television network in the United States, owned by Viacom Inc. ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ...

Twelve O'Clock High was indeed produced with the full cooperation of the Air Force and made use of actual combat footage during the battle scenes, including some shot by the Luftwaffe.^[2] A good deal of the production was filmed at a working air base, Eglin Air Force Base^[3] Screenwriters Bartlett and Lay drew on their own wartime experiences with Eighth Air Force bomber units. Veterans of the heavy bomber campaign frequently cite Twelve O'Clock High as the only Hollywood film that accurately captured their combat experiences. The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... Eglin Air Force Base is the home of the United States Air Force 96th Air Base Wing of the Air Force Materiel Command, and is also headquarters for more than 45 associate units. ...

Along with the 1948 film Command Decision, it marked a turning away from the optimistic, morale-boosting style of wartime films and toward a grittier realism that deals more directly with the human costs of war. Both films deal with the realities of "daylight precision bombing" without fighter escort, the basic Army Air Force doctrine at the start of World War II. Savage is modeled on Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, Pritchard on General Ira Eaker, the fictional 918th Bomb Group on the actual 306th Bomb Group. The film's most significant deviation from history comes in its climax: Savage's psychological breakdown was not based on any real-life event but was intended to portray the effects of intense stress experienced by many airmen. Command Decision was a 1948 World War II film starring Clark Gable and directed by Sam Wood. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Frank Alton Armstrong, Jr. ... Life Magazine, November 29, 1943. ... The 306th Flying Training Group was redesignated on September 30, 2004 and activated on October 4, 2004. ...

Paul Mantz, Hollywood's leading stunt pilot, was paid the then-unprecedented sum of $4,500 to crash-land a B-17 bomber for one early scene in the film.^[4] Frank Tallman, Mantz' partner in Tallmantz Aviation, wrote in his autobiography that, while many B-17s had been landed by one pilot, as far as he knew this flight was the only time that a B-17 ever took off with only one pilot and no other crew; nobody was sure that it could be done. ^[5] Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was a noted movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid 1960s. ... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ...

Locations for recreating the bomber base at Archbury were scouted by director Henry King, flying his own private aircraft some 16,000 miles in February and March 1949. King visited Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on 8 March 1949, and found an ideal location for principal photography at its Auxiliary Field No. 3, better known as Duke Field, where the mock installation was constructed.^[6] The film's technical advisor, Col. John deRussy, was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and suggested Ozark Army Air Field (now part of Fort Rucker's U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center.^[6] King chose Ozark as the location for filming B-17 takeoffs and landings including the spectacular belly-landing sequence, and as "ideal for shots of Harvey Stovall reminiscing about his World War II service."^[7] is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Named for 1st Lt. ... Maxwell Air Force Base (offically known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force facility near Montgomery, Alabama. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... , Cairns Army Airfield (IATA: OZR, ICAO: KOZR) is a military airport located at Fort Rucker, six miles (10 km) south of Ozark, in Dale County, Alabama, USA.[1] Fort Rucker ^ a b FAA Airport Master Record for OZR ( PDF), retrieved 2007-03-15 Fort Rucker (official site) U.S. Army... Fort Rucker is a US Army base located mostly in Dale County, Alabama. ...

Additional background photography was shot at RAF Barford St John, a satellite station of RAF Chelveston (Oxfordshire, England, UK). Today, other than a small U.S. Air Force military housing section, nothing remains of the base. Fort Walton Beach, Florida also was a secondary location for filming.^[8] RAF Barford St John is an airfield in Oxfordshire, England operated by the United States Air Force. ... RAF Chelveston was a military base located near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Twelve O'Clock High was in production from late April to early July 1949.^[9] Although originally planned to be shot in Technicolor, it was instead shot in black and white.^[2]

Cast

Gary Merrill, Gregory Peck and Dean Jagger in
Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):^[10] Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Actor Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 17, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film actor. ...

Cast notes

• A number of the important characters were named after airfields at which USAAF bomber crews trained, including Harvey Stovall, named after Stoval field near Yuma, AZ.
• The character of "Doc" Kaiser is listed on the film's credits as "Captain", but he is referred to as "Major" throughout the film.^[2]

Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Marlowe in Night and the City (1950) Hugh Marlowe was a film, television, stage and radio actor. ... Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appearances. ... Actor Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 17, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film actor. ... This is an article about Robert Arthur film producer and screenwriter. ... Paul Stewart is the name of many notable people: Paul Stewart (driver) Formula One driver from the famous racing family Paul Stewart (actor) who appear in Citizen Kane This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. ... Sam Edwards (May 26, 1915 - July 28, 2004) was an American actor. ... Lawrence Dobkin (16 September 1919–28 October 2002) was an American television director, character actor, and television screenwriter. ...

Historical counterparts of characters

Frank A. Armstrong

Frank Alton Armstrong, Jr. ...

Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, Jr. (1902–1969)

General Savage, played by Gregory Peck, was created as a composite of several group commanders whom the authors knew well, including Colonel (later General) Curtis LeMay, Colonel (later brigadier general) Frederick W. Castle, and Colonel John K. Gerhart. The latter two officers had also been sent down by General Eaker from his staff to relieve the commanders of two B-17 groups whose first month in combat had resulted in higher than normal losses. However the primary inspiration for Savage was Frank A. Armstrong, who commanded the 306th Bomb Group on which the 918th was modeled. The name "Savage" was inspired by Armstrong's Cherokee heritage. Armstrong, Castle, and screen-writer Beirne Lay had been three of the six officers accompanying General Eaker to England in February 1942, to set up the headquarters for the 8th Air Force's Bomber Command, and Armstrong had worked closely with Sy Bartlett at 8th Air Force headquarters. In addition to his work with the 306th, which lasted only six weeks and consisted primarily of rebuilding the chain of command within the group, Armstrong had earlier performed a similar task with the 97th Bomb Group, and many of the training and disciplinary scenes in Twelve O'Clock High derive from that experience. The 918th was modeled after the 306th BG primarily because that group remained a significant part of the Eighth Air Force throughout the war in Europe, whereas the 97th BG transferred to the Mediterranean shortly after Armstrong relinquished command. Lieutenant General Frank A. Armstrong, Jr. retired from the U.S. Air Force, 31 July 1962. He died on 1 September 1969. Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906–October 3, 1990) was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of independent candidate George C. Wallace in 1968. ... Frederick Walker Castle (14 October 1908 - 24 December 1944) was a general officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and a winner of the Medal of Honor. ... Frank Alton Armstrong, Jr. ... This page contains special characters. ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

Ira C. Eaker

Image File history File links LTG_Ira_Eaker. ... Image File history File links LTG_Ira_Eaker. ... Lieutenant General Ira Clarence Eaker KCB KBE (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form and organize its bomber command. ...

Major General Ira C. Eaker (1896–1987)

The character of Major General Pat Pritchard (played by Millard Mitchell) was modeled on that of the VIII Bomber Command's first commander, Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker. He had been picked by the commander of the Army Air Forces, General Henry Arnold, to build from scratch a strategic bombing force in England. He took Armstrong from a headquarters job in Washington D.C. to be the senior member of his neophyte staff and eventually made him one of his top combat leaders. Lieutenant General Eaker retired, 31 August 1947. More than 30 years after his retirement, by Act of Congress — 26 April 1985 — President Ronald Reagan presented him with his fourth star as a full general. General Ira C. Eaker died, 6 August 1987. Lieutenant General Ira Clarence Eaker KCB KBE (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form and organize its bomber command. ... Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 - January 15, 1950), often referred to by the nickname Hap, was an American pilot, commander of the US Army Air Corps from 1938, commander of the US Army Air Forces from 1941 until 1945 and the first General of the Air Force in 1949. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Reagan redirects here. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

Colonel Charles B. Overacker

The character of Colonel Keith Davenport (played by Gary Merrill) was based on the first commander of the 306th Bomb Group, Col. Charles B. Overacker, nicknamed "Chip." Of all the personalities portrayed in Twelve O'Clock High, that of Colonel Davenport most closely parallels his true-life counterpart. The early scene in which Davenport confronts Savage about a mission order was a close recreation of an actual event, as was his relief. Overacker's sins, however, were more severe than those attributed to Davenport, sufficiently so that they were not detailed in either book or film but only suggested; and occurred over an eight-week period, not the brief interval depicted. He was relieved after his entire group turned back from a mission for other than mechanical reasons. After moving up to Eaker's staff, Overacker imprudently criticized Eaker in an official analysis and was sent back to the United States, where he spent the remainder of the war as commander of the Proving Ground Command's electronic test center at Eglin Field, Florida. Eglin Air Force Base is the home of the United States Air Force 96th Air Base Wing of the Air Force Materiel Command, and is also headquarters for more than 45 associate units. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...

John C. Morgan

John Cary Red was a World War II USAAF pilot whose actions on a 1943 bombing run over Germany won him the Medal of Honor and helped to inspire Twelve OClock High. ...

Lieutenant John C. Morgan (1914–1991)

Lt. Jesse Bishop, who belly lands in the B-17 next to the runway at the beginning of the film and was nominated for the Medal of Honor, has his true-life counterpart in Second Lieutenant John C. Morgan. The description of Bishop's fight to control the bomber after his pilot was hit in the head by a 20mm cannon shell is taken almost verbatim from Morgan's Medal of Honor citation. Details may be found in The 12 O'Clock High Logbook. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... John Cary Red was a World War II USAAF pilot whose actions on a 1943 bombing run over Germany won him the Medal of Honor and helped to inspire Twelve OClock High. ...

Sergeant Donald Bevan

The character of Sgt. McIllhenny was drawn from a member of the 306th Bomb Group, Sgt. Donald Bevan, a qualified gunner who was assigned ground jobs including part-time driver for the commander of his squadron. Bevan had received publicity as a "stowaway gunner" (similar to McIllhenny in the film), even though in reality he had been invited to fly missions. Like McIllhenny he proved to be a "born gunner." Bevan, who flew 17 missions, was shot down on 17 April 1943, over Bremen, Germany, and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war in Stalag 17B, a German POW camp in Austria. There, along with fellow POW Edmund Trzcinski, Bevan outlined the script for a hit Broadway play that was later made into a Hollywood film, Stalag 17. A stowaway (also stoweaway) is a person who travels illegally, by airplane, bus, ship or train. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American G.I.s held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp who come to believe one of their number is a traitor. ...

Paul Tibbets

Image File history File links Paul_W_Tibbets_USAF_bio_photo. ... Image File history File links Paul_W_Tibbets_USAF_bio_photo. ... Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. ...

Major Paul Tibbets (1915–2007)

During pre-production for Twelve O'Clock High, author Sy Bartlett petitioned the Air Force to have Colonel Paul Tibbets assigned as technical advisor for the film.^[11] Not only had Tibbets and Armstrong flown B-17s together in England, but Bartlett also revealed that Tibbets, by then renowned as the pilot of the B-29 "Enola Gay" which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, had inspired the novel's "tough-guy" character, Major Joe Cobb. Tibbets was initially approved for technical advisor but the job was eventually given to Colonel John Derussy. The part of Cobb was played by character actor John Kellogg, who won it over a dozen more well-known Hollywood actors. Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. ... An expert or knowledgeable advisor to a movie or television production, whose job is to see that their field of expertise is portrayed accurately in the production. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. ... Colonel Paul Tibbets waving from Enola Gays cockpit before the bombing of Hiroshima. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... For other uses, see Hiroshima (disambiguation). ... ...

Reception

Twelve O'Clock High premiered in Los Angeles on 21 December 1949, opened in New York on 26 January 1950.^[12] It went into general release in February 1950.^[13] is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1950 in film involved some significant events. ...

An influential review by Bosley Crowther of the New York Times was indicative of many contemporary reviews. He noted that the film focused more on the human element than the aircraft or machinery of war. "How much can a man give? When the U.S. 8th Army Air Force 918th Bombardment group is ordered on their fourth harrowing mission in four hard days, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) demands 'maximum effort.'"^[14] The Times picked Twelve O'Clock High as one of the 10 Best Films of 1949, and, in later years, it rated the film as one of the "Best 1000" of all time.^[15] Bosley Crowther (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American film critic. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

After attending the premier, General Curtis LeMay told the authors that he "couldn't find anything wrong with it." The film is now widely used in both the military and civilian worlds to teach the principles of leadership. It is required viewing at all the American service academies, and at the U.S. Air Force's Squadron Officer School for junior officers, where it is used as a teaching example for the Situational Leadership Model. Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906–October 3, 1990) was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of independent candidate George C. Wallace in 1968. ...

In its initial release, the film took in $3,225,000 in rentals in the U.S. alone.^[16]

Awards

Twelve O'Clock High won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Dean Jagger and Best Sound, Recording. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gregory Peck and Best Picture. In addition, Peck received a New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor, and the film was nominated for Best Picture by the National Board of Review^[15] Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most aesthetic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. ... Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... ©A.M.P.A.S.® The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to artists working in the motion picture industry. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennans revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. ...

In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[17] The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

Radio and television

Main article: Twelve O'Clock High (series)

Gregory Peck repeated his role as General Savage on a Screen Guild Players radio broadcast on 7 September 1950.^[2] Twelve OClock High or 12 OClock High was an ABC television series that ran for three seasons from September 1964 to January 1967. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Twelve O'Clock High later became a television series, also called Twelve O'Clock High that premiered on the ABC network in 1964 and ran for three seasons. Robert Lansing played General Savage. Much of the combat footage seen in the film was reused in the television series. The B-17 bomber shown in one such sequence was that of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Webb, who earned one of his eight Distinguished Flying Cross awards in the action depicted. Twelve OClock High or 12 OClock High was an ABC television series that ran for three seasons from September 1964 to January 1967. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ...

Many of the television show's ground scenes were filmed at the Chino, California, airport, which had been used for training Army pilots during the war, and where a replica of a control tower, typical of the type seen at an 8th Air Force base in England, was built. The airfield itself was used in the immediate postwar period as a dump for soon-to-be-scrapped fighters and bombers and was used for the penultimate scene in The Best Years of Our Lives when Dana Andrews relives his wartime experiences and goes on to rebuild his life.^[18] Chino may refer to Chino, Nagano, a city in Nagano, Japan. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The Best Years of Our Lives is a 1946 movie about three servicemen (an air force officer, an infantry sergeant, and an ordinary sailor) trying to piece their lives back together after coming back home from World War II. It is based on a novel by MacKinlay Kantor, Glory for...

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Twelve O'Clock High at the Internet Movie Database
• Twelve O'Clock High at the TCM Movie Database
• Twelve O'Clock High at Allmovie
• Twelve O'Clock High at Rotten Tomatoes
• Twelve O'Clock High at Aero Vintage
• Twelve O'Clock High movie posters at MoviePosterDB.com