B-17s in the Memphis Belle movie .....

[bomberflight]

Some months ago I rather rashly suggested I was finally going to scan my 35mm Kodachrome slides from the time when filming was being done at Duxford in 1989 and put them on line so every one can see them .......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60066945@N05/

[Holedigger]

Very Cool! Thanks

[airtj]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Just curious how many B-17s are airworthy? Was the movie the last time we were able to see five of them in one place?

[PbyCat-Guy]

The scene that shows all the different B-17s taking off, did they use just two airplanes and changed the nose art?

[Rod Schneider]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Just curious how many B-17s are airworthy? Was the movie the last time we were able to see five of them in one place?

There were 8 B-17's in the air at Thunder over Michigan last August.......

[bomberflight]

The scene that shows all the different B-17s taking off, did they use just two airplanes and changed the nose art?

I've now got the specific "DNA" mapped for all five airplanes ~ so it's possible to say which one plays which role.

I've watching the movie to cross reference my info against what's in the film. The take off sequence shows "Clooney Baby" followed by "Buck Aroo"
In both cases the windows on the nose section indicate they are the same B-17 ~ N17W !
I assume they used all five ~ but it is just my assumption.

Some of the paint schemes seen at Duxford don't turn up in the finished film at all ~ as far as I can tell.

"Gee Whiz" doesn't appear ~ but it looks like they kept the nose art and changed the name to "Windy City".

Some of the numbers and codes appear on one side only ~ with something else on the other side.

"Memphis Belle" was played by N3703G and G-BEDF while "Baby Ruth" starts out as F-BEEA but is switched to G-BEDF.

[the330thbg]

you are forgetting "The Leper Colony"




oops.. wrong movie!

[Jerry O'Neill]

Thanks for taking the time to scan them and do such a nice job with the individual identities.
Love to see more!
Jerry

[bomberflight]

Thanks for the kind words !

I feel motivated to tackle the P-51's and Buchons now

[the330thbg]

awesome shots.

What were the circumstances behind the French one that crashed?

Not a particulary upbeat target, but quite curious.

Cheers.

[p51]

Thanks for the kind words !
I feel motivated to tackle the P-51's and Buchons now

Please do. Your photos are great. When I used to hang with the Collings guys and Patrick Bunce was still travelling with them, he told me stories from the set. I know some of his photos turned out in a couple of his books, and I’m sure there were several other excellent photographers such as yourself who recorded all this. What I’d love to see is the formation flight they took over Bassingborn field after one of the movie runs. I talked with a 91st BG vet who just happened to be there at that exact moment. He told me none of them had a clue it was going to happen and was a utter coincidence that the group came over the field just as some vets were there. He told me that they were all utterly speechless for a minute or two afterward, and none of them even thought to get photos as they were so shocked. I hope someday someone will write a book about the filming, to include the report on the French B-17 crash.
As for that crash, I talked with Tallichet’s guys about 6 months after they got his B-17 back to the states (still in the movie paint at that time). Two of them had been with the plane in England and they told me that one of the wheels locked up from being mounted incorrectly. I have no idea if that’s correct, but given they were there, I’m willing to accept that more than the many theories I’ve read over the years from armchair experts.

[agent86]

"Come on baby,get me up,come on lets get up,come on baby! Steve Mcqueen before plowing into the white cliffs of dover in the "War lover" one of my favorite war flicks.not some nasty movie
wow the PC detector let me get away with these quotes

[the330thbg]

"Come on baby,get me up,come on lets get up,come on baby! Steve Mcqueen before plowing into the white cliffs of dover in the "War lover" one of my favorite war flicks.not some nasty movie
wow the PC detector let me get away with these quotes

'War Lover' is an awesome movie.

12 O'Clock high 'borrowed' a lot of the same shots.

Great series as well.

Cheers,

[CoastieJohn]

Historically speaking....does anyone know if the B-17 names in the movie Memphis Belle were indeed in the exact same names in that squadron back then?

[whistlingdeath77]

very nice!