TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH
DIRECTED BY HENRY KING
PRODUCED BY DARRYL F. ZANUCK
TWENTIETH CENTURY FILM CORPORATION
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
In this story of the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany,
General Frank Savage must take command of a "hard luck" bomber group.
Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a diciplined fighting unit
in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over thier targets.
Actual combat footage is used in this tense war drama.
Written by KC Hunt
Full Cast
Gregory Peck ... Gen. Frank Savage
Hugh Marlowe ... Lt. Col. Ben Gately
Gary Merrill ... Col. Ernie Davenport
Millard Mitchell ... Maj. Gen. Pat Pritchard
Dean Jagger ... Maj. Harvey Stovall
Robert Arthur ... Sgt. McIllhenny
Paul Stewart ... Capt. 'Doc' Kaiser
John Kellogg ... Maj. Cobb
Robert Patten ... Lt. Bishop (as Bob Patten)
Lee MacGregor ... Lt. Zimmerman
Sam Edwards ... Birdwell
Roger Anderson ... Interrogation Officer:
Robert Blunt ... Officer (uncredited)
William Bryant ... Radio Operator (uncredited)
Steve Clark ... Clerk in Antique Shop (uncredited)
Russ Conway ... Operations Officer (uncredited)
Campbell Copelin ... Mr. Britton (uncredited)
Leslie Denison ... RAF Officer (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin ... Capt. Twombley (uncredited)
George Edwards ... Officer (uncredited)
Robert Fisher ... Savage's Co-Pilot (uncredited)
Stanley Fraser ... Cab Driver (uncredited)
Greg Gallagher ... Officer (uncredited)
Don Gaudagno ... Dwight - Hospital Patient (uncredited)
Don Giovanni ... Cobb's Co-Pilot (uncredited)
Don Gordon ... First Patient in Base Hospital (uncredited)
Don Hicks ... Lt Wilson (uncredited)
Ray Hyke ... Corporal Bartender at Officer's Club (uncredited)
Barry Jones ... Lord Haw-Haw (voice) (uncredited)
Harry Lauter ... Radio Officer (uncredited)
Joyce Mackenzie ... Nurse (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney ... Corporal (uncredited)
John McKee ... Operations Officer (uncredited)
Peter Ortiz ... Weather Observer (uncredited)
Paul Picerni ... Bombardier (uncredited)
Nelson Scott ... Gately's Co-Pilot (uncredited)
William Short ... Lt. Pettinghill (uncredited)
John Shulick ... Navigator (uncredited)
Bob Tidwell ... Bishop's Co-Pilot (uncredited)
Kenneth Tobey ... Sgt. Keller - Guard at Gate (uncredited)
Guy Way ... Barman (uncredited)
Patrick Whyte ... Clerk (uncredited)
Frederick Worlock ... Voice of Lord Haw Haw (uncredited)
John Zilly ... Sgt. Ernie - Gen. Savage's Driver (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Sy Bartlett (novel and screenplay)
Beirne Lay Jr. (novel and screenplay)
Henry King uncredited
Original Music
Alfred Newman
Cinematography
Leon Shamroy
Trivia
This film is used by the U.S. Navy as an example of leadership styles in its Leadership and Management Training School. The Air Force's College for Enlisted Professional Military Education also uses this film as a education aid in its Noncommissioned Officer Academies. The film has also been used for leadership training in civilian non-military seminars.
John Wayne turned down the leading role that later went to Gregory Peck.
The B-17 bomber crash landing at the airstrip near the beginning of the movie was no special effect. Stunt pilot Paul Mantz was paid $4,500 to crash-land the bomber. Mantz of course walked away from the wreck. Until the 1970s, that was the largest amount ever paid to a stuntman for a single stunt.
This film is frequently cited by surviving bomber crewmembers as the only accurate depiction from Hollywood of their life during the war.
A replica of the 918th Bomb Group's Robin Hood toby mug is in use by the Officer's club at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, home of the 509th Bomber Wing. The real movie prop mug, which was the prized possession of the Frank Armstrong family, fell victim to theft in the early 90s and has not been seen since. The replica mugs are still in production and available from 918thpx.com.
One of the first Hollywood films to deal with the psychological effect of war on its soldiers.
The air battles were cut together from authentic World War II footage.
A romantic subplot, which features in the book, was dropped at the studio's insistence. They wanted the script to concentrate fully on the psychological effects of war and the theme of leadership.
William A. Wellman was attached to direct at one point.
The film was delayed in its release because MGM's Command Decision beat them to the punch. The similarity in content between the two films forced 20th Century Fox to hold back on "Twelve O'Clock High" for a few months.
After the film was made, Gregory Peck became great friends with the character he had played, Gen. Frank Armstrong, who clearly approved of Peck's portrayal of him.
The Robin Hood Toby mug prop can be spotted in the background in a scene from the 20th Century Fox movie Valley of the Dolls. It's sitting on a wire-frame shelving unit in one of the "Dolls" apartments.
The film's dedication states: "This motion picture is dedicated to those Americans, both living and dead, whose gallant effort made possible daylight precision bombing. They were the only Americans fighting in Europe in the fall of 1942. They stood alone, against the enemy and against doubts from home and abroad. This is their story."
This movie's opening prologue states: "The air battle scenes in this Motion Picture were photographed in actual combat by members of the United States Air Force and the German Luftwaffe."
"Twelve O'Clock High" is an example of a pilot's enemy position call. During World War II pilots would call-out the positions of enemy airplanes by referring to their bearings via the use of a pretend face of a clock. In this case, 12 O'Clock meant the enemy was directly ahead, whereas 6 O'Clock would mean directly behind. "High" or "Low" referred to whether the enemy was above or below the airplane respectively. "Even" meant that the enemy was level with the pilot's plane.
Gregory Peck reprised his Oscar nominated role as General Savage on the 7th of September 1950 in a radio show for the Screen Guild Players.
In addition to Gen. Savage (inspired by Gen. Frank Armstrong), many characters in this film were based on real-life people. Maj. Gen. Pat Prichard (played by Millard Mitchell) is based on Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, first commander of the 8th Bomber Command. Col. Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) is based on Col. Charles B. Overacker, first commander of the 306th Bomb Group. Lt. Jessie Bishop (Robert Patten) is based on Lt. John Morgan, a B-17 co-pilot who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for landing his plane after his pilot was severely wounded during a bombing run. Maj. Joe Cobb (John Kellogg) is based on Maj. (later Col.) Paul Tibbets, who later became famous as the pilot of the B-29 "Enola Gay" which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 (Tibbets himself served as a technical advisor for this movie). Sgt. McIlhenny (Robert Arthur) is based on Sgt. Donald Bevan, who was shot down over Germany in 1943 and became a POW. Bevan later co-wrote the play Stalag 17, with fellow POW Edmund Trzcinski, based on their prison camp experiences.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 7, 1950 with Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Millard Mitchell and John Kellogg reprising their film roles.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on April 12, 1951 with Gregory Peck and Hugh Marlowe again reprising their film roles.
As of July, 2008, Robert Arthur (Sgt. McIllhenny) was the only remaining/living cast member who received billing in the original film credits. He turned 83 in June, 2008.
The 306th Bomb Group, on which the fictional 918th is based, was the first USAAF group to strike Germany during World War II. This occurred on 27 January, 1943. The target was the battleship Admiral Scheer in the harbor of Wilhelmshaven. Colonel Frank Armstrong, on whom the character of General Savage is based, was in the lead plane on that mission. The lead bombardier was Lt. Frank Yaussi.
When General Savage (Peck) gets back from his last mission, the one before he cracks up, he's in his room with Col Davenport (Merrill), Gately (Marlowe) and a drunk Col. Stovall (Jagger). Davenport asks Savage if he knows that the "Old Man" went along on the just finished mission. After Savage tells him he didn't know, Davenport continues "He slipped into Curt May's plane." During the time period when this movie takes place, Major Curtis LeMay (later General) was flying bombing missions as commander of a B-17 Flying Fortress unit, the 305th Bomb Group, which was part of the Eighth Air Force.
LTG Frank Armstrong is the real life basis for the character BG Frank Savage. Armstrong was promoted from First Lieutenant to Brigadier General in three years ten months.
Spoilers
While the character of Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant Jesse Bishop is shot down and presumed to have been killed in action, the real-life Medal of Honor recipient on whom he was based, Lieutenant John C. Morgan, survived being shot down and spent the rest of World War II as a Prisoner of War. After returning to civilian life, he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War.
Goofs
Anachronisms
In the film, a large white triangle with a black "A" inside it is painted on the vertical stabilizers (tail fins) of the 918th Bomb Group's B-17 airplanes. At the point in World War II depicted in the film, 8th Air Force B-17's did not yet bear these markings, carrying only the plane's serial number on the tail. The white triangle with a black "A" was the identifying insignia for the real-life 91st Bomb Group later in the war. The aircraft used in the movie were marked to match wartime combat camera footage, some of which featured 91st Bomb Group planes.
Insignia incorrect for the period. The Schweinfurt ball bearing plant raids took place in 1943. By that time, the national insignia had the bars on each side of the round star background. Apparently the older star-on-blue with no bars was used to match documentary footage inserted into the movie.
Continuity
Col. Davenport is relieved of command late one night. He is replaced by General Savage, who agrees to take over early the next morning. Yet during those few hours, one officer has committed suicide and already had his funeral, and other officers are deemed to be AWOL who were present and on duty late the previous evening.
When General Savage visits Lt Col Gately in the hospital, close-up shots are taken from the left side of Gately's bed and long distance shots are taken from the right. The lighting on Gately's face is significantly brighter in the close-ups.
During the Ball Bearing mission, the Picadilly Lilly is shown to have 6 bombs painted under the cockpit (indicating 6 missions). However, a much earlier mission also shows 6 bombs. There were obviously many missions between these 2 shots.
Factual errors
During the bombing mission depicted in the film, the tail gun of General Savage's "Picadilly Lily" B-17F airplane is shown briefly, but it is a late-war model "Cheyenne"-type tail turret - incorrect for the time period during which the events in the film take place.
On the ball bearing bombing mission the camera shows a close up of the exterior of the cockpits of Picadilly Lilly, Reluctant Dragon and Fluffy Fuzzy. All shots show each plane's nose art above the navigator's windows to identify the different planes and crews. Actual nose art was painted below the navigator's windows.
In the movie credits, the flight surgeon is listed as "Capt. 'Doc' Kaiser". However, from the character's first appearance at the crash-landed B-17 in the opening scene, he wears oak leaves of a major (or a lieutenant colonel, since in a B&W movie we can't initially tell if they are gold or silver). Later, he is always referred to as a major.
During the first attack on the ball bearing plant, when the bombs are released, you see two groups of bombs on the racks, one in front of the other. The B-17 carried all its bombs in one vertical stack. The American bomber in use at the time that would have had forward and aft stacks would be the B-24. The bomb bay doors on the B-24 roll up like garage doors, but you clearly see the doors hinged back, and the bombs have a round support around the fin. The American bombs of this time had a square support to the fins. The bomb release is shown from what appears to be an Avro Lancaster, a British bomber.
Revealing mistakes
On the last mission General Savage goes on, right after take-off, the camera slowly zooms in on Piccadilly Lily's cockpit. A minute later the camera zooms in on Reluctant Dragon's cockpit, then Fluffy Fuzz's cockpit. All three times the plane in the background is the same #23613 and the stains and dirt on the roof of the three cockpits is the same.
During the aerial combat scenes of the movie's last mission, actual WWII combat footage is randomly inserted to add realism. However, three of these clips clearly show a closeup of an American P-47 fighter attacking the B-17's.
Stock combat footage of air-to-air combat is used extensively. Some clips have been flipped left to right and reused. Others, particularly of German fighters blowing up, were not filmed from bombers but were taken from the gun cameras of Allied fighters, which did not accompany the bombers at this time. (Some shots taken from non-bombers are from cameras on German fighters, on footage captured after the war.)
On the bombing mission to the ball bearing factory the actual combat film footage used is of a bomb strike on a railroad marshaling yard.
Filming Locations
Eglin Air Force Base, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA
Ozark Army Airfield, Ozark, Alabama, USA
RAF Barford St. John Air Base, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Stage 3, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Stage 6, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA