Above and Beyond (1952)

Story of Col. Paul Tibbetts, the man who piloted the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in World War 2.

Directors:

Melvin Frank, Norman Panama

Writers:

Beirne Lay Jr. (story), Melvin Frank,

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, James Whitmore

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Taylor	...	Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets 509th Composite Group CO (Pilot of Enola Gay)
Eleanor Parker	...	Lucey Tibbets
James Whitmore	...	Maj. William 'Bill' M. Uanna - Security Officer, Operation Silverplate
Larry Keating	...	Maj. Gen. Vernon C. Brent
Larry Gates	...	Capt. William 'Deak' Parsons, USN
Marilyn Erskine	...	Marge Bratton
Stephen Dunne	...	Maj. Harry Bratton, Co-Pilot B-29 Tests
Robert Burton	...	Gen. Samuel E. Roberts (Tibbets' CO in Africa)
Hayden Rorke	...	Dr. Ramsey
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Dr. Van Dyke (as Larry Dobkin)
Jack Raine	...	Dr. Fiske
Jonathan Cott	...	Capt. Dutch van Kirk (Navigator, Enola Gay)
Jeff Richards	...	Maj. Thomas Ferebee (Enola Gay Bombardier)
Dick Simmons	...	Capt. Robert A. Lewis (Co-Pilot, Enola Gay)
John McKee	...	Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury, Enola Gay Flight Engineer

Storyline

The story of Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Although unaware of the full potential of this new weapon, he knows that it is capable of doing tremendously more damage than any other weapon used before, and that the death toll resulting from it will be enormous. He is reluctant to be the person who will end so many lives, but if using it may bring an end to the war, then not doing so may result in even more lives being lost in continued ground assaults as the fighting goes on. At the same time, the intense secrecy surrounding this mission leaves him with no one he can express his thoughts and doubts to, not even his wife. As time goes on, the pressure upon him only increase.

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Plot Keywords:

atomic bomb | enola gay | world war two | nuclear weapons

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Taglines:

"You're not the man I married. Not any more. You're ambitious...cold...and heartless!"

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eagle on His Cap

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Enola Gay is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

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Goofs

Col. Tibbetts is by his plane, and the airman asks about a name, when the plane is shown with the name on it (on the right side) the letters are large, and facing downward. In the next shot, the letters are smaller and the letters are facing upward.

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Connections

Remade as Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb (1980)

User Reviews

Sticks to the Personal

The actual development of the atomic bomb was documented in films like The Beginning or the End and in Fat Man and Little Boy. Above and Beyond concentrates on the pilot of the B-29 that actually did the deed.

Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker play Colonel and Mrs. Paul Tibbetts who's marriage was put under an incredible strain due to the security surrounding his assignment. Taylor was between his marriages to Barbara Stanwyck and Ursula Thiess and was involved with Parker at the time Above and Beyond was being filmed. Probably that helped a lot during the romantic interludes in the film.

Because this film sticks to the personal story of the Tibbetts marriage and avoids all the debate about the use of the atomic bomb, it still holds up well for today's audience.

In the supporting cast I would have to single out James Whitmore who plays the security head at Wendover field where Tibbetts is training the potential crew for the mission as the most outstanding. He's virtually the only one Taylor can bare his stoic soul to with the assignment he has.

Even with the debate over Hiroshima still raging I would still recommend viewing this film.