JET PILOT
DIRECTED BY JOSEF VON STERNBERG/ JULES FURTHMAN
PRODUCED BY HOWARD HUGHES/
AN RKO RADIO PICTURE
RELEASED BY UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL
Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
Air Force Colonel Shannon is assigned to escort defecting Soviet pilot Anna.
He falls in love with her, but she is scheming to lure him back to the USSR.
But Shannon has a scheme of his own.
Summary written by Jim Beaver
Full Cast
John Wayne .... Col. Jim Shannon
Janet Leigh .... Lt. Anna Marladovna Shannon/Olga Orlief
Jay C. Flippen .... Maj. Gen. Black
Paul Fix .... Maj. Rexford
Richard Rober .... FBI Agent George Rivers
Roland Winters .... Col. Sokolov
Hans Conried .... Col. Matoff
Ivan Triesault .... Gen. Langrad
Dorothy Abbott .... Girl (uncredited)
Phil Arnold .... Bellboy (uncredited)
Lois Austin .... Saleswoman at Palm Springs dress shop (uncredited)
Paul Bakanas .... Russian security man (uncredited)
Gregg Barton .... MP (uncredited)
John Bishop .... Maj. Sinclair (uncredited)
Perdita Chandler .... Georgia Rexford (uncredited)
Joyce Compton .... Mrs. Simpson (uncredited)
Tom Daly .... Hotel clerk (uncredited)
James Dime .... Russian security man (uncredited)
Alan Dinehart III .... Fresh kid at Palm Springs dress shop (uncredited)
Jane Easton .... Girl (uncredited)
Bill Erwin .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Gene Evans .... Airfield sergeant (uncredited)
Elizabeth Flournoy .... WAF captain (uncredited)
Paul Frees .... Lt. Tiompkin (uncredited)
Barbara Freking .... WAAF private (uncredited)
Vincent Gironda .... Muscleman (uncredited)
Fred Graham .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Don Haggerty .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Janice Hood .... Girl (uncredited)
Darrell Huntley .... Officer (uncredited)
Joan Jordan .... WAC sergeant (uncredited)
Mike Lally .... Waiter (uncredited)
Harry Lauter .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Ruth Lee .... Mother (uncredited)
Nelson Leigh .... FBI agent (uncredited)
Sylvia Lewis .... WAC corporal (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton .... FBI agent (uncredited)
Michael Mark .... Russian general (uncredited)
Allen Mathews .... Headwaiter (uncredited)
Keith McConnell .... Bartender (uncredited)
John Morgan .... Lieutenant (uncredited)
Al Murphy .... Waiter (uncredited)
Wendell Niles .... Major (uncredited)
Richard Norris .... Russian interrogator (uncredited)
David Ormont .... Russian interrogator (uncredited)
Jack Overman .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Denver Pyle .... Mr. Simpson (uncredited)
Theodore Rand .... Waiter (uncredited)
Joey Ray .... Waiter (uncredited)
Gene Roth .... Sokolov's batman (uncredited)
Jack Shea .... MP (uncredited)
Jim B. Smith .... (uncredited)
Ruthelma Stevens .... Saleswoman (uncredited)
Armand Tanny .... Muscleman (uncredited)
Kenneth Tobey .... Sergeant (uncredited)
Mamie Van Doren .... WAF (uncredited)
Billy Vernon .... Drunk (uncredited)
Smoki Whitfield .... Henry (uncredited)
Joan Whitney .... WAC sergeant (uncredited)
Biff Yeager .... Captain (uncredited)
Carleton Young .... Technical Sergeant in Palmer Field control tower (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Jules Furthman
Produced
Jules Furthman .... producer
Howard Hughes .... producer
Original Music
Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography
Winton C. Hoch
Stunts
Chuck Yeager .... aerial stunts (uncredited)
Trivia
Filmed between December 8, 1949 and February 8, 1950, this long held-back movie finally debuted on September 25, 1957 in Los Angeles, followed by its Manhattan opening at the Palace Theatre on October 4, 1957.
The US Air Force, still taking advantage of Chuck Yeager's 1947 supersonic flight for publicity, offered his services as a stunt pilot. During a stunt involving the inverted dive of an F-86, Yeager misjudged the dive and overstressed the plane's tail, causing the horizontal stabilizer to come apart while he was too low to eject. He barely managed to pull out.
In a later flight, his plane's engine lost a turbine disk during a routine climb, forcing a dead-stick landing.
Howard Hughes intended to show off the latest in aircraft technology in 1950 (when this film was shot). By the time it was released to the public, in 1957, the aircraft featured were already obsolete.
Features a night intercept of a B-36B by a Lockheed F-94A Starfire. Although the scene is very dark, the rarely seen retractable 20mm cannon turrets of the B-36B are visible in the extended position.
Russian "Yaks" were portrayed by Lockheed T-33As. Dark paint on the lower fuselage obscured the jet intakes, and the tip of the vertical stabilizer was painted light gray to change its outline.
Airfield scenes set in Russia were actually filmed on the main flightline at George AFB, outside of Victorville California, which appeared suitably primitive.
The gloss-black, prototype Northrop XP-89 scorpion appears in some scenes set in Russia.
The last two flights of the first Bell X-1, Glamorous Glennis, were filmed for inclusion in Jet Pilot. It played the part of a Soviet "parasite fighter". The movie shows it being launched from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The X-1 was repainted for its role. The vertical stabilizer, fairings on the top and bottom of the fuselage, and the left wing and horizontal stabilizer were painted white. It continued to wear the movie makeup while displayed at the National Air and Space Museum until it was restored for installation in the Milestones of Flight Gallery in 1976.
After intercepting the B-36 in a F-94 Starfire, they are shown departing in a F-80 Shooting Star.
In 1952, at the height of The Cold War, those "take cover" drills, the McCarthy Hearings and the aftermath of the Rosenberg Trials, this picture featured John Wayne portraying an American pilot in love with a defecting Russian spy. The film was put on the shelf for five years.
The film was produced by RKO in 1950 which was owned by Howard Hughes. By the time it was released in 1957, Hughes had sold RKO and the film was released by Universal.
Goofs
* Revealing mistakes: When the fighter breaks off after the radar intercept, the markings on the plane are backwards (flipped film).
* Continuity: When Anna climbs in the two seat jet, there is a canopy support visible. When she taxis away and lowers the canopy the support is missing. The support is used to prevent the canopy from accidentally closing when ground crew are working on the plane.
Advertising carried the credits "Starring John Wayne, Janet Leigh,
and the United States Air Force."
Filming Locations
Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA
Victorville Air Force Base, Victorville, California, USA
Williams Air Force Base, Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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