Robert J. Maxwell The 1957 cars are just -- well -- swell! Natalie Wood gets to drive a creamy yellow Ford convertible and Efron Zimbalist has a snazzy scarlet sports model. Why it could turn you green with envy -- seafoam green.The rest of the movie is a disappointment. Nothing seems quite right; it's all a little cockeyed. The plot: Zimbalist is an Air Force officer and Malden is the best flight engineer that ever existed. Malden is devoted to the USAF but his family, especially his daughter, Wood, want him to retire and take a job where he'll wear a suit and tie and "be somebody important." Well, there's a conflict right there.On top of that, Zimbalist has a reputation as a ladies' man and becomes seriously interested in Natalie Wood -- as who wouldn't? -- and Malden dislikes Zimbalist intensely and does everything but move mountains to end the romance, even though it's as innocent a romance as 1957 demanded.I don't know exactly what went wrong. The USAF/CEO problem is hackneyed. I mean, after all, that was a sub plot in just about every military movie John Wayne ever made -- career versus marriage and a settled existence. I should add that the settled existence as represented here is utterly bourgeois and materialistic, a spiritless void of apricot carpets and sparkling kitchens. Yukk.The Zimbalist/Malden conflict is botched from the beginning. In Korea, years earlier, Zimbalist endangered the field by insisting that his F-86 be repaired at night, requiring the turning on of lights and consequently "visitors" from the other side. After Zimbalist's take off, a crewman is killed by strafing. Throughout the movie, for six years, Malden believes (mistakenly) that Zimbalist forced the take off because of a hot date in Tokyo. So Malden certainly doesn't want a guy like Zimbalist courting his daughter, probably uttering hoarse, goaty cries while humping her in the back seat of his crimson convertible. The problem with this plot is that the movie shows us Malden as disliking Zimbalist BEFORE the lethal event. And the clumsy writing gives us no reason for the animus.The acting is as dull as the furniture except for Malden. Malden overacts. Every word is shouted. If he's supposed to be nervous, we watch a manic episode. The direction is careless. At the end, with Malden in a hospital bed, Natalie Wood must apologize to him for being bratty and demanding. It's her scene, and it's a long one. And the director, Gordon Douglas, doesn't allow her to build up to sobs. The whole SCENE has her in a torrent of remorseful tears, making the episode not just tedious but embarrassing.The scenes of flight are pedestrian. No sense is given of life within that thin aluminum tube at 40,000 feet. We don't get a sense of the layout. The flight deck is a mock up as are the other two sets. Leonard Rosenman's score matches the quality of the film itself -- lacking courage, vigor, and veracity.Despite these weaknesses, I'm sure the production had the eager cooperation of both Boeing and the USAF. It's practically a recruitment film.

ma-cortes Interesting as well as tedious film at times , though . The picture contains a silly and boring love story ; being designed to showcase the US Air Force's brand-new B-52 Stratofortress bomber, including actual footage of jet plane and as such the studio received complete cooperation from the Air Force . As the B-52 Stratofortress bombers weighed 500,000 pounds and could fly at a speed of 650+ miles per hour and travel 17,000 miles without having to land and they could refuel in mid-air . This aerial drama deals with Sgt. Chuch Brennan (Karl Malden who steals the show as expert sergeant) always disliked playboy and hotshot, Col. Jim Herlihy (Efrem Zimbalist , he replaced Tab Hunter) . Now Chuck has even more reason to, Jim is dating his daughter, Lois (Natalie Wood ,during shooting, she was named "Miss Stratosphere of 1957" and "Sweetheart of Castle Air Force Base") . This movie's dedication shown at the end of the film states: "With grateful appreciation for the cooperation of the United States Air Force we proudly dedicate this picture to the crew chiefs and ground personnel , the indispensable men who contribute so much to our airpower." This is a family drama , including an usual love story between a pilot colonel and a gorgeous young with her sergeant father objecting , interwoven with nice aerial footage of B 52 maneuvers . This film is a Warner Brother official studio tribute to the B-52 Stratofortress bomber air craft and the United States Air Force. 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: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and By Dawn's Early Light (1990). Good quartet protagonist as Karl Malden , Efrem Zimbalist , Natalie Wood and Marsha Hunt . Although Natalie Wood received star billing with her name above the title, she actually only had a minor part . Fine plethora of secondaries , many of them uncredited , such as Ann Doran , John Doucette , Stuart Whitman , Bing Russell , Will Hutchins and recently deceased Juanita Moore . Colorful cinematography in Cinemascope by William H. Clothier , John Ford's usual , it was shot on location in in Merced County (California) Air Force base . Thrilling as well as rousing musical score by Leonard Rosenman . The motion picture was professionally directed by Gordon Douglas. This is one of various and professional works of his long career as filmmaker . He was a Hollywood veteran director, directing early movies such as ¨Little rascals¨, ¨Spanky¨. He was an expert on adventures genre as ¨Black arrow¨ and ¨Fortunes of Captain Blood¨ , both starred by Louis Hayward ; but he's mainly specialist filmmaking Western , his first was ¨ Girl rush (1944)¨ and in the 40s directed ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ and ¨The Nevadan¨ for duo Harry Joe Brown-Randolph Scott . He went on directing Alan Ladd's vehicles as ¨Iron Mistress¨ and ¨The fiend who walked west¨ which resulted to be a Western rendition to ¨Kiss of death¨. In the 50s he proved his specialty on Western in the films starred by Clint Walker as ¨Fort Dobbs¨ ,¨Yellowstone Kelly¨, ¨Gold of seven Saints¨ and about legendary bandits as ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ and ¨Great Missouri raid¨ . After that , he filmed ¨Chuka(1967)¨ that bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Only the valiant¨ , the remake ¨Stagecoach (1966)¨ , and the superior ¨Rio Conchos¨. Douglas usually worked for Frank Sinatra in various films such as ¨Lady in Cement¨, ¨Tony Rome¨, ¨The detective¨ , ¨Robin and the 7 Hoods¨. Bombers B 52 , rating : Passable and acceptable , 6 . Well worth seeing .

leeawood I was stationed at Castle AFB from 1956 to 1960 (93rd Field Maintenance Squadron) and watched the filming of the flight line segments. I even have some black & white pictures of Natalie with some of my squadron mates. The high point was the low altitude flyover of a flight of B-52s. The segment where the landing gear is jammed was done in our maintenance hanger with the bomber on jacks with wheel well doors open. An iris on the lighting gave the impression of the wheel well doors opening as the iris was opened. In the finished film it looked very realistic. My one complaint was the scene of a B-52 flying with it's gear down after being refueled by a KC-97, that just wasn't done.

trimmerb1234 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.