What are the best Warbird movies?

[tulsaboy]

Okay, I'm putting together my Christmas for my loving and understanding wife, and am wanting to put some warbird movies on my list. I'm soliciting opinions- what would be your "top ten" list of warbird movies that should be in any devotee's DVD library? There has been much discussion of (and derision of) Memphis Belle, Battle of Britain, etc. I'm asking for Strategic Air Command as a good early Cold War flick. Thoughts?

kevin

[Pat Carry]

12 O'Clock High is my favorite.

[Robbie Stuart]

The Bridges At Toko-Ri
Robbie

[Steve T]

Tulsa--

Depends what you mean by "best"...historical factuality? sweet-looking footage of classic aircraft?...but either way, here are a few of my faves:

The Great Waldo Pepper (beautifully captures the barnstorming era)
Always (utter fantasy of course, but marvelous footage of aerial tankers; a very clever resetting of A Guy Named Joe. Holly Hunter's easy on the eyes too...)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (one of the better quasi-documentary accounts)
Battle Of Britain (another of the better quasi-docs)
The Dam Busters (very good considering much was still classified at the time)
The Bridges At Toko-Ri (not many USN Korean War flying pix out there!)
Strategic Air Command (B-36s and B-47s...stuff you'll never see again; and a genuine war hero plays the lead)
Twelve O'Clock High (a fine character study)

...and three that aren't theatrical releases, rather made for TV:

Wings (BBC, late 70s. RFC reconnaissance ops ca 1915-16. Excellent.)
Piece Of Cake (especially episode 1: some of the most gorgeous Spitfire footage ever shot)
The Tuskegee Airmen (HBO 1995: a fascinating story well told even if there are a few howlers that crept in for the sake of expediency)

Cheers

S.

[TimAPNY]

Make sure you put the Special Edition BOB! Underline and Highlight that, they seemed to do a great job cleaning up the footage and have some interesting extras included.

Stay away from “A Bridge to Far” the sound is horrendous.

What about “The Bridges of Toko-Ri (sp?). That is one I enjoy.


Tim

[Cking]

Strategic Air Command. Head an shoulders above all aircraft films! The best looking American aircraft ever. The best American actor ever plus B-47's, Globemasters, C-97's and that bird with the husky voice who always played along side Jimmy S. You can't beat it! BUT I don't think its out on DVD yet


Rgds Cking

[Steve T]

Cking--

June Allyson, who sadly passed away this year...

S.

[Cking]

Ah yes June Allyson. She was absoluetly lovely. She had a glint in her eye that just made me smile everytime I saw her.A very sad day when she died

Rgds Cking

[Jerry O'Neill]

You guys have picked a lot of my favorites already, so I'll just add to the list:

Dive Bomber
Hells Angels
Wings
30 Seconds Over Tokyo
1941 (the Flying Scenes)
Wing and a Prayer
Task Force
Men of the Fighting LadyCatch 22 (B-25 scenes are spectacular)
Fighter Squadron

Jerry

[Aircraft Mech Paul]

Well,

I GOTTA agree with the folks who picked "Strategic Air Command". Absolutely (in my eyes anyway) the BEST Warbird movie done. Oh yeah...I like 12 O'clock High, but Strategic Air Command offers a little something for everyone...Round engines or jets. The cinematography in the film is simple awesome....like when the B-36 comes out of the clouds and they are swirling behind the plane as it exits the clouds. Then you get the odd DC-3/C-47, HEAVY Iron like the C-124's and a C-97 thrown in...PLUS some great footage of the early B-47's. Plus...I always admired Jimmy Stewart, General USAF (Ret.). He was a simple man who lived the time's that alot of us speak of here on the forum. A Patriot, soft spoken and from what I am told, humble. A Man's Man in every sense. June Allyson was the "Girl Next Door"....you just enjoyed seeing both of them acting together.

I just WISH that Strategic Air Command was out on DVD. I have Battle of Britain and 12 O'Clock High and those are both great films....but I get a much better kick out of Strategic Air Command.

Paul

[Ollie]

Dark Blue World has me vote.

[FlyingFortB17]

-Fighter Squadron
-The War Lover
-The Flying Leathernecks
-The Flying Tigers
-Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
-Air Force

[K5DH]

How about "Jet Pilot"? Great F-86 footage!

How about "633 Squadron"? Gotta love those Mossies!

I agree about "1941"... how can you not love a movie with John Belushi and a P-40?

[TimAPNY]

Dark Blue World has me vote.

Is that the Movie you where telling about at Geneseo, the movie about the Czech Pilots during the Battle of Britain?

Tim

[Jerry O'Neill]

I forgot one;

"I Wanted Wings"

Jerry