The Kid Who Couldn't Miss
Encyclopedia
The Kid Who Couldn't Miss is a 1982 docudrama directed by Paul Cowan. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada
, it combines fact and fiction to question fighter pilot Billy Bishop
's accomplishments during World War I
, featuring excerpts from John MacLachlan Gray's play Billy Bishop Goes to War
.
The film specifically questions accounts of Bishop's solo mission to attack a German aerodrome on June 2, 1917, for which he was awarded a Victoria Cross
, and suggests the event was imaginary and that Bishop exaggerated his own accomplishments.
In one particularly contentious scene, his mechanic claims that the damage to his fighter was confined to a small circle in a non-critical area, implying that Bishop had landed his aircraft off-field, shot the holes in it, and then flown home with claims of combat damage. In reality, his mechanic was his biggest supporter in this issue and the scene was entirely fictitious. The mechanic insisted that Bishop had not fabricated the damage.
, was called before the committee, but refused to accede to their demands that he withdraw the film from circulation.
Canadian veterans' groups were outraged by the insinuation, and Cowan received many irate letters, "He got inundated by thousands of furious letters, rumblings in the Senate subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, and demands that the government cut off funding to the NFB."
H. Clifford Chadderton
, Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps
, created the film The Billy Bishop Controversy to counter the bias he and other veterans perceived in the NFB film. Released in 1986, it attempts to demonstrate that Cowan and the NFB did not properly research the historical records, and reached faulty conclusions about Bishop. The Kid Who Couldn't Miss also led Chicago native, and Bishop fan, Albert Lowe to create a website (www.billybishop.net) devoted to the fighter pilot. Lowe complained about the characterization of Bishop in the film, and commented that "That year Mr. Paul Cowan, with $514,007.00 of Canadian Taxpayer's money, did one of the foulest deeds possible without committing some form of violence."
A Hero to Me: The Billy Bishop Story - WW1 Canadian flying Ace , a documentary depicting the story of "Billy" Bishop from the perspective of his granddaughter, Diana, was also produced for Global Television and TVO in 2003.
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, it combines fact and fiction to question fighter pilot Billy Bishop
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
's accomplishments during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, featuring excerpts from John MacLachlan Gray's play Billy Bishop Goes to War
Billy Bishop Goes to War
Billy Bishop Goes to War is a Canadian musical, written by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson. One of the most famous and widely-produced plays in Canadian theatre, it dramatizes the life of Canadian World War I fighter pilot Billy Bishop....
.
The film specifically questions accounts of Bishop's solo mission to attack a German aerodrome on June 2, 1917, for which he was awarded a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, and suggests the event was imaginary and that Bishop exaggerated his own accomplishments.
In one particularly contentious scene, his mechanic claims that the damage to his fighter was confined to a small circle in a non-critical area, implying that Bishop had landed his aircraft off-field, shot the holes in it, and then flown home with claims of combat damage. In reality, his mechanic was his biggest supporter in this issue and the scene was entirely fictitious. The mechanic insisted that Bishop had not fabricated the damage.
Reaction
After years of controversy over Bishop's record, mainly due to the fact very few of his claimed victories were witnessed by anyone else or could be confirmed from surviving German records, the show led to an inquiry by the Canadian government in 1985. The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology discredited the documentary, saying it was an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of Bishop. The NFB's Commissioner, François N. MacerolaFrançois N. Macerola
François N. Macerola is a Canadian lawyer and film executive. He has held a number of senior positions with the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada....
, was called before the committee, but refused to accede to their demands that he withdraw the film from circulation.
Canadian veterans' groups were outraged by the insinuation, and Cowan received many irate letters, "He got inundated by thousands of furious letters, rumblings in the Senate subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, and demands that the government cut off funding to the NFB."
H. Clifford Chadderton
Clifford Chadderton
Hugh Clifford "Cliff" Chadderton, is a Canadian World War II veteran and Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps.Born in Fort William, Ontario, he worked as a news editor for Canadian Press and a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press and he attended the University of Manitoba...
, Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps
The War Amps
The War Amps is a Canadian nation-wide registered charitable organization founded in 1918 and operated under the direction of war amputees. Since its inception, The War Amps has had as its hallmark the unique philosophy of “amputees helping amputees.” The War Amps is able to operate its many...
, created the film The Billy Bishop Controversy to counter the bias he and other veterans perceived in the NFB film. Released in 1986, it attempts to demonstrate that Cowan and the NFB did not properly research the historical records, and reached faulty conclusions about Bishop. The Kid Who Couldn't Miss also led Chicago native, and Bishop fan, Albert Lowe to create a website (www.billybishop.net) devoted to the fighter pilot. Lowe complained about the characterization of Bishop in the film, and commented that "That year Mr. Paul Cowan, with $514,007.00 of Canadian Taxpayer's money, did one of the foulest deeds possible without committing some form of violence."
A Hero to Me: The Billy Bishop Story - WW1 Canadian flying Ace , a documentary depicting the story of "Billy" Bishop from the perspective of his granddaughter, Diana, was also produced for Global Television and TVO in 2003.