Any series covering men and women in war has one big challenge. War is bloody, violent, and emotional, but it is also repetitious. It is warriors doing the same thing day in and day out. That makes it a challenge to come up with unique plots on a weekly basis. If that doesn't happen, the show doesn't last. Combat did it by bringing new soldiers to the squad with different problems every week. Combat lasted five years and may have gotten a year or two more if they wanted. Rat Patrol and Black Sheep Squadron had the same challenge but, given their settings, couldn't really bring in new people with new problems and make it seem realistic. They got repetitious quickly and lasted two years. The audience gets bored quickly with the same old thing, no matter how well it is presented.
12 O'Clock High had an advantage in that they flew out of England so could interact with British civilians and have stories within England for a change of pace. This outing is one of those. It is unrealistic which is a bit of a surprise as this tale came at the end of the first year and the writers shouldn't have been that desperate yet. There is a woman who refuses to leave her house at the end of the runway as she feels safe there with the war raging around her. Gen Savage wants to demolish the house as it interferes with his flight operations. He ends up crashing near there and stays in her house with her. You guessed it - they fall in love. It ends badly as he has to go back to the war and she eventually works up the courage to go to London and the house will be knocked down. There is a bird nest outside the front door with birds that will eventually end up being kicked out of the nest to make it on their own and the nest is empty at the end of the story. A bit heavy handed parable but we all get it.
Cast is fine. Dana Wynter always brings fine acting and class to any role she does. She is regal by nature. The others are all veterans at TV acting and they do well. Robert Stack is an intense actor and not very demonstrative but that works for being a general. By their nature, they are always under control. He is a more realistic commander than Paul Burke.
This episode is a bit far-fetched and would be an excellent example of a third-year story as the show wound down and the writers run out of ideas. I think the show works best when it focuses on the effects of war on the men doing the flying but I guess you need a change of pace every now and then. If you're a fan of the show, it is fine but there are others that are better representative of this series.
12 O'Clock High had an advantage in that they flew out of England so could interact with British civilians and have stories within England for a change of pace. This outing is one of those. It is unrealistic which is a bit of a surprise as this tale came at the end of the first year and the writers shouldn't have been that desperate yet. There is a woman who refuses to leave her house at the end of the runway as she feels safe there with the war raging around her. Gen Savage wants to demolish the house as it interferes with his flight operations. He ends up crashing near there and stays in her house with her. You guessed it - they fall in love. It ends badly as he has to go back to the war and she eventually works up the courage to go to London and the house will be knocked down. There is a bird nest outside the front door with birds that will eventually end up being kicked out of the nest to make it on their own and the nest is empty at the end of the story. A bit heavy handed parable but we all get it.
Cast is fine. Dana Wynter always brings fine acting and class to any role she does. She is regal by nature. The others are all veterans at TV acting and they do well. Robert Stack is an intense actor and not very demonstrative but that works for being a general. By their nature, they are always under control. He is a more realistic commander than Paul Burke.
This episode is a bit far-fetched and would be an excellent example of a third-year story as the show wound down and the writers run out of ideas. I think the show works best when it focuses on the effects of war on the men doing the flying but I guess you need a change of pace every now and then. If you're a fan of the show, it is fine but there are others that are better representative of this series.