Archbury / 12 O'clock High

08 May 2008 21:35 #1 by REF
Archbury / 12 O'clock High was created by REF
Hi folks

I have just finished watching 12 O'Clock High, Haven't seen it in years and I forgot how great it was.

Just wondered where the fictional base of Archbury is? Most of the aircraft had the Triangle with "A" in it on the tail which suggests Bassingbourne.

Richard

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08 May 2008 22:53 #2 by CDP
Replied by CDP on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
Yes - 91st Bomb Group (H), Bassingbourne

Chris

"We either stand down or blow up - which do you want!"

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09 May 2008 13:35 #3 by David Thompson
Replied by David Thompson on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
I am almost 100% , possibly , sure that the film was made entirely in the USA ? I seem to remember reading that the control tower was closely copied from an RAF design and built in the 'States and destroyed after filming had been completed . Good film , great actor in Jimmy Stewart who of course did fly operationally with the USAAF .

Youth is wasted on the young !

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09 May 2008 16:58 #4 by Paul Francis
Replied by Paul Francis on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
I believe David is correct

You can tell a builder from an archaeologist by the size of his trowel. Mine is a small one!

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09 May 2008 18:20 #5 by NJR
Replied by NJR on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
The opening scenes and some other bits were filmed at RAF Barford St John

"When you stop remembering you start forgetting"

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10 May 2008 20:25 #6 by Denis
Replied by Denis on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
The film that launched my interest in old airfields :D
I posted this on the flypast forum recently; ' I had listened in to a conversation with a very old fellow at the Kermit Weeks Museum in Florida in 1996. His name, I think was Joseph Martin. He was giving a small talk next to the B-17, to a few people about his time with the 100th Bomb Group. He mentioned Beirne lay Jr who co wrote the original book, and that he landed a job on the film production of '12 O clock high' as the location managers assistant.

He mentioned that the actual film was shot at several different locations. The main flying sequences were at Eglin, some of the location work at an abandoned airfield in Ohio, and a small sequence was filmed in the UK at a disused airfield. It was this small sequence at Barford St John, that I believe was the location of the opening shots up as far as when Dean Jaggers character, the Adjutant's 'view' changed to seeing the Bombers returning.

He was, as I have said quite elderly then, he was just a fellow chatting to a few people who had gathered around him and his wife. But I earwigged in as that film is probably one of my all time favourites. Could he have got his American locations mixed up I wonder, but he did mention Ohio more than once I recall'.

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16 May 2008 20:41 #7 by dave windsor
Replied by dave windsor on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
hi,

a great film, no gung ho heroic,s, i could watch it over and over.Just one point thou, Gregory Peck played Gen. Savage, and not the great James Stewart (he flew B.24,s anyway!) would have had to do a conversion course before filming!.

regards
dave...

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06 Nov 2018 11:48 #8 by canberra
Replied by canberra on topic Archbury / 12 O'clock High
James Stewart despite having served operationally only ever appeared in two war films, but is Strategic Air Command a war film?

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