"FIGHTER SQUADRON" on TCM

Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:49 am

Gang, the classic WW2 P-47 Thunderbolt Film "FIGHTER SQUADRON" will air Today (Tuesday, 24th) on TCM at 10am Eastern. This is a great film for P-47 fans. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know the script & acting are both horrible, but the awesome Color P-47 Shots more than make up for it. This film was shot in 1948, back when P-47's were a dime a dozen. Here's some more info on this film.

Check Out the Trailer:

Click "WATCH A TRAILER" then click "ORIGINAL TRAILER" underneath the FIGHTER SQUADRON logo.
There's plenty other Warbird Movie Trailers on the right side too:

http://www.tcmdb.com/title/title.jsp?stid=1663

Fighter Squadron Photo. Some of those guys were actual WW2 AAF P-47 Pilots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... 057838.jpg

Fighter Squadron Story:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... 8269e6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... 69d57c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... ADRON3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... 012483.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... ADRON5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... ADRON6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... 73f8c1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... a370cc.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... ADRON9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ ... e15699.jpg

Anyway, Don't miss this one!! Tuesday Morning at 10am Eastern on TCM.
Here's the list of Aviation Films on Today (Tuesday 24th) All times shown are Eastern.
Adjust Your Own Time Zone accordingly....

6:00 AM Winning Your Wings (1942)
James Stewart hosts this classic Air Force recruiting film. BW-18 mins, TV-G

6:30 AM Bombardier (1943)
Military officers compete for the same woman while training pilots for war. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, Anne Shirley. Dir: Richard Wallace. BW-99 mins, TV-G

8:30 AM Devil Dogs Of The Air (1935)
Two Marine pilots vie for romance and glory. Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. BW-85 mins, TV-PG

10:00 AM Fighter Squadron (1948)
A dedicated flyer pushes himself and those around him during a perilous World War II campaign. Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Robert Stack, Rock Hudson. Dir: Raoul Walsh. C-95 mins, TV-PG, CC

12:00 PM Dive Bomber (1941)
A crusading scientist fights to prevent bomber pilots from blacking out. Cast: Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Alexis Smith. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-132 mins, TV-G, CC

2:15 PM Dawn Patrol, The (1938)
A flight commander in France almost cracks under the pressure of sending men to their deaths. Cast: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven. Dir: Edmund Goulding. BW-103 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

4:00 PM Command Decision (1948)
A senior officer faces the horror of sending his men on suicide missions over Germany during the last days of World War II. Cast: Clark Gable, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Sam Wood. BW-112 mins, TV-PG, CC

6:00 PM Flying Leathernecks (1951)
A World War II Marine officer drives his men mercilessly during the battle for Guadalcanal. Cast: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Jay C. Flippen. Dir: Nicholas Ray. C-102 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

8:00 PM Strategic Air Command (1955)
A baseball star takes to the air to help plan the U.S.' aerial defense. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Lovejoy. Dir: Anthony Mann. C-114 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format

10:00 PM Flying Tigers (1942)
American flyers help the Chinese fight off Japanese invaders. Cast: John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee. Dir: David Miller. BW-101 mins, TV-PG, CC

12:00 AM Air Force (1943)
A bomber crew sees World War II action over the Pacific. Cast: John Garfield, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy. Dir: Howard Hawks. BW-125 mins, TV-G, CC

2:30 AM Captains Of The Clouds (1942)
A mail flyer joins the Canadian air force for fun but has to prove his worth when he goes to war. Cast: James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-113 mins, TV-G, CC

4:30 AM Wings Of The Navy (1939)
Pilot brothers vie for the same woman. Cast: George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, John Payne. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. BW-90 mins, TV-G

"DIVE BOMBER" comes on right after "FIGHTER SQUADRON". Another great Color Film....
Digger

Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:47 am

Thanks for the heads up.

I had never heard of the book Celluloid Wings before. Great stuff.

Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:09 am

Which wartime movie featured Claudett Colbert enjoying a milk bath in an Roman spa, I believe she appeared in a day dream in the mind of the pilot or bombardier in a B-17 during a mission over Rome. Maybe I'm dreaming too...Tom

Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:40 am

If you notice, "Dive Bomber" and "Fighter Squadron" use the same theme music. It was composed by Max Stiener for "Dive Bomber" but the studio recycled it for not only "Fighter Squadron" in the late 1940's, but for "Destination Tokyo" during the war! I hope Stiener got paid for all three! It's great, rousing music and perfect for those films.
Jerry

Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:05 am

Yes, "Celluloid Wings" by James Farmer is without a doubt the BIBLE on Pre-1950 Aviation Films. This book is incredible!!
It's over 350 pages long & LOADED with hundreds of Rare WW1 & WW2 Warbird Movie Photos & fascinating stories...

It also has comprehensive listings of all the Warbirds that have appeared on screen, both in TV shows & movies. This book is a must for any Aviation Movie fan. You can get a copy for $50 or so at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Celluloid-wings-J ... 95&sr=1-10

Digger

Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:31 am

Make sure you see the first few minutes of Strategic Air Command...for teh B-36 flyover!

Woot!