A Gathering of Eagles
A Gathering of Eagles | |
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Universal International Pictures | |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3,346,500[1] |
Box office | $2,500,000 (US/Canada)[2] |
A Gathering of Eagles is a 1963
The film also stars Rod Taylor, Mary Peach, Barry Sullivan, Kevin McCarthy, Henry Silva, Robert Lansing, Leif Erickson and Richard Anderson.
Plot
The inspector general of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), Major General "Happy Jack" Kirby, lands unannounced at an Air Force base in California, home to an important strategic aerospace wing, and declares an unannounced operational readiness inspection (ORI). His team discovers many problems and Kirby reports unfavorably to his superior, General Hewitt.
Hewitt replaces Kirby with his own aide, Colonel Jim Caldwell, whose assistant is to be his old and trusted friend, Hollis Farr.
Caldwell immediately sees many reasons for the low standards of training and readiness and institutes a number of harsh policies that bring him into conflict with Farr. Caldwell faces the unwelcome truth that Farr is too undisciplined and gives him notice of dismissal. This causes a rift between Caldwell and his wife Victoria, who thinks that her rumored affair with Farr may have cost him his job.
While Caldwell is absent on a hospital visit, he is suddenly told of an emergency on the base, as an unidentified aircraft is on final approach with no signal, a likely surprise ORI. Caldwell is unable to return in time to handle the critical opening stages and Farr assumes command, successfully launching all bombers, but only by breaking a key regulation that could cause them to fail their inspection. When Kirby demands an explanation, Caldwell defends Farr, stating that he would have made the same call. To their surprise, Kirby admits that he too would have done the same and that the wing has passed its test. It seems clear that Farr will retain his job.
During the ORI, Victoria performs volunteer duty at the base hospital. A young airman awakes after surgery, and his first request is that she check that the ORI is progressing well. Once Caldwell and Victoria are both home, he apologizes for putting SAC first, and she explains that the airman made her realize how the entire base is focused on their critical work, and they lovingly embrace.
Cast
- Rock Hudson as Colonel James Caldwell, Commander, 904th Strategic Aerospace Wing (904th SAW)
- Rod Taylor as Colonel Hollis Farr, Vice Commander, 904th SAW
- Mary Peach as Victoria Caldwell, Caldwell's wife
- Barry Sullivan as Colonel William Fowler, Base Commander of Carmody Air Force Base
- Major General J. T. "Happy Jack" Kirby, SACInspector General
- Brigadier GeneralJohn Aymes, commander of the 904th SAW's parent Air Division
- Henry Silva as Colonel Joe "Smokin' Joe" Garcia, Deputy Commander for Maintenance, 904th SAW
- Leora Dana as Evelyn Fowler, Col Fowler's wife
- Senior Master SergeantBanning, B-52 line chief
- Richard Le Pore as KC-135tanker crew "Ramrod 67," who comes out of surgery in the base hospital asking how his crew did in the ORI.
- Ray Montgomery as Captain Linke, aircraft commander of B-52G bomber crew "Ranger 21"
- Richard Anderson as Colonel Ralph Josten, Deputy Commander for Operations, 904th SAW
- Leif Erickson as General Hewitt, Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Air Command (CINCSAC)
- Louise Fletcher as Mrs. Kemler, Sergeant Kemler's wife
Production
Filming took place at
It was originally announced that John Gavin would support Rock Hudson.[3]
As Bartlett and Mann were filming at SAC headquarters at
A subplot in the film in which Colonel Farr has an affair with Colonel Caldwell's wife, played by Mary Peach, was removed during postproduction.[5] The original choice for Mary Peach's role was Julie Andrews, but according to screenwriter Robert Pirosh, Mann thought that Andrews could not act, only sing. Pirosh felt there was no rapport between Hudson and Peach.[6]
Allusions to actual history
This film depicts the operations of a typical strategic aerospace wing (nuclear bombers, aerial refueling aircraft and ICBMs) of the
When General Curtis LeMay became SAC commander in 1948, he undertook a number of base inspections, frequently flying unannounced to SAC bases. LeMay insisted on rigorous training and very high standards of performance for all SAC personnel and reportedly commented, "I have neither the time nor the inclination to differentiate between the incompetent and the merely unfortunate." A poor showing during one of these inspections could result in the immediate replacement of the base's wing commander, as well as on-site demotions for poorly performing airmen or immediate promotions for officers and airmen who performed well.[citation needed]
Air Force colonel Daniel J. Bigelow was the pilot of the B-52G and acted as stand-in for Rock Hudson when Colonel Caldwell was depicted as flying the B-52G.
The number of the 904th, and the name of its base, Carmody, are both fictitious. The film is dedicated to the officers, airmen and wives of the 456th Aerospace Wing of the Strategic Air Command.
Reception
In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic A. H. Weiler praised the film's realism but lamented its lack of dramatic impact:
These eagles of the Strategic Air Command are rough, tough, alert birds but their feathers are constantly ruffled and their tempers fray to the point of hysteria. The sporadic drama they project does not seem to relate realistically entirely to the scientifically exact world of the highly specialized warriors of SAC despite the obvious striving for authenticity in this production. ... ''That sure was a cliffhanger," an officer says at the successful conclusion of the climactic test. This is not precisely true. This "Gathering of Eagles'' only occasionally soars with excitement or quickens the pulse. [8]
Awards
A Gathering of Eagles received an
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Vagg 2010, p. 91.
- ^ "Top Rental Features of 1963". Variety, January 8, 1964, p. 71. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. " 'Pawnbroker' will be Steiger vehicle: McGiver back at funmaking; Curious case of Lotte Lenya." Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1962, p. C9.
- ^ Robert Osborne commentary on Turner Classic Movies, August 11, 2006.
- ^ Vagg 2010, p. 90.
- ^ Davis 2007, p. 99.
- ^ Graham 2002, p. 20.
- ^ Weiler, A. H. (1963-07-11). "Screen: Airborne Militarv". The New York Times. p. 21.
Bibliography
- Davis, Ronald L. "Robert Pirosh Interview." Words into Images: Screenwriters on the Studio System. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2007. ISBN 978-1-5780-6964-4.
- Graham, Richard H. SR-71 Blackbird: Stories, Tales, and Legends. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7603-1142-4.
- Vagg, Stephen. Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood. Albany, Georgia: Bear Manor Media, 2010. ISBN 978-1-5939-3511-5.