smh@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Stephen Head) (07/12/90)
From: Stephen Head <smh@hpindda.cup.hp.com> ["MEMPHIS BELLE" (was "Southern Belle")] Attached are an edited summary of responses, etc. that I got to my earlier note about the movie "Southern Belle". It turns out that "Southern Belle" appears to be an early title for the movie, and that it is actually about the "Memphis Belle", the first B17 bomber/crew to complete 25 missions over enemy-occupied Europe during WW II. I contacted Warner Brothers (the film makers) and according to them the film is directed by Steven Putnam and will be out in September or later. This film is not to be confused with a documentary of the same title by William Wyler made in 1943 on the subject of the same airplane and crew. The last I heard of the plane it was sitting in a park somewhere in or near Memphis, Tennessee. There had been plans to refurbish it but no funds, and it was said to be in fairly poor condition. (Does anyone have an update to this?) It ended up there after being flown around the country with its original crew to promote buying war bonds in '43-'44. I believe the Memphis Belle is one of the very rare B17s currently surviving that can be correlated with actual wartime action in Europe (the ones that make the air show tours having been manufactured but never delivered before VE-day). In fact the only other one I know of is the completely restored "Shoo-Shoo Baby" at the USAF Museum in Dayton (but that's another story...). Thanks to Jonathan Hardwick (jch@computer-lab.cambridge.ac.uk) and John Heiden (CSCON134@uoft02.utoledo.edu) for the additional information. Steve Head ---------- There was an "on-location" preview of this film on the UK tv show "Film 90", maybe a month ago. The director was commenting on the fact that he was working with very young actors, and that this brought home to him just how young the original flight crews were. Not much more about the actual content of the film than your quote "24 hours in the perilous life of a B-17 bomber crew". Oh yes, they had some discussion with the director about how difficult it is to shoot a "buddy" movie of this sort, where the survival of the team rests upon each individual man, etc etc, when (a) it's quite difficult to film at all inside a cramped B-17 and (b) it's even more difficult to make the crew recognisable, since they're all wearing high-altitude masks, identical jackets, etc. One shot of a B-17 taking off in the whole sequence, as far as I can recall. No signs of Mustangs or Bf 109's. ---------- I think that the film you/he/they are referring to is "MEMPHIS BELLE". (Or perhaps "THE MEMPHIS BELLE".) If that's the case, then it stars John Lithgow, Harry Connick Jr., Matthew Modine and several other reasonably well known actors.
hhm@ihlpy.att.com (Herschel H Mayo) (07/13/90)
From: hhm@ihlpy.att.com (Herschel H Mayo)
These articles reminded me of a somewhat funny incident that happened to
me. One Saturday morning, I was underneath my car working on the trans-
mission and enjoying a couple of beers, when I heard the characteristic
drone of a multi-engine piston plane. While wrenching away, the thought
occurred to me, "Boy that sounds like a B 17, ha, ha wouldn't it be fun-
ny if it was." The sound got really loud, so I slid out to take a look.
Really low overhead, in all its military glory, was a B-17. I, somewhat
shocked, did one of those scenes where I looked at the plane, then looked
at the can of beer and threw it away. After that I quickly went inside to
get out of the heat. That night on the news, I was relieved to hear that
others had reported seeing it on its way to an airshow.
Larry MayoScott.Johnson@p0.f7.n391.z8.fidonet.org (Scott Johnson) (07/16/90)
From: Scott.Johnson@p0.f7.n391.z8.fidonet.org (Scott Johnson)
As of, god, 1984, the MEmphis Bell whad been retreived from
her outside stand and was actively undergoing a ground up
restoration. I think the last I heard was in 1985, aand everything
was going fine. There is a Memphis Bell society you can write to,
but I don't know the address (try Warner again). AA She is (was?)
scheduled to bbe restored to flyable condition, but due to her
historical significance she will never again takke to the air :(.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------de@cs.rochester.edu (Dave Esan) (07/19/90)
From: moscom!de@cs.rochester.edu (Dave Esan) In article <1990Jul13.015819.4152@cbnews.att.com> hhm@ihlpy.att.com (Herschel H Mayo) writes: > > >From: hhm@ihlpy.att.com (Herschel H Mayo) <Recount of seeing a B-17 and worrying about beer > I was pitching a softball game here in Rochester, NY, when the "Fuddy Duddy", the B-17 located at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo flew overhead. Being of a historical bent, I did what Dizzy Dean had done in a similar situation - I stepped off the mound and watched the plane fly by. Fortunately, both teams and the ump did the same thing. -- ______________________________________________________________________________ --> David Esan {rutgers, ames, harvard}!rochester!moscom!de ______________________________________________________________________________