12 O'clock High TV series now on Amazon Prime.

[JohnB]

Just a head's up that the '60s TV series is now on Prime video.I
I don't:think it has ever been officially released on DVD, so now is your chance to see it.

Yes, it's not always historically accurate, but at least it tries.
Historically, compared to the decade later Black Sheep Squadron/Baa, Baa, Blacksheep, it's a documentary.

Being made in the mid-60s, there were a lot of vets still around (one former WWII Bomb Group commander made a cameo appearance as a general in an episode about the shuttle raids he led 20 years before) so I think they felt somewhat compelled to do it right.
Another episode has to do with the introduction of BTO.
They correctly use a lot of jargon and abbreviations.

Being TV and having a need for drama, the commanders are frequently shot down in enemy territory but are rescued by the end of the hour.

Again, being from 1965-66, it was made before Vietnam made anything military a bad word, so it's not too revisionist.
Likewise, men's hair styles are pretty period correct, women's...well not so much.

Lots of stock footage, from both the 1949 film and wartime, especially in the B&W episodes. Occasionally, you'll see something you haven't seen before, the other night I saw some great period Fw-190 stuff. When the series switched to color, a lot of period film is from the Memphis Belle documentary.

The PoF B-17 is a regular, though I don't think they never flew it for the series, but it did taxi a lot. In one later episode they did fly a P-51 with genetic warbird markings, a rare thing in the '60s. In another, the Army loaned the producers a U-6 Beaver as a liaison aircraft. They painted out the Army markings and knew enough to get rid of the red stripes in the star and bar. Since the Beaver first flew in 1947 (a lot of people forget how old it is), it's not too out of place and is certainly more appropriate than what they could have used.

The first episode dialog is taken straight from the film.

Also, it has a great theme song, appropriately both rousing and melancholy. I usually thought of it when I viewed the B-17 at the NMUSAF. Weird trivia: a short piece of music used during establishing shots of the base B-17 or "Pinetree", the 8th BC HQ, is used in Star Trek, usually heard with the establishing shot of the orbiting Enterprise.
What makes it weird is this was a year before ST, they did not share credited music composers, and was done by a different studio.

Like most films, rivet counters will find lots of nits to pick, but I take the view that anything that tells the story of what those guys did in the war can't be all bad.
I take it for what it is, overall I like it.

I wonder if given the chance, how many of us would volunteer to do what they did in 1943?

Last edited by JohnB on Thu Apr 13, 2023 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Ruberneck]

Steve Canyon id on Prime also.

[p51]

Thanks! I just added it to my watch list!

[Mark Sampson]

I used to watch this show with my father. He had been a B-17 FE/waist gunner and flew 32 missions in 1944, so of course was a hero to me (as all our fathers were). I can recall his commenting on the reality of the show; he was generally approving. In one episode the bombs hung up on their racks over the target and the Sgt. (Kowalski?) had to kick them loose... I distinctly recall my dad saying "yeah, we had to do that once or twice". I was 9 or 10 years old then and have never seen that show again. It would be worth watching again, not least to confirm/deny that memory.

[Waltz41]

Very cool. There is a channel we had here called H&I that would run 12'Oclock High, Black Sheep, and Rat Patrol regularly. I would catch them now and then, and regardless of your history take, it's just fun to see WWII material on tv for entertainment.

I still love watching Ba Ba Black Sheep too. My son several years ago got so into with me. He was 5! Loved watching it and seeing the Corsairs. It's great these shows are still available (although yes I had Black Sheep on DVD!).

[airnutz]

Very cool. There is a channel we had here called H&I that would run 12'Oclock High, Black Sheep, and Rat Patrol regularly. I would catch them now and then, and regardless of your history take, it's just fun to see WWII material on tv for entertainment.

I still love watching Ba Ba Black Sheep too.

I just checked and H&I is still playing them on Saturday nights as well as Combat! etc.

[garbs]

I used to watch this show with my father. He had been a B-17 FE/waist gunner and flew 32 missions in 1944, so of course was a hero to me (as all our fathers were). I can recall his commenting on the reality of the show; he was generally approving. In one episode the bombs hung up on their racks over the target and the Sgt. (Kowalski?) had to kick them loose... I distinctly recall my dad saying "yeah, we had to do that once or twice". I was 9 or 10 years old then and have never seen that show again. It would be worth watching again, not least to confirm/deny that memory.

Wasn’t it Kamansky? I seem to remember him saying he would tattoo that across the back of any man that didn’t give an unpopular pilot the proper respect

[kennsmithf2g]

In the Cleveland Ohio area , "12 O'Clock High" is on at 1:00AM Sunday morning on channel 55.4 ( H&I network) It used to be on at midnight but they swapped time slots with "The Rat Patrol".