ferbs54
Even those of us with the most general knowledge of American history probably know the broad facts concerning WW2 Air Force Col. Paul Tibbets; how, on August 6, 1945, he flew his B-29 bomber the Enola Gay from Tinian, in the northwest Pacific, to Japan, covering the 2,000 miles in around six hours, and then dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare over Hiroshima, hastening the end of that global conflict. It is a part of world history that we should all be aware of, at least in part. For those of us wanting more information on Tibbets the man and on the background of this most top secret of military operations, there is the MGM movie "Above and Beyond," which tells, in docudrama fashion, just how Tibbets wound up in command of this project, and the personal consequences the mission had on both himself and his family. Released in November 1952, just seven years after the events depicted, the film works wonderfully well as both history lesson and as drama, abetted greatly by a very fine script and acting turns by its two lead performers, Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker.The film is narrated by Mrs. Tibbets (Parker) in flashback, as she awaits her husband at the airport after his historic flight. When we first encounter Tibbets (Taylor) in the film, he is engaged in combat over North Africa, but is quickly given the task of testing the new B-29 bomber in Wichita, Kansas. After many months of flying and evaluating the unwieldy new air wonder, Tibbets is sent to Colorado Springs and is selected for a new assignment: the fitting out of the new B-29 for the atom bomb drop over Japan, code-named Operation Silverplate. He is put in charge of a top-secret unit ensconced in the desolate wilderness of Wendover, Utah, and indeed, this project is so very top secret that even the wives and families of the men involved cannot be told what is going on. The lonely barracks life and the fact that Mrs. Tibbets must be kept in the dark as to her husband's work, and why he is continually distracted, aloof and absent, produces a great strain on the couple's marriage, going very far to break the loving pair up completely. The film shows us the lousy, spartan, day-to-day life in the Wendover barracks, the meticulous testing of the B-29, the painstaking target practices, many instances of the remarkable security that had to be put in place, AND, most significantly, the doubts and fears that Tibbets entertained before his date with destiny. Ultimately, however, that B-29, dubbed the Enola Gay (the name of Tibbets' mother, we learn), is ready for its mission, and in a surprisingly tense denouement (and I only say "surprising" because although we all know what will eventually happen, the great skill of the filmmakers here makes it still somehow nerve racking, nonetheless), Tibbets and his crew embark on their historic mission, dropping their 15-kiloton "Little Boy" payload to the astonishment of the world."Above and Beyond" was written and directed by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, who would eventually be responsible for the writing and/or direction of such classic films as "Road to Utopia," "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," "White Christmas," "Knock On Wood," "The Court Jester" and "The Road to Hong Kong." Taylor and Parker (need I even mention?) work marvelously together (Parker would later say that Taylor was her favorite leading man, and the two would go on to appear together in 1954's "Valley of the Kings" and 1955's "Many Rivers to Cross"), and they are abetted by such sterling character actors as James Whitmore, two years before appearing as Sgt. Peterson in "Them!," here playing the chief security officer at Wendover; Larry Keating, one year before starting his five-year run on the "Burns and Allen Show," here as General Brent; Hayden Rorke, 13 years before playing Dr. Bellows on "I Dream of Jeannie," here portraying another kind of doctor, the physicist Ramsey; and Jim Backus, three years pre-"Rebel Without a Cause," as General LeMay. In all, it is very much a prestige film, given the typical MGM touch of class, and one that should be well received by all who'd care to learn more about a seminal event in world history, or by those who enjoy seeing a terrific drama movingly brought to life by two great acting pros. Eleanor, I might add, looks absolutely gorgeous in the film ("Above and Beyond" was released just five months after "Scaramouche," in which she had never been more stunning), and really, where else are you ever going to see her wearing a leather Air Force bomber jacket? For we fans of this wonderful and under-appreciated actress, the film is almost worth the price of admission for that moment alone. In all, very much recommended!
Robert J. Maxwell
In 1945 a B-29 piloted by Colonel Paul Tibetts (Robert Taylor) dropped the first atom bomb on human beings in Hiroshima, killing some 78,000 people and destroying with one blow about three square miles of urban landscape, virtually ending World War II.All things considered, including the fact that this was released in 1953, it's an interesting if shallow story. That's too bad because the narrative has a lot of intrinsic energy. The movie, though, follows the usual conventions of the time and, for one reason or another, doesn't really want to get into cumbersome reality or moral implications.The commanding general comments during Tibetts' training that, for a moment, Tibetts looked a little uncomfortable. Tibetts explains that while he'd been a bomber pilot over Germany he walked through the bomb bay before every flight and it occurred to him every time that there were going to be "people down there." "You're right, sir, I did feel uncomfortable. I wouldn't think much of myself if I didn't." General: "Neither would I." Tibetts is going to kill almost 80,000 people, mostly civilians of different ages, and it makes him "uncomfortable." End of philosophical quandary.There are some nice shots of B-29s landing, taking off, and in flight -- but not many of them. And not much goes on in the interiors either that isn't required for the telling of the story. Pilots often complained that the B-29 was a beast to fly.Probably a lot of material having to do with the development of the bomb and Tibetts' mission was still classified, so much -- maybe most -- of the film is given over to Tibetts' family life. He has a beautiful wife and a child. When she gives birth to a second, Tibetts isn't there for her and she resents it. The conflict intensifies over time because Tibetts is heavily burdened with the responsibility of preparing for the all-important bombing. He becomes snappish with his family. He fires old friends for breaches of security. He doesn't handle his wife delicately either. "It's none of your business," he tells her. And, mollifyingly, "I'll tell you what. You take care of the house and children and let me take care of my work." Of course he can't tell her about why his work is so important. It's a secret. What's worse, he has to keep secret the fact that it's a secret.The entire domestic theme could have been eliminated and the time spent in pursuit of other things if the writers and producers had wanted to go that way, but they didn't. I'm not entirely sure they should have. It would have been a different kind of film. As it is, the result is a rather shallow film that's in its own way kind of reassuring because it's so nostalgic. The wife has a full-time job at home, and the husband goes out and fights in the jungle to make a living or win a war. And they were locked together for life. Divorce, while not unheard of, would have been a disgrace. Candidates have lost presidential nominations for having been divorced. (Ronald Reagan was our first and only divorced president).A couple of observations. Tibetts took off for Hiroshima from a USAAF base on the island of Tinian. New Yorkers would have felt at home on Tinian. The streets were laid out and named as they were in Manhattan. The main drags were Broadway and Fifth Avenue, West End Avenue was where it should have been, and so forth.The bomb was armed in flight by a Navy officer. "It's been planned ahead of time." Why Navy, you ask? I mean -- this being an Air Force mission and all? Official justifications aside, the Navy probably didn't want to be left out of the show. It would probably be a mistake to believe the dynamics of celebrity are less primitive than that.Tibetts and crew certainly had awesome responsibilities but had little to do with the development of the bomb. Their job was to carry the thing to its target and deliver it as planned, rather like the driver of a UPS van. But there are times when the script gives Tibetts what appears to be control over the scientists he deals with. Nobody ever remembers who came in second, who dropped the bomb over Nagasaki, so we might point out his name was Bock and his plane was Bock's Car.At any rate, it's a dated but watchable movie and for those too young or inattentive to history to already know the story, it's worth catching.
