DiggerWW2 wrote:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk ... another one who's never heard of my line of DVD's"
Betcha' can't find a 1955 Warner Brothers Color Film called "24 HOUR ALERT" Starring Jack Webb.
A detailed look at a USAF Fighter Base. Here's the Pressbook:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1955-24-HOUR-ALERT- ... dZViewItemI've been searching for this one for years, with no luck...
Digger
Well the eBay link is obviously ancient history...
I came across this old thread via a Google search for info about "
24 Hour Alert" starring Jack Webb. It actually dropped into my lap the other day - and it's now on my Dish Network DVR.
There was a local evening news story last week about a USAF Security Airman at Seymour-Johnson AFB who lost part of one leg to an IED in Afghanistan. His german shepherd dog was also injured but both are recovering well and the Airman hopes to be able to re-deploy for another tour in Afghanistan. (Frankly I believe that he's earned the right NOT to go back again, but if that's what he wants....)
That news story inspired me to tell my wife about Douglas Bader, an RAF pilot in WW2 who lost both legs in a biplane crash in the 1930's but went on to fly Hurricanes in WW2 using prosthetic legs. He claimed that he was less susceptible to blacking out under high G maneuvers because his blood couldn't "drain" all the way down his legs. He was eventually shot down over occupied France and taken prisoner by the Germans - and made two unsuccessful escape attempts before they took away his artificial legs to limit his mobility!
Here's to your spirit, Doug!
The very next day, I came across the movie "
Reach for the Sky" (1956) on Turner Classic Movies - a bio flick about Douglas Bader. Freaky coincidence! Unfortunately, it appeared to be almost over by the time I tuned in - and in fact, it had ended and the rest of its time slot was taken up by the short film "
24 Hour Alert" starring Jack Webb. I hit the record button and captured it to savor later.
While the story line was obviously contrived Cold War propaganda, it was great to be able to see color film footage of so many different front-line USAF jet aircraft when they were new and cutting-edge - in 1955! Even the Aero Commander belonging to (I'm guessing - the fictitious) Tweed Lumber Co. had to have been brand new. It wasn't a model 520 because it had a swept tail but it also had the exposed augmentor tube exhausts on the outside of the engine nacelles; it had to be a model 560 which was approved in May 1954. The extended length model 560A was approved in July 1955 and the more powerful supercharged model 680 was not approved until October 1955, so neither of them are really likely to have been used in a film that was released in 1955.
If only I had already upgraded my Dish Network service to a HD DVR with LAN connectivity - I could copy it over to my computer and save it longer.
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Digger
...thanks for posting it! 
), you're liable to have a heart attack.
