2 Mustangs on 12 O'Clock High - ID on 1?

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sat May 18, 2013 11:29 am

I caught an episode of 12 O'Clock High the other night that featured some P-51s; one was N5441V (they didn't bother to hide the N number although the word "Spam" in Spam Can was obscured!):
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?i ... 03/5151/10
The other was a highly polished D with the number 800 on the tail and no other markings except the star and bar. Anyone know which one it is?

JohnB · **Posted:** Sat May 18, 2013 12:10 pm

The Mustang with the 800 number on the tail was used in several episodes ad Gallagher's personal ship.
Somewhere on the web I read it was owned at the time by an ex-RCAF pilot.

The other Mustang, with invasion stripes and "Spam can" name was/is part of the POF collection. I had never seen that episode before and was surprised by the amount of nice air to air footage of it. I'd guess Tallmantz did the air to air work from their B-25...but it's not listed on Scott Thompson's Tallmantz projects page.

C VEICH · **Joined:** Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:40 pm **Posts:** 1471

JohnB wrote:

The Mustang with the 800 number on the tail was used in several episodes ad Gallagher's personal ship.
Somewhere on the web I read it was owned at the time by an ex-RCAF pilot.

Don Plumb's bird possibly?

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Unlikely it was Plumb's CF-USA.... He got CF-USA in 1972 that episode was filmed in the 1966 ERA... Prior to Plumb buying the plane, it was painted when it was USA registered. So I doubt it...

I'd really guess stock footage... I've seen it before..

Mark H

airnutz · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 7:30 am

JohnB wrote:

The Mustang with the 800 number on the tail was used in several episodes ad Gallagher's personal ship.
Somewhere on the web I read it was owned at the time by an ex-RCAF pilot.

Maybe Lynn Garrison's bird with the Canadian registry and Confederate Air Force markings removed and replaced with some basic US insignia? He's in the credits(and elsewhere) as having flown for the series in 1966.

JohnB · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 1:36 pm

P51Mstg wrote:

Unlik
I'd really guess stock footage... I've seen it before..
Mark H

No, I don't think so. The color is too good and it's shown against very California-ish mountains....besides, actors are shown climbing in it on a couple of occasions...once where a pilot lands to pick up the CO whose Mustang was shot down.
The producers didn't sweat the details THAT much to paint a rented Mustang up to match stock photos (after all they didn't even paint out the N number of the PoF Mustang in the episode we're discussing).

Also, it has no serial or USAAF unit markings....surely not wartime/USAAF/USAF stock footage and nothing that squares with stock film from a postwar Hollywood film (Battle Hymn or something similar).

Yes, I've been watching the 4am repeats for the last couple of months. I'm on my second go-around but there are a few episodes...like this one...I missed the first time around.

Here's where I got the info on the Canadian connection...from the TV series entry on wiki..."The segments in 1966 had the former Royal Canadian Air Force pilot Lynn Garrison coordinating the aerial footage. Garrison had been drawn to the project by his friend, Robert Lansing. Garrison owned the P-51 used in the series."
I'm sure some Mustang expert can ID the aircraft based on that ownership.

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 9:25 am

A couple of screen grabs would be interesting to compare to CF-LOR and CF-LOQ. I was being conservative with the wiki because there is some confusion. Mr. Garrison has had a helluva run! That's some biography! My notes are sketchy from last year when I was watching 12OH on We but the P-51's pioqued my intererst...

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Nice call John B....

You added a piece to the how did the Mustangs get to Canastota NY puzzle......

"In 1960, Garrison obtained a contract to ferry 75 P-51 Mustang aircraft, retired from RCAF service, to their new owners in New York. "

Spent a lot of time there in the early 1960s. Canastota NY was an interesting place.........

He got 2 P-51s for ferrying the Mustangs. CF-LOQ and CF-LOR
http://www.flickr.com/photos/p38p40p51/5209295968/
Which looks like it could be the one in 12 OClock High

CF-LOR Which became N1451D and had a fatal crash in June 1964.
CF-LOR (well considering the rebuilds, not many original parts remain...) The dataplate is on N1451D.... Fuselage is in N51HY.. "QuickSilver".... Also known as Unruly Julie at one point...

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=10554

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?who/case/67 (looks like it)

Actually BOTH of them are polished and look the same..... So its probably CF-LOQ.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 74435.html

The FIGHTER PILOT episode of 12 OClock High aired Nov 1966 (probably shot the summer before).... So it would have been CF-LOQ and the only live footage you see is SPAM CAN N5441V...

Mark H

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue May 21, 2013 8:25 am

P51Mstg wrote:

So it would have been CF-LOQ and the only live footage you see is SPAM CAN N5441V... Mark H

By "live footage" I assume you mean film shot specifically for that episode. If so, I agree. The shots of the "800" marked CF-LOQ were shot for episodes of the previous season...and after that, the film was reused as "stock" shots.
I'd expect a S. California Mustang fan has shots of CF-LOQ in the 800 markings, there couldn't have been that many Mustangs around Chino/Ontario back then.

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Sorry think of LIVE FOOTAGE as stock...
Mark H

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2 Mustangs on 12 O'Clock High - ID on 1?

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