The War Lover (1962)

Buzz Rickson is a dare-devil World War II bomber pilot with a death wish. Failing at everything not involving flying, Rickson lives for the most dangerous missions. His crew lives with this... See full summary »

Director:

Philip Leacock

Writers:

Howard Koch (screenplay), John Hersey (novel)

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Robert Wagner, Shirley Anne Field

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen	...	'Buzz' / Buzz Rickson
Robert Wagner	...	'Bo' / Ed Bolland
Shirley Anne Field	...	Daphne
Gary Cockrell	...	Lynch: Crew of 'The Body'
Michael Crawford	...	Junior' / Junior Sailen: Crew of 'The Body
Bill Edwards	...	Brindt: Crew of 'The Body'
Chuck Julian	...	Lamb: Crew of 'The Body'
Robert Easton	...	Handown: Crew of 'The Body'
Al Waxman	...	Prien: Crew of 'The Body'
Tom Busby	...	Farr: Crew of 'The Body'
George Sperdakos	...	Bragliani: Crew of 'The Body'
Bob Kanter	...	Haverstraw: Crew of 'The Body'
Jerry Stovin	...	Emmet
Ed Bishop	...	Vogt (as Edward Bishop)
Richard Leech	...	Murika

Storyline

Buzz Rickson is a dare-devil World War II bomber pilot with a death wish. Failing at everything not involving flying, Rickson lives for the most dangerous missions. His crew lives with this aspect of his personality only because they know he always brings them back alive.

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Plot Keywords:

bomber | pilot | bomber pilot | airplane crash | bomber aircraft | 

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Taglines:

... came with their BIG bombers, BIG talk, BIG money - and went over BIG with the women!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

A háború szerelmese

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Columbia British Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Reilly drowned after parachuting from 2000 feet into the English Channel, near Newhaven, during the filming of a stunt for the film. He was 29 years old, had more than 300 jumps, was British parachute champion and the first Chairman of the newly formed British Parachute Association.

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Goofs

The shot of the express train going under the bridge shows V2 class engine No. 60873 Coldstreamer (a reverse image as the smokebox door is shown hinged on the left), yet when the train pulls into the terminus, Steve McQueen is seen on the footplate of B1 class engine No. 61378.

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Quotes

Captain Buzz Rickson: What's the matter Bolland, afraid to die?
1st Lt Ed Bolland: Damn right I am. But you're scared to live.

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Connections

Referenced in Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005)

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Soundtracks

"In Pride of May"
(uncredited)
Written by John Jeffreys

User Reviews

War Lover back story

Aviation author Martin Caiden (his books were the basis for the film "Marooned" and the t.v show "The Six Million Dollar Man") published a book entitled "Everything But The Flak" that detailed the efforts to revive three Navy PB-1 Flying Forts and the ensuing flight adventure of moving them across the Atlantic to England for the making of "The War Lover" which is a "must read" for those interested in the making of this film. He accompanied the flight crews and although his larger-than-life account of their hijinks (rumbling with Soviets in the airport in Greenland, being locked up by Interpol in Portugal on suspicion of smuggling illicit warplanes - after all these three B-17s had active gun turrets) must be taken with a grain of salt, the guy sure could spin a great yarn! The book is probably WAY out of print but is well worth seeking out as it gives some idea of the difficulty of reactivating three WW II bombers years before the warbird revival got underway. Unfortunately, due to import/export duties in England in the early 1960s, Columbia Pictures scrapped two of the three Fortresses after filming was completed and only one has survived, used for promotion of the film before being passed onto other hands.

The movie itself has lots of B-17 action of the planes taxiing around the airfield prior to mission take-off that is frequently edited out for television broadcast to save time for commercials or to fit into a specific airtime envelope. If it airs uncut, notice the patchy paint on the Fortress noses as three airframes portray a much larger squadron, with nose art changed several times.

Mark Sublette, Falls Church, Virginia