Thunder Birds (1942 film)
Encyclopedia
Thunder Birds (subtitled "Soldiers of the Air") is a Technicolor
film directed by William A. Wellman
and starring Gene Tierney
, Preston Foster
, and John Sutton
. It features visually stunning aerial photography and location filming at an actual Arizona
training base of the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II.
The film was made as a propaganda vehicle to boost civilian morale at a time when American involvement in World War II
was still much in doubt, while at the same time providing a look at training activities and promoting airpower as a means of winning the war. Wellman was himself a veteran of the U.S. Air Service
as a World War I fighter pilot.
During World War II
, Steve Britt (Preston Foster
), a middle-aged former World War I
flying ace
and aviation celebrity, arrives at Thunderbird Field
in May 1942 looking for a job as a civilian primary flight instructor. Steve looks up Lt. Col. "Mac" "MacDonald (Jack Holt
), the base commander, who introduces him to his Royal Air Force
counterpart, Squadron Leader Barrett (Reginald Denny
). Despite their friendship, MacDonald questions why he is "burying (himself) in the desert" instead of fighting. Steve replies that the war will be won on bases like Thunderbird Field, and concedes that he's too old for combat. His idea is to train hundreds to be like himself, a "Steve Britt escadrille
over Germany and Tokyo". MacDonald agrees to call Washington D.C. to get his appointment approved. Barrett wants Steve to look over a new class of RAF cadets, but Britt defers, and asks for directions to the ranch of an old pal. After Steve leaves, Mac wryly observes to Barrett that "something tells me this pal of his, Colonel Saunders, uses lipstick
". Steve buzzes an old water tank in the desert in which Kay Saunders (Gene Tierney
) is swimming. His prop wash causes the woman's robe to blow away. Showing off, Steve flies inverted over the tank and drops her his flying coveralls
, then lands. She seems miffed at him—for reasons in their romantic past as much as his mischief—but responds to his passionate kiss of greeting. Their verbal sparring is interrupted by Kay's grandfather, retired Colonel Cyrus "Gramps" Saunders, Steve's close friend. Kay remains doubtful because Steve is a carefree nomad more interested in flying around the world than settling down.
Steve is introduced to the new RAF class of cadets. He is assigned instruct roommates Peter Stackhouse (John Sutton
) and George Lockwood (Richard Haydn
). (A third cadet is Peter Lawford
in an uncredited role.) Peter, the son of a famous aviator killed in 1918, exhibits a fear of flying
on his first flight and is clumsy on the flight controls. When Peter gets air sick
, Steve cuts short the flight. Mac warns Steve to "wash them out fast" if cadets can't perform. After three unsuccessful flights, Steve tries to persuade Peter to transfer. Peter asks for time to overcome his acrophobia
problem, which he calls a "conditional reflex
". In a flashback, Peter relates that his brother was killed on a bombing mission. Their grandmother, Lady Jane Stackhouse (Dame May Whitty), summonsed Peter (an intern at a London hospital) home to show him the check she is sending Winston Churchill
for the purchase of a new bomber to carry on the fight in Tom's memory, since there is no male is left in the family to do so. Peter contradicts her: he has left his hospital service and transferred to the RAF to learn to fly. After hearing his story, Steve agrees to keep Peter in training.
In their first leave from duty, Peter and Lockwood visit a shop and Peter meets Kay Saunders, immediately infatuated with her. She resolves to repay the hurt Steve caused her by dating Peter. She warns Peter that she might still be in love with Steve, but her instincts warn her that he would make a terrible husband. Peter admires Steve, grateful to him for his second chance. His guilty conscience forces Peter to inform Steve that he is in love with Kay and intends to propose marriage. Steve promises that he won't wash out Peter because of their rivalry. His judgment tells him that Peter will one day "make the grade as a pilot." Squadron Leader Barrett gives Peter a washout check flight and he gets sick again. Steve shows cold disinterest at Peter's fate until, moved by the disappointment of the latest group of washouts, Steve stands by Peter in a showdown, threatening to resign.
Gramps throws a Fourth of July party for the cadets and tricks Peter into riding a bucking bronco. The trick backfires when Peter proves to be an adept horseman. Steve knows that Kay has fallen in love with Peter, even though unbeknownst to him she refused the proposal of marriage because of doubts about which one she loves. Mac warns Steve that his hand has been forced: a decision on Peter has to be made. To overcome the acrophobia, Steve tells Peter to fly the plane just as he rode the bronco, by easing up and relaxing. The advice works. In an unorthodox move against flight regulations, Steve forces Peter to fly solo by bailing out but parachutes down into the path of a sand storm
. Peter lands in time to save Steve from being dragged by his parachute over a cliff, but the airplane is destroyed when the wind flips it over. Mac believes that Peter's incompetence caused the damage and washes him out. He also fires Steve. Kay tricks Mac and Barrett into giving Peter one more chance. She tells Steve that she has decided to marry Peter and tries to persuade Steve to remain an instructor, and reminds him of his own words about where the war will be won. Peter makes good on the faith shown in him, making a deadstick landing
when his engine fails during his solo. Soon after, Steve, hobbling on a cane, greets an incoming class of new RAF cadets.
to be a follow-up to his popular A Yank in the R.A.F., given the working title of A Tommy in the U.S.A. Using the pen name "Melville Crossman," Zanuck himself wrote the original story. William Wellman agreed to direct in exchange for financial backing from Zanuck to film the novel The Ox-Bow Incident, which Wellman began
immediately after production ended for Thunder Birds.
At one point it was announced that Dana Andrews
would play the lead in Thunder Birds opposite Gene Tierney, with whom he eventually made five films.
Filming of Thunder Birds coincided with the time frame of the story. Production filming began on location at the actual Thunderbird Field from mid-March 1942 and ended May 6. Additional sequences were filmed in the first week of June 1942, and retakes during July. The storyline revolved around cadets flying the Stearman PT-17 primary trainer, but also featured many live action formation flights of BT-13 Valiant
and North American AT-6 trainers. Stunt pilot Paul Mantz
flew the live action flying scenes.
released Thunder Birds on home video
on June 6, 2006.
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
film directed by William A. Wellman
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman was an American film director. Although Wellman began his film career as an actor, he worked on over 80 films, as director, producer and consultant but most often as a director, notable for his work in crime, adventure and action genre films, often focusing on aviation...
and starring Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
, Preston Foster
Preston Foster
Preston Foster was an American stage and film actor, and singer. Foster entered films in 1929 after appearing as a Broadway stage actor. He was appearing in Broadway plays as late as October 1931 when he acted in a play titled Two Seconds starring Edward J. Pawley...
, and John Sutton
John Sutton (actor)
John Sutton , who was born in Rawalpindi, British India , was actor of British parentage.-Filmography:*Rawhide as Lord Ashton...
. It features visually stunning aerial photography and location filming at an actual Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
training base of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II.
The film was made as a propaganda vehicle to boost civilian morale at a time when American involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was still much in doubt, while at the same time providing a look at training activities and promoting airpower as a means of winning the war. Wellman was himself a veteran of the U.S. Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
as a World War I fighter pilot.
Plot
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Steve Britt (Preston Foster
Preston Foster
Preston Foster was an American stage and film actor, and singer. Foster entered films in 1929 after appearing as a Broadway stage actor. He was appearing in Broadway plays as late as October 1931 when he acted in a play titled Two Seconds starring Edward J. Pawley...
), a middle-aged former 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...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
and aviation celebrity, arrives at Thunderbird Field
Thunderbird Field
Thunderbird Field was a military airfield in Glendale, Arizona, used for contract primary flight training of Allied pilots during World War II. Created in part by actor James Stewart, the field became part of the United States Army Air Forces training establishment just prior to American entry...
in May 1942 looking for a job as a civilian primary flight instructor. Steve looks up Lt. Col. "Mac" "MacDonald (Jack Holt
Jack Holt (actor)
Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
), the base commander, who introduces him to his Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
counterpart, Squadron Leader Barrett (Reginald Denny
Reginald Denny (actor)
Reginald Denny was an English stage, film, and television actor. He was once an amateur boxing champion of Great Britain.-Acting career:...
). Despite their friendship, MacDonald questions why he is "burying (himself) in the desert" instead of fighting. Steve replies that the war will be won on bases like Thunderbird Field, and concedes that he's too old for combat. His idea is to train hundreds to be like himself, a "Steve Britt escadrille
Lafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
over Germany and Tokyo". MacDonald agrees to call Washington D.C. to get his appointment approved. Barrett wants Steve to look over a new class of RAF cadets, but Britt defers, and asks for directions to the ranch of an old pal. After Steve leaves, Mac wryly observes to Barrett that "something tells me this pal of his, Colonel Saunders, uses lipstick
Lipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color, texture, and protection to the lips. Many varieties of lipstick are known. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women...
". Steve buzzes an old water tank in the desert in which Kay Saunders (Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
) is swimming. His prop wash causes the woman's robe to blow away. Showing off, Steve flies inverted over the tank and drops her his flying coveralls
Flight suit
A flight suit is a full body garment, worn while flying aircraft such as military airplanes, gliders and helicopters. These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical , and durable . Its appearance is usually similar to a jumpsuit. A military flight suit may also...
, then lands. She seems miffed at him—for reasons in their romantic past as much as his mischief—but responds to his passionate kiss of greeting. Their verbal sparring is interrupted by Kay's grandfather, retired Colonel Cyrus "Gramps" Saunders, Steve's close friend. Kay remains doubtful because Steve is a carefree nomad more interested in flying around the world than settling down.
Steve is introduced to the new RAF class of cadets. He is assigned instruct roommates Peter Stackhouse (John Sutton
John Sutton (actor)
John Sutton , who was born in Rawalpindi, British India , was actor of British parentage.-Filmography:*Rawhide as Lord Ashton...
) and George Lockwood (Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, films and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a...
). (A third cadet is Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
in an uncredited role.) Peter, the son of a famous aviator killed in 1918, exhibits a fear of flying
Fear of flying
A fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane , or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia....
on his first flight and is clumsy on the flight controls. When Peter gets air sick
Motion sickness
Motion sickness or kinetosis, also known as travel sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement...
, Steve cuts short the flight. Mac warns Steve to "wash them out fast" if cadets can't perform. After three unsuccessful flights, Steve tries to persuade Peter to transfer. Peter asks for time to overcome his acrophobia
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
problem, which he calls a "conditional reflex
Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning is a form of conditioning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov...
". In a flashback, Peter relates that his brother was killed on a bombing mission. Their grandmother, Lady Jane Stackhouse (Dame May Whitty), summonsed Peter (an intern at a London hospital) home to show him the check she is sending Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
for the purchase of a new bomber to carry on the fight in Tom's memory, since there is no male is left in the family to do so. Peter contradicts her: he has left his hospital service and transferred to the RAF to learn to fly. After hearing his story, Steve agrees to keep Peter in training.
In their first leave from duty, Peter and Lockwood visit a shop and Peter meets Kay Saunders, immediately infatuated with her. She resolves to repay the hurt Steve caused her by dating Peter. She warns Peter that she might still be in love with Steve, but her instincts warn her that he would make a terrible husband. Peter admires Steve, grateful to him for his second chance. His guilty conscience forces Peter to inform Steve that he is in love with Kay and intends to propose marriage. Steve promises that he won't wash out Peter because of their rivalry. His judgment tells him that Peter will one day "make the grade as a pilot." Squadron Leader Barrett gives Peter a washout check flight and he gets sick again. Steve shows cold disinterest at Peter's fate until, moved by the disappointment of the latest group of washouts, Steve stands by Peter in a showdown, threatening to resign.
Gramps throws a Fourth of July party for the cadets and tricks Peter into riding a bucking bronco. The trick backfires when Peter proves to be an adept horseman. Steve knows that Kay has fallen in love with Peter, even though unbeknownst to him she refused the proposal of marriage because of doubts about which one she loves. Mac warns Steve that his hand has been forced: a decision on Peter has to be made. To overcome the acrophobia, Steve tells Peter to fly the plane just as he rode the bronco, by easing up and relaxing. The advice works. In an unorthodox move against flight regulations, Steve forces Peter to fly solo by bailing out but parachutes down into the path of a sand storm
Sand Storm
Sand Storm is a 1992 action game in which you are shooting an anti-air ballistic weapon. The premise of the game is similar to that of Sabotage. You must defend your home base from planes , Patriot Missiles, and Scuds. If a missile or bomb touches the ground, some of the buildings in the base are...
. Peter lands in time to save Steve from being dragged by his parachute over a cliff, but the airplane is destroyed when the wind flips it over. Mac believes that Peter's incompetence caused the damage and washes him out. He also fires Steve. Kay tricks Mac and Barrett into giving Peter one more chance. She tells Steve that she has decided to marry Peter and tries to persuade Steve to remain an instructor, and reminds him of his own words about where the war will be won. Peter makes good on the faith shown in him, making a deadstick landing
Deadstick landing
A deadstick landing, also called a dead-stick landing is a type of forced landing when an aircraft loses all of its propulsive power and is forced to land. The term is often misunderstood, as the flight controls in the majority of aircraft are either fully or partially functional, even with no...
when his engine fails during his solo. Soon after, Steve, hobbling on a cane, greets an incoming class of new RAF cadets.
Cast
- Gene TierneyGene TierneyGene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
as Kay Saunders - Preston FosterPreston FosterPreston Foster was an American stage and film actor, and singer. Foster entered films in 1929 after appearing as a Broadway stage actor. He was appearing in Broadway plays as late as October 1931 when he acted in a play titled Two Seconds starring Edward J. Pawley...
as Steve Britt - John SuttonJohn Sutton (actor)John Sutton , who was born in Rawalpindi, British India , was actor of British parentage.-Filmography:*Rawhide as Lord Ashton...
as Peter Stackhouse - Jack HoltJack Holt (actor)Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
as Lt. Col. "Mac" MacDonald - Dame May Whitty as Lady Jane Stackhouse
- George BarbierGeorge Barbier (actor)-Career:Barbier entered Crozier Seminary to study for ministry but gave it up to go on the stage, beginning in light opera. Spent several years in repertory and stock companies and eventually appeared on Broadway...
as Col. Cyrus P. "Gramps" Saunders - Richard HaydnRichard HaydnRichard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, films and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a...
as RAF cadet George Lockwood - Reginald DennyReginald Denny (actor)Reginald Denny was an English stage, film, and television actor. He was once an amateur boxing champion of Great Britain.-Acting career:...
as Squadron Leader Barrett - Ted NorthTed NorthTed North , sometimes credited as Michael North, was a film actor of the 1940s. He appeared in a few memorable films including the films noir The Unsuspected and The Devil Thumbs a Ride . He was married to actress Mary Beth Hughes from 1943 until their divorce in 1947.-External links:...
as Cadet Hackzell - Janis CarterJanis CarterJanis Carter was a film and television actress working in the 1940s and 1950s.After attending Mather College in Cleveland, Ohio, Carter headed to New York in an attempt to start an opera career. Although unsuccessful in opera, she was working on Broadway where she was spotted on stage by Darryl F...
as Blonde - C. Montague ShawC. Montague ShawCharles Montague Shaw was an Australian character actor, often appearing in small supporting parts in more than 150 films....
as Doctor - Viola Moore as Nurse
- Nana BryantNana BryantNana Bryant was an American film actress. She appeared in over 100 films between 1935 and 1955.She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and died in Hollywood, California. Her grave is located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery....
as Mrs. Blake - Joyce ComptonJoyce ComptonJoyce Compton was an American actress.She was born Olivia Joyce Compton in Lexington, Kentucky and not Eleanor Hunt as is frequently erroneously stated. She had appeared in the film Good Sport with Hunt and this confusion in an early press article followed Compton throughout her career...
as Saleswoman - Bess FlowersBess FlowersBess Flowers was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career....
as Nurse
Production notes
Thunder Birds was intended by Fox studio chief Darryl F. ZanuckDarryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
to be a follow-up to his popular A Yank in the R.A.F., given the working title of A Tommy in the U.S.A. Using the pen name "Melville Crossman," Zanuck himself wrote the original story. William Wellman agreed to direct in exchange for financial backing from Zanuck to film the novel The Ox-Bow Incident, which Wellman began
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Ox-Bow Incident is a 1943 American western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell...
immediately after production ended for Thunder Birds.
At one point it was announced that Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
would play the lead in Thunder Birds opposite Gene Tierney, with whom he eventually made five films.
Filming of Thunder Birds coincided with the time frame of the story. Production filming began on location at the actual Thunderbird Field from mid-March 1942 and ended May 6. Additional sequences were filmed in the first week of June 1942, and retakes during July. The storyline revolved around cadets flying the Stearman PT-17 primary trainer, but also featured many live action formation flights of BT-13 Valiant
BT-13 Valiant
The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces...
and North American AT-6 trainers. Stunt pilot Paul Mantz
Paul Mantz
Albert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...
flew the live action flying scenes.
Home video release
20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
released Thunder Birds on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
on June 6, 2006.