Playhouse 90 (TV Series) Bomber's Moon (1958) User Reviews

Rod Serling - The King Midas of screenplays and storytelling! :)

[gilligan1965 · 9/10 · 20 January 2015]

I'm 49 years-old, and, I've never heard of this show!?!? It took my fourteen-year-old Son to find, send, and, have me watch this! I'm very much into watching classic and vintage movies and television shows, but, I've 'never seen' this TV show, or, episode, before. Although I'm a Rod Serling addict, I had to wait until my young Son found and sent this to me!?!? What a great vintage show! A great episode with a meaning and purpose...and, a great show with a star-studded cast of actors who would later become 'very familiar' to television and the Silver Screen audiences.

Ever since my 'little' Son began watching the 'Original Series' of "The Twilight Zone," he's begun searching for anything and everything that has Rod Serling's name on it. Since then, my Son has sent me a variety of "GREAT SHOWS" that I've never seen, but, have taken a great interest in. 'This' is only 'one' of them.

Rod Serling's legacy of great screenplays, storytelling, and, even his "NAME" upon productions, has lead to the fame and fortune of 'so many' names in show business whom we will remember forever. Everyone in this episode, separately, went on to star in classic TV shows like "The Wild Wild West;" "The Twilight Zone;" "Star Trek TOS;" etc;..and, in movies such as "The Cincinnati Kid:" "The Sand Pebbles:" "Psycho:" "Dial M For Murder:" "Seven Days In May;" and, others.

What a great show! Rod Serling and his 'Legacy' have and will 'forever' stand the test of time - but...I needed my fourteen-year-old Son to bring much of what I haven't seen to this old man's attention!?!? If 'any part' of 'any show' reads 'Rod Serling'...watch it! You'll be that-much better for it! :)

What a combination--Rod Serling and John Frankenheimer!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 4 October 2015]

Back in the 1950s, much of the very best entertainment wasn't coming from Hollywood but was being broadcast LIVE from New York! Yes, the best writers and directors were being created and fostered on television and "Bomber's Moon" is a great example of these brilliant creative forces. The multi-award winning writer, Rod Serling, wrote this script and John Frankenheimer, one of the best directors of suspense ("The Manchurian Candidate") are paired in this WWII drama- -and that alone is more than enough reason to watch this film. This begs the question--where can you find this show? Well, fortunately a kinescope version of the live broadcast was saved and is floating about on YouTube. The combination of the kinescope and YouTube mean the quality of the print ain't great--but be thankful as most of these wonderful old live teleplays simply no longer exist.

This show is about a Colonel who is in the group commander of a bombing group in Europe during WWII. Colonel Culver (Bob Cummings) is a real hard character. He has no sympathy for anyone and his only driving passion is destroying the Germans. When one of the pilots in the group has aborted one mission too many, Culver hates the man and denounced him as a coward. How much further can this guy drive himself and others until he cracks?

While this is a very good installment of "Playhouse 90", it does have one big problem. Hollywood had already made two exceptionally good movies with similar themes: "Flight Command" and "12 O'Clock High". Both (particularly the latter film) are brilliant and no teleplay could surpass the films in writing and quality. "Bomber's Moon" has some excellent moments (such as when Cummings' character berates a man he sees as a coward in front of the bomber crews) and is a very good character study. It also, unfortunately, overuses stock footage and isn't the most original teleplay I have seen-- though it is a quality production nevertheless and is quite compelling. And, Cummings did a great job playing this very interesting character.

By the way, the crews are attacking Rhinegard. I did a Google search and found no such place.

Better Than 12 O'Clock High - WW2 AF Drama - Bomber's Moon

[arthur_tafero · 8/10 · 17 June 2021]

My father was in the Army Air Force in England during WW 2. So, as a kid, I always had a keen interest in any Air Force movie. I saw them all; from Air Force with John Garfield to 12 O'Clock High with Gregory Peck, which became the standard bearer for that genre of Hollywood films. But this Playhouse 90 production is superior to 12 O'Clock high because it gets right to the meat and potatoes of warfare in the sky; men are scared from the beginning to the end of every mission. My father said he was scared on every mission from beginning to end, and then he was transferred to the D-Day group that took in the paratroopers over Normandy. He said he wasnt scared on that trip because the guys in the plane were jumping into the night void and he was safely on the plane. He said he felt ashamed coming back to the base in England after the drop. And then he went on to be part of the Battle of the Bulge. He said he got over it real fast when he was in the German forest during the winter. All he wanted then was dry socks. He went back to being scared again, which is what this film is all about. There would have to be something drastically wrong with you not to be scared going into a bombing raid or an invasion of Normandy. This film captures that dynamic completely. I didnt know Robert Cummings had it in him, but he did a great job and was perfectly cast; unlike a previous Playhouse production of 12 Angry Men, in which I thought he was miscast. This film is not to be missed and is a classic of WW2. Be sure to catch it.

WOW!!! 12 O'Clock High on Steroids!!!

[nagolyar · 2 June 2020]

This TV Play is BRUTAL... and that is what makes it so gripping! Bob Cummings Group Commander character is a man who has built a protective wall around himself to repel all emotions in the middle of WWII. Unfortunately, he has walled those emotions inside his fortress with himself and they are coming after him. (I'm waxing poetic so as not to give spoilers.) The acting is superb and this is truly a glimpse of just how great a writer Rod Serling was. I had to watch it on YouTube, but after that I am going to find a copy and put it right next to Gregory peck's 12 O'clock High. WATCH THIS FILM!