The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) (TV)

Director:

Robert Markowitz

Writers (WGA):

Paris Qualles (teleplay) and
Trey Ellis (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The right spirit. The right attitude. The wrong color.

Plot:

The true story of how a group of African American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest US fighter groups in World War II

Plot Keywords:

Training | African American | Fighter Pilot | Military | Aerial Combat

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Laurence Fishburne	...	Hannibal Lee
Allen Payne	...	Walter Peoples
Malcolm-Jamal Warner	...	Leroy Cappy
Courtney B. Vance	...	Lt. Glenn (as Courtney Vance)
Andre Braugher	...	Benjamin O. Davis
Christopher McDonald	...	Major Joy (as Chris McDonald)
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Col. Rogers
John Lithgow	...	Senator Conyers
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Billy Roberts
Mekhi Phifer	...	Lewis Johns
Christopher Bevins	...	Young Hannibal
Eddie Braun	...	Tail Gunner
Max Daniels	...	Left Waist Gunner
Jack Dwyer	...	Operations Officer
James Field	...	Conductor
Vivica A. Fox	...	Charlene (as Vivica Fox)
Bennet Guillory	...	Hannibal's Father
David Harrod	...	White Pilot #1
Brett A. Jones	...	Right Waist Gunner (as Brett Jones)
Johnny Judkins	...	White Pilot #2
Tim Kelleher	...	Lt. Wesley - B17
Doug Kruse	...	Walter's Instructor
Ed Lauter	...	General Stevenson
Barry Lehman	...	German Prisoner
Janet MacLachlan	...	Hannibal's Mother
Allen McCormick	...	Lewis' Instructor
Willie Minor	...	Black Prisoner
Perry Moore	...	Reggie Newton
Rosemary Murphy	...	Eleanor Roosevelt
Marco Perella	...	Col. Sirca
David Pickens	...	Gang Boss
William Earl Ray	...	Tank
Rick Snyder	...	Chairman Cassidy
Allen R. Stokes	...	Drill Sergeant
Ned Vaughn	...	Capt. Butler - B-17
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Graham Jarvis	...	Senator (uncredited)
John Lizzi	...	Senator at Hearing (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Markowitz

Writing credits (WGA)
Paris Qualles		(teleplay) and
Trey Ellis		(teleplay) and
Ron Hutchinson		(teleplay)
Robert Williams		(story) and
T.S. Cook		(story)

Produced by
Carol Bahoric	....	co-producer
Bill Carraro	....	producer
Frank Price	....	executive producer
Robert Williams	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Lee Holdridge

Cinematography by
Ron Orieux		(director of photography) (as Ronald Orieux)

Film Editing by
David Beatty

Casting by
Robi Reed		(as Robi Reed-Humes)

Production Design by
Christiaan Wagener

Art Direction by
Russell J. Smith		(as Russell Smith)

Set Decoration by
Ernie Bishop		(as Ernest Bishop)

Costume Design by
Ileane Meltzer

Makeup Department
Stacye P. Branche	....	key makeup artist (as Stacye Branche)
Denise Fischer	....	makeup artist
Rebekah Irwin	....	barber
Vicki Jones	....	makeup artist: aerial unit (as Vickie L. Jones)
Steve Marshall	....	makeup artist
Nadyne Peoples	....	key hair stylist
Dana Tanner	....	makeup artist: aerial unit

Production Management
Bill Carraro	....	unit production manager
David R. Elliott	....	post-production supervisor
Donald C. Klune	....	unit production manager: aerial unit
Lulu Zezza	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kevin LaRosa	....	second unit director: aerial unit
B. Scott Senechal	....	first assistant director: aerial unit (as Scott Senechal)
Bruce A. Simon	....	first assistant director
Donald Sparks	....	second assistant director (as Donald L. Sparks)
Lawrence M. Wagner	....	second second assistant director (as Larry Wagner)

Art Department
Chuck Askerneese	....	first assistant props
James Blair	....	carpenter
Gene Bowen	....	carpenter
Derek Broes	....	props: aerial unit (as Derek 'Bent' Broes)
Paul Burnham	....	carpenter laborer
James Cripps	....	greensman (as James W. Cripps)
Justin J. Cripps	....	swing gang
Jeff Crowe	....	stand-by scenic
Michael T. Daigle	....	lead scenic
Linda Gann	....	scenic artist
Albert Gentile	....	carpenter laborer
Sabina Gentile	....	scenic artist
Allison Gobbell	....	painter
Ali Gobelle	....	stand-by scenic
David A. Goffe II	....	carpenter laborer
Tonya S. Holly	....	construction production assistant (as Tonya Suzanne Holly)
Ross Hurley	....	swing gang
Noah Hutchison	....	assistant propmaker
Ronald O. Jaynes	....	construction coordinator
Airick Kredell	....	leadman: dayplayer
Suzanne Lapick	....	property master (as Suzanne LaPick)
Madlyne Marcom	....	assistant art director (as Madelyne Marcom)
Vincent D. Marra	....	carpenter
Patrick J. Martin	....	lead carpenter
Kim McClees	....	props
Kim McClees	....	props: aerial unit
Dave Meyers	....	mock-ups
Walt Mikolwski	....	foreman (as Walter Mikowlski)
Mark Mills	....	swing gang (as Mark 'Maverick' Mills)
Kristie Pfeffinger	....	scenic artist
Kenneth Michael Pyle	....	swing gang
Tom Reta	....	assistant art director (as Thomas C. Reta)
Jennifer Sauer	....	storyboard artist
Sue Savage	....	set designer
Charles Scaife	....	on-set dresser (as Charles G. Scaife II)
Ricky B. Stecyk	....	leadman (as Rick 'Flintstone' Stecyk)
Mary Louise Stoughton	....	art department coordinator
Hanna Strauss	....	storyboard artist
Raymond Thibault	....	scenic artist
Melanie Thomas	....	scenic artist
Donald Thompson	....	swing gang
Scott Visalli	....	swing gang
Shelley Wallace	....	second assistant props
Shana Yarborough	....	carpenter laborer
Jim Yellow Eagle	....	propmaker

Sound Department
Nick Alphin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Veda Campbell	....	sound mixer
Scott C. Evans	....	boom operator
G. Michael Graham	....	supervising sound editor
Robert L. Harman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Robert Harman)
David Hill	....	sound intern
Kristi Johns	....	supervising adr editor
Andre King	....	cable puller
Jon Oh	....	sound mixer: aerial unit (as Jon Kuk Young Oh)
Dean St. John	....	adr recordist
J.R. Westen	....	adr mixer
Bill Bell	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Tim Chilton	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Bob Costanza	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Mike Dickeson	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Paul Drenning	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Mark Friedgen	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Anton Holden	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Michael Lyle	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Gary Macheel	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Joseph Melody	....	co-supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Jill Schachne	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Mark Steele	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Richard S. Steele	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Tim Terusa	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Darren Wright	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Leslie Amos	....	special effects assistant
Fred Cramer	....	special effects coordinator
Ken Estes	....	special effects foreman
Jack R. White	....	special effects assistant
Patrick R. Wroughton	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Bill Hansard	....	projection scenes (as Billy Hansard)
Larry Jolly	....	models
John R. McConnell	....	Domino artist (as John McConnell)
Ray McIntyre Jr.	....	digital effects supervisor (as Raymond McIntyre Jr.)
Michael Muscal	....	visual effects supervisor
Charlie Tang	....	Domino artist
Billy Williams	....	visual effects coordinator
Reid Paul	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Vandy Anderson	....	crew: B-17 unit
Tony Brubaker	....	stunt coordinator
Brent Burditt	....	stunts
Michael D. Burke	....	stunt co-pilot: B-17
Ladd Doctor	....	stunt pilot: Me-109
Lee Donham	....	stunt pilot: AT-6/Stearman (as Lee R. Donham)
Thomas E. Gregory III	....	crew: B-17 unit
Thomas Matthew Jackson	....	stunt pilot: P-51
Trevor C. Jones	....	crew: B-17 unit
Kevin LaRosa	....	stunt coordinator: aerial stunts
Jimmy Leeward	....	stunt pilot: P-51 (as James K. Leeward)
John Loerch	....	stunt pilot: ferry, Stearman
Dan Martin	....	stunt pilot: P-51
Alden H. Miller	....	stunt pilot: PT-17
James W. Milon	....	stunts
Edward J. Modes	....	stunt pilot: AT-6
Leeman Pior	....	mechanic: B-17 unit crew
Ralph Royce	....	stunt pilot: B-17
Cliff Shirpser	....	stunt pilot: AT-6 (as Clifford G. Shirpser)
Art Vance	....	stunt pilot: P-51
Dan Vance	....	stunt pilot: P-51
Leslie Walters	....	stunts
Bob Younkin	....	stunt pilot: Travel Air 4000 & AT-6

Camera and Electrical Department
Lindy Alsobrooks	....	key grip (as Lindy L. Alsobrooks)
L. Brian Blagowsky	....	electrician (as Brian 'Bulldog' Blagowsky)
Robert D. Bowers	....	grip
Richard Lloyd Boyett	....	electrician
David L. Butler	....	director of photography: aerial unit
Jeffrey R. Clark	....	first assistant camera
Sean Doyle	....	camera operator
Randy Feemster	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Randy Feemster	....	camera operator: aerial unit
Bob Fox	....	gaffer
Douglas S. Holgate	....	assistant camera
Douglas S. Holgate	....	first assistant camera: aerial unit (as Doug Holgate)
Frank M. Holgate	....	director of photography: aerial unit (as Frank Holgate)
Steve Holgate	....	first assistant camera: aerial unit
Dian Horton	....	second assistant camera (as Dian K. Horton)
Steve Jackman	....	first assistant camera: aerial unit (as Steven Jackman)
John Janusek	....	key rigging grip (as John 'Beef' Janusek)
John Janusek	....	key rigging grip: aerial unit
Mark L. Johnson	....	loader: aerial unit
Danny McCallum	....	best boy electric (as Danny MacCallum)
Michael C. Price	....	rigging best boy grip
Bradford Reed	....	additional second assistant camera (as P. Bradford Reed)
Tim Risch	....	second assistant camera: aerial unit
Frank Shields	....	aerial unit: Stearman ferry pilot
Lynn Smith	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Lynn L. Smith)
Scott Sprague	....	rigging best boy (as Scott J. Sprague)
D. Stevens	....	still photographer
Pernell Youngblood Tyus	....	camera operator
Ric Urbauer	....	best boy grip
Ross Warren	....	rigging gaffer
Ross Warren	....	rigging gaffer: aerial unit
George Wells	....	dolly grip
Toby White	....	second assistant camera: aerial unit
Darryl Wilson	....	grip
Steve Francis	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Debbie Blair	....	extras casting associate
Brent Burditt	....	extras casting assistant
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Ricki Maslar	....	extras casting
Angela Ortiz	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Craig Anthony	....	wardrobe supervisor
Heidi Kure	....	set costumer
Heidi Kure	....	wardrobe: aerial unit
John Thiele	....	costumer
Scott Tomlinson	....	assistant costume designer
Kaye Wise	....	additional costumer

Editorial Department
Shana Bacal	....	post-production intern
Clay Cambern	....	assistant editor
Susie Fredrickson	....	post-production assistant (as Susan L. Fredrickson)
Charlotte Grau	....	telecine colorist
Susan Heick	....	additional assistant editor
Bob McMillian	....	color timer
Ken Poteat	....	apprentice editor
Z. Jean Woods	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Frank Capp	....	music coordinator
Gary Gray	....	music recordist
Ira Hearshen	....	orchestrator
Mark Heyes	....	music editor
John 'Wheels' Hurlbut	....	assistant scoring engineer
Stan Jones	....	music editor
Gary Gray	....	score engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Loren Bess	....	driver
Jon Carpenter	....	transportation coordinator
Kevin Cortez	....	driver (as Kevin M. Cortez)
J. Armin Garza II	....	insert car driver: aerial unit
Chris Gorden	....	driver
Shane Greedy	....	transportation captain
Steve Howard	....	driver (as Steven J. Howard)
John A. Mulson Jr.	....	driver
R. Kenneth Murray	....	driver
Joy Perezchica	....	driver
Davis M. Pryor	....	transportation: aerial unit (as David Pryor)
James Samuel	....	driver
Jim Sgrignoli	....	driver
Mary La Ree Sgrignoli	....	driver (as Mary Laree Sgrignoli)
Eric Stanford	....	driver
Nick Stavrow	....	driver (as Nick Stavrow Jr.)
Tom Stillman	....	transportation co-captain
Jim Stirwalt	....	driver
Allen Strockbine	....	driver: honeywagon
Michelle Weaver	....	driver
Richard Weaver	....	driver
Warren Welsh	....	driver

Other crew
Kathy Alsobrooks	....	paramedic (as Kathy Alsobrooks R.N.)
Richard W. Barnes III	....	military trainer (as Sgt. Richard W. Barnes III)
Kurt N. Beatty	....	production assistant
Benita Brazier	....	script supervisor
Sally Bryant	....	assistant: Ms. Bahoric
Max Burnett	....	key set production assistant: aerial unit
Max Burnett	....	production assistant
Clay Cambern	....	plate preparation
Natalie Canerday	....	production secretary
Lisa Castleberry	....	production assistant
Linda Dorn	....	stock footage: Larry Dorn & Associates
Matthew B. Doyle	....	production assistant
Michael F. Dunn	....	craft service (as Michael Dunn)
Bob Enriquez	....	assistant accountant
Paul Franklin III	....	craft service: aerial unit
James Gierman	....	location manager
Dawn Gilliam	....	script supervisor: aerial unit
Chris Gray	....	talent coordinator (as Christopher Gray)
Hilton A. Green	....	production consultant (as Hilton Green)
Holly Hamrick Yeatman	....	assistant location manager
John Horton	....	government relations: Horton Associates (as John E. Horton)
Karla Ingebretsen	....	assistant coordinator: aerial unit
Miriam Holder Jacobs	....	production coordinator
Jerry Jaffe	....	location manager
Shawn Jorgensen	....	production assistant
Kyanosh K-Nejad	....	production assistant
Shannon Kelly	....	assistant accountant
Kimberly Koenen	....	assistant: Mr. Price
Paul Marcus	....	location supervisor
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	production associate
Ellen McDonald	....	production accountant
David G. McKnight	....	assistant location manager
Nancy Morrison Cook	....	paramedic
Maureen Murphy	....	tape-to-tape transfer
Tracy E. Paddock	....	assistant production coordinator
Nilda Pergola-Jensen	....	stock footage: March Airforce Base (as Nilda Jensen)
Diana Petras	....	assistant: Mr. Carraro
Roger Poirier	....	craft service: aerial unit (as Roger J Poirier)
Deborah Ricketts	....	researcher: archival film
Jay Roberts	....	assistant: Mr. Fishburne
Mia Ross	....	production assistant
Ann Marie Sanderlin	....	production assistant
Brant Seghetti	....	set production assistant: aerial unit
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant coordinator: aerial unit (as Clifford Shirpser)
Cliff Shirpser	....	safety: aerial unit (as Clifford Shirpser)
Raymond G. Smith	....	government relations: Horton Associates
Shawn Suttles	....	assistant: Mr. Gooding (as Sean Shuttles)
David N. Sweatt	....	military trainer (as Sgt. David N. Sweatt)
Karyn J. Taylor	....	assistant: Mr. Markowitz
Jo Yellow Eagle	....	production assistant
Cathy Ziehl	....	production secretary
Michelle Colbert	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
William Brett Haas	....	location scout (uncredited)
Rugg Williams	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Branko Wohlfahrt	....	weapon specialist (uncredited)

Thanks
Mary Nell Clark	....	special thanks: Oklahoma Film Office
The Henderson Family	....	special thanks: Ft. Smith, Arkansas
Suzy Lilly	....	special thanks: Arkansas Film and Development Office
Mitchell E. Marovitz	....	we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of: Army Office of Public Affairs, Los Angeles Branch (as Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell E. Marovitz)
Thomas McCollum	....	we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of: military coordinator/technical advisor (as Major Thomas D. McCollum)
Philip M. Strub	....	we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of: Department of Defense liaison

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Price Entertainment

Distributors

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (USA) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD)

Special Effects

• OCS/Freeze Frame/Pixel Magic (digital visual effects)

Other Companies

• 4MC Film Sound  re-recorded at
• Arkansas & Missouri Railroad  special thanks
• Arkansas Film Office  special thanks (as Arkansas Film and Development Office)
• Cameo Film Library  stock footage supplied by
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• City of Ft. Smith, Arkansas  special thanks
• City of Muskogee, Oklahoma  special thanks
• Coast to Coast Catering  catering
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• Department of Defense, The  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Department of the Army  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of (as The Department of the Army)
• Echo Films  sound
• Elizabeth Bardsley & Associates  script annotation (uncredited)
• Fort Chaffee, Arkansas  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Greg Taylor Restorations  tanks (uncredited)
• Grinberg Film Libraries  stock footage supplied by
• Larry Dorn Associates  stock footage supplied by (as Larry Dorn & Associates)
• MCA/Universal  stock footage supplied by
• Manta Eastern Sound Ltd.  music recorded at (as Manta Eastern Sound)
• March Air Force Base  stock footage supplied by (as March Airforce Base)
• National Archives  stock footage supplied by
• Oberman, Tivoli & Miller  production accountants (as Oberman, Tivoli & Miller, Ltd.)
• Oklahoma Film Commission  special thanks (as Oklahoma Film Office)
• Oklahoma National Guard  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Post Group, The  post-production services
• The National Guard Bureau  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• UCLA Film and Television Archive  stock footage supplied by (as U.C.L.A. Film and Television Archive)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong war violence

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

Most of the characters were fictitious composites of real pilots. However, Benjamin "B.O." Davis was very much a real person and was depicted much more accurately than the others.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The 99th flew obsolete P-39 Airacobras during their deployment to Africa, not P-51 Mustangs.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Hannibal:[chasing after biplane] Hey! Hey! Hey! Wait for me!

Movie Connections:

Featured in 48th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Straighten Up and Fly Right

HBO never ceases to impress me.

HBO is by far the best at making original movies and shows. Tuskeegee Airmen is no exception, in fact it's my favorite movie from HBO pictures to date. Stunning acting and a fantastic script. My praise goes out to all involved in this film and I definately hope HBO continues it's long trend of fantastic films and series.