Bombers B-52 (1957)

Sgt. Chuck Brennan always disliked playboy and hotshot, Col. Jim Herlihy. Now Chuck has even more reason to, Jim is dating his daughter, Lois.

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Irving Wallace (screenplay), Sam Rolfe (story)

Stars:

Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Marsha Hunt

Cast

Cast overview:
Natalie Wood	...	Lois Brennan
Karl Malden	...	MSgt. Chuck V. Brennan
Marsha Hunt	...	Edith Brennan
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Col. Jim Herlihy
Don Kelly	...	MSgt. Darren McKine
Nelson Leigh	...	Brig. Gen. Wayne Acton
Robert Nichols	...	Wilbur 'Brooklyn' Stuart
Ray Montgomery	...	Barnes
Robert Hover	...	Simpson (as Bob Hover)

Storyline

U.S Air Force Sgt. Chuck Brennan always disliked playboy and hotshot, Col. Jim Herlihy. He first met him in Korea, where his emergency arrival for repairs while enroute for what Chuck thought was the colonels "hot date" in Tokyo, caused the death of several of his crewmen. Now several years later when Chuck, while still in the Air Force, is now weighing continued enlistment or retirement, the base's new C.O. is none other than Col. Herlihy. Compounding his dislike is a budding romance with Chuck's daughter, Lois.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. air force | pilot | korean war | strategic bomber | cold war | 

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Taglines:

Unsung heroes lift off in the era's mightiest fighting machine!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was apparently the first film in which the US Air Force's new B-52 Stratofortress bomber was featured. It appeared in a number of films afterward, notably A Gathering of Eagles (1963), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and By Dawn's Early Light (1990).

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Goofs

When Lois is given the car, while MSgt. Brennan and Edith are talking a neighbour from the house in the background sneaks out on to their front porch, looks out at them filming for a few seconds, then sneaks back inside her house.

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Quotes

MSgt. Chuck V. Brennan: Women! - And they say the B-52 is an evolved hunk of machinery.

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Crazy Credits

[all lines centered] And Presenting Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

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Soundtracks

The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played each time Chuck answers the question correctly

User Reviews

Only Karl Malden's fine acting lifts this off the runway

Disappointing compared to for example The Hunters and rather in the manner of the made for TV programming sponsored by large corporations in the 1950's and '60's seamlessly wholesome, moderate and reassuringly affirmative of worthy values - of patriotism, of the decency of the military, of family, of duty and of hard work being its own reward. The aerial photography lacked the supreme vividness of The Hunters. Also the B52 was not as photogenic or exciting as the F86 - similarly Karl Malden compared to The Hunters star hero Robert Mitchum. Nevertheless the script called on Malden to do what he does supremely well - play the decent simple unglamourous man. The two women play very conventional roles - supportive nice looking wife, pretty, innocent and well-behaved daughter. Other women are simply described as "blonds" or "brunettes" - enough said. The greatest object of passion was the new B52 - the "biggest, fastest, highest flying, longest range bomber in the world" - passion which in movie terms sounds cheesy but in reality the chance of working on the best, the latest, fastest, most advanced etc etc is the lure which captures and retains the most skilled designers and engineers worldwide.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1957 (Japan)

Also Known As:

No Sleep till Dawn

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1