Strategic Air Command (film)
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Strategic Air Command is an American film. Released by Paramount Pictures in 1955, it starred Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, and was directed by Anthony Mann.
[edit] Cast
- Jimmy Stewart as Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland.
- June Allyson as Sally Holland.
- Frank Lovejoy as Gen. Ennis C. Hawkes (character based on Gen. Curtis LeMay).
- Harry Morgan as Sgt. Bible, a flight engineer (as Henry Morgan).
Jimmy Stewart plays a United States Air Force Reserve officer recalled to active duty to fly B-36 and B-47 nuclear bombers for the Strategic Air Command. The film accurately portrays (although more from a 1951 than a 1955 perspective) the duties and responsibilities of service in the Air Force, and the strains such service placed on family life. The film also features some of the most dramatic aerial photography ever filmed, accompanied by Victor Young's soaring musical score. It also is the only major motion picture to highlight the B-36, then near the end of its service life and about to be replaced by the B-52.
Stewart's character is a professional baseball player recalled to active duty. He is injured on-duty, which not only bars him from further flying but also appears to end his baseball career; he leaves the Air Force at the end of the film. In real life World War II, Stewart had been a B-17 instructor pilot, then a B-24 squadron commander and group operations officer, completing 20 combat missions. At the time of filming, Stewart was a colonel in the Air Force Reserve (he was later promoted to Brigadier General). Thus Stewart's character is not too far from a life he could have chosen.
Two important premises of the film, which was made with the cooperation with the United States Air Force, are the tactical superiority of strategic bombing, and the need for a strong and confident nuclear deterrent as the only way to ensure peace. These premises contrast starkly with the theme of Dr. Strangelove, released in 1964.
More recently, the film has drawn some fire for ignoring the role of women and minorities in the military. All women depicted in the film are housewives, and no non-whites are depicted in military uniform. This is not surprising, given the era in which the film was made, but it remains the case that the film failed to recognize that by 1955, the Air Force was fully racially integrated and that Women in the Air Force (WAFs) had been a part of the regular Air Force since 1948.
The film's release resulted in a 25% increase in Air Force enlistments[citation needed]. Viewed from a post World War II perspective, the film's appeal lies in its optimistic portrayal of the dedicated personnel of the early Strategic Air Command.
Spanish title: Nido de águilas ("Eagle's nest")
