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Cast
Jimmy Stewart plays a United States Air Force Reserve officer recalled to active duty to fly Convair B-36 and B-47 Stratojet Nuclear Bomber s for the Strategic Air Command . The movie accurately portrays (though more realistically from a 1951 perspective than 1955) the duties and responsibilities of service in the Air Force, and its strains on family life. The movie features some of the most dramatic aerial photography ever filmed. A soaring musical score by Victor Young adds to the stellar in-flight sequences. Stewart plays the part of a professional Baseball player recalled to active duty. His on-duty injuries not only bar him from further flying, but also appear to end his baseball career, as he leaves the Air Force at the end of the film. Stewart had, in fact, been a World War II instructor pilot in B-17 's and later a heavy bomber pilot who, as a squadron commander and group operations officer, had flown twenty combat missions in B-24 's. Stewart at the time the movie was filmed was himself a colonel in the Air Force Reserve (and later was promoted to Brigadier General ). The character Stewart plays is not too far from a life he could have chosen. The Paramount Pictures film is the only major motion picture to highlight a Convair B-36 , which was eventually replaced in the mid 50's by the B-52 Stratofortress . The film, made in cooperation with the United States Air Force, expresses a strong opinion that strong and confident Nuclear Deterrence is the only way to ensure peace as well as the tactical superiority of Strategic Bombing . This is in stark contrast to '' Dr. Strangelove ''. Some more recent critics of the film have viewed a seemingly negative point in that "Strategic Air Command" does not address the role of women and minorities in the military. Throughout the movie, the only women seen are housewives and no non-whites are depicted in military uniform. This is not surprising, given the era in which the film was made, but does fail to recognize that the Air Force was by 1955 fully integrated and that Women in the Air Force (WAFs) had been established as part of the Regular Air Force since 1948. The film boosted Air Force recruiting by 25 percent after its release. When viewed with a post World War Two attitude, the film's appeal lies in its optimistic portrayal of the dedicated personnel of the early Strategic Air Command. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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