A Gathering of Eagles (1963)

Rock Hudson plays an Air Force Colonel who has just been re-assigned as a cold war B-52 commander who must shape up his men to pass a grueling inspection that the previous commander had ... See full summary »

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Robert Pirosh (screenplay), Sy Bartlett (story)

Stars:

Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, Mary Peach

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rock Hudson	...	Col. Jim Caldwell
Rod Taylor	...	Col. Hollis Farr
Mary Peach	...	Victoria Caldwell
Barry Sullivan	...	Col. Bill Fowler
Kevin McCarthy	...	Gen. 'Happy Jack' Kirby
Henry Silva	...	Col. Joe Garcia
Leora Dana	...	Mrs. Evelyn Fowler
Robert Lansing	...	Sgt. Banning
Richard Anderson	...	Col. Ralph Josten
Richard LePore	...	Sgt. Kemler
Robert Bray	...	Lt. Col. Gales
Jim Bannon	...	Col. Morse
Nelson Leigh	...	Gen. Aymes
Russ Bender	...	Col. Torrance
John McKee	...	Maj. Travis

Storyline

Rock Hudson plays an Air Force Colonel who has just been re-assigned as a cold war B-52 commander who must shape up his men to pass a grueling inspection that the previous commander had failed, and had been fired for. He is also recently married, and as a tough commanding officer doing whatever he has to do to shape his men up, his wife sees a side to him that she hadn't seen before.

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Plot Keywords:

cold war | military | bare chested male | airforce | squash | 

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Taglines:

The Red Phone... His Mistress... Her Rival... Hurling Him to the Edge of Space... Freezing Her Love on the Edge of Time!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aguilas al acecho

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jerry Goldsmith's opening fanfare was licensed by Cinema International Corporation (CIC) for its vanity plate fanfare. CIC was an international film distribution company, part owned by Universal (with Paramount and, later, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).

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Goofs

During an inflight emergency when his B-52 experiences a fuel leak while refueling from a KC-135 tanker, Col Caldwell correctly orders his crew to don oxygen masks so as not to breathe the gas fumes. The crew puts on their masks, but the remaining scenes depicting the emergency show the crew with their masks off again, even though fuel is still leaking and fumes are still present.

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Quotes

Col. Jim Caldwell: It's been one big happy family, hasn't it? The fishing's good at Grant's Pass? Tell Hollis Farr; he'll OK a leave! You don't like the seven-day alert? Tell Hollis Farr; he aims to please! He's not out on any limb; no sir! Let the wing commander stick his neck out! Hang on as vice-commander until something cushier turns up - and don't ever get in a spot where they can turn the heat on you. Well, it's about time somebody did. And if a man can't stand the heat, the best thing to do is stay out of ...
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Columbo: The Most Crucial Game (1972)

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Soundtracks

"The Sac Song"
Words and Music by Tom Lehrer

User Reviews

A very accurate depiction of life in SAC in the '60s. Great movie, great footage.

I was only able to see this movie once and have been looking for it ever since to no avail, so far. I was at Travis AFB at the time of it's filming. I worked on the flight line and our planes were those used in the film. I was also TDY (temporary duty) at Beale AFB where I understand most or much of the filming took place. I worked on B-52's and KC-135As in servicing, recovery and crew chief duty and spent a lot of time on alert duty at the hard pad Alert Facility. All this to say that the film was VERY true to what SAC life was like in the flesh. I can see why some think the plot was a little thin as it was a glimpse into what day-to-day life in SAC was like. The Minimum Interval Take-offs (MITOs)were very true to life, sometimes three bombers and/or tankers rolling on the runway at the same time. If full count points aren't given for the plot, or there are those who would discount because of Rock Hudson's personal life, certainly full credit has to be given for accuracy. I know, I was there! I would love to own a DVD of this movie. I have been waiting over 40 years. Help, anyone? I'd even settle for a VHS tape.