The Starfighters (1964)

A young Air Force lieutenant falls in love with fighter planes while his father, a Congressman and war hero, yearns for him to fly heavy bombers.

Director:

Will Zens

Writer:

Will Zens

Stars:

Robert Dornan, Richard Jordahl, Shirley Olmstead

Bottom 100 #24 | See the Bottom 100 movies as voted by our users.

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert Dornan	...	Lt. John Witkowski
Richard Jordahl	...	Maj. Stevens
Shirley Olmstead	...	Mary Davidson
Richard Masters	...	Col. Hunt
Steve Early	...	Lt. York
Robert Winston	...	Lt. Lyons
Carl Rogers	...	Congressman Witkowski
Ralph Thomas	...	Capt. O'Brien
Joan Lougee	...	Betty Lyons

Storyline

The story of young Lt. Witkowski, an Air Force F-104 Starfighter pilot, and his attempts to prove himself a worthy pilot to his father, a congressman and Air Force war hero. Aerial refueling is prominently featured in this tale of the peacetime Air Force.

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Plot Keywords:

refueling | fighter plane | aerial refueling | gatling gun | military | 

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Taglines:

The blazing adventure of the men and planes who rocket to the very edge of outer space!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

George Air Force Base, Victorville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Will Zens Productions, Robert Patrick Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Col. Hunt: Listen, I just got back from the Victorville Chamber of Commerce meeting, where I gave them my anti-communist speech... and I'm still fighting mad!

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Connections

Featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters (1994)

User Reviews

It's the Poopy Suit!

Honestly, that's a line in the movie, if you can call this a movie. It's mostly stock footage of jets flying, landing, bombing, and roughly ten hours of refueling footage. The "plot" revolves around some leather-faced Air Force pilots training in new jets. That's it. Tedious doesn't come close to describing this film. Literally NOTHING happens. Nothing.Oh, and everyone in this movie has third degree sunburns and disturbingly lumpy faces. "Top Gun" it isn't. This is just a really bad movie. Be sure to look out for the Poopy Suit, a suit that somehow keeps you from drowning if you crash a jet into the ocean (not that that happens, because THAT would be interesting). The only way this is watchable is the Mystery Science Theater version, it's hilarious.