BOMBERS B-52 (1957)

This CinemaScope production is Warner Bros.' answer to the more successful 1955 release, Strategic Air Command, filmed in Paramount’s VistaVision format. It was superior in cinematography and script authenticity by Bernie Lay, an airman himself, who came to the table with firsthand details. Victor Young's opening male ensemble song and dynamic flying score from that film better captured the grandeur of this period. But I digress. Renowned composer Leonard Rosenman, on the other hand, wrote a soap opera opening theme that goes against the bold, three-dimensional title graphically spelled out on the screen. He did write a dynamic B-52 motif, which I address below. Some big bucks were spent here, and it shows. The film gets high points for location filming on an active SAC base, and the camera crew's work on the ground is applauded. This helps distance itself a bit beyond the B-movie category, along with the draw of Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., all on career upswings.

The film gets low points for a Sam Rolfe story adapted for the screen by Irving Wallace. His soap opera screenplay, which I already warned you about, had an alternate title. Dell's movie promo publication (below) suggests the airmen's sleep-deprived twenty-four-hour missions and perhaps Malden's multi-hour angst over his daughter's late-night dating behavior. Contrasted with this is Wallace's infamous double-entendre about sleepless nights suggested by the poster.

Another low point is an over-the-top performance (once again) by Malden. He can be hard to stomach in this bull-headed, self-centered character. His role as the over-protective father and career airman dominates the movie, despite this being a Wood film. His guest shot on a popular quiz show has all the nervousness of a father awaiting the birth of a newborn. The sequence is a bit embarrassing. Comedy was never his strong suit, as he appeared upset even while delivering humorous quips. The scenes where he paces the floor, blowing off steam to his wife, Marsha Hunt, while downing eight cans of beer, between trips to the bathroom, are humorless. 

If you are an aviation enthusiast of this era, the B-52, as was the B-36 in the “SAC” film, will be your highlight and the main reason for remembering the movie. It is a visual aviation history lesson of the USAF's formative years, including Boeing's B-47 in background shots. The takeoffs and flybys are exciting, if not spectacular. Probably done better in A Gathering of Eagles (1962). The banter between tanker and bomber pilots is fun in one sequence. During a twenty-four-hour flight, Zimbalist's “travelogue” comments and accompanying back screen projected visuals should have been left on the editing floor. The Boeing bomber's interior mockups appear accurate.

Rosenman wrote a majestic march-like theme for brass and strings. Though it takes nearly half the film before we see a B-52, the theme, along with an elevated camera position, is all goose-bumpy, casting long, early morning shadows for an impressive debut as its wings spread out over the tarmac. Once the plane is front and center, we hear the theme frequently. The theme should have debuted with this sequence. But just prior, it is hilariously misplaced during a sequence of Malden riding a ubiquitous scooter several hundred feet. With the gallant theme blasting away, we expect him to end his ride next to the bomber as it fills the screen. Instead, he simply stops at the base barracks after putt-putting past the base gate. Piloting a scooter is just not very majestic.

While "blowhard dad" is in the base hospital recuperating from a bailout injury, Wood, sobbing, apologizes for being only nineteen and confesses she is no longer embarrassed by her dad's occupation. Planes are keen. Wood's constant crying is a bit tedious, but she and her father finally have an understanding. We assume Wood will marry, move out of the house and Malden will cut back on the beer volume. Near the end of the film, Wood looks rearward from Zimbalist's T-Bird, finally understanding the point of the eleven-ship B-52 formation roaring overhead. A large formation that would only be performed for a promotional demonstration. Like in this film.

Notes: I have always found the film’s title a bit of strange syntax, like “Thunderbird Ford.” The alternate title would have addressed numerous aspects of this film. For Paramount’s Strategic Air Command (sorry, Air Command Strategic), recruitment went up about 25% because of its inspiring screenplay and a believable performance by James Stewart. I doubt the Air Force got that much of a jump following this movie’s premiere. Who wants to enlist and be supervised by a character like Malden? Most would gladly choose Stewart's flight engineer, Harry Morgan.

Finally, many noted the twenty-year age gap between Zimbalist and Wood. Until the Internet, Hollywood actors' stats were not readily available. Generally, an older male was/is expected in Hollywood. Note Clark Gable with Doris Day, or John Wayne with Jean Arthur, and many others. Zimbalist, in his first major screen debut, makes it work on-screen because he appears ten years younger than reality. As many have found out since, Warner's original choice was Tab Hunter. He and Wood were hot property during this period and would have been a box office draw. Though it would solve the perceived age gap, it probably made it implausible to believe he was a seasoned pilot in the Korean War, then achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at such a young age. Plus, he likely would not have pulled off the demeanor or vocal authority that Zimbalist brought to the role. Consider a major script revision pairing Wood with the handsome co-pilot, Stuart Whitman. But he and Zimbalist appear the same age!