Strategic Air Command

As commented before, what makes this picture different from most "military PR" pictures is that it is quite frank on the sacrifices made by the people who serve and their families which still goes on today. It makes me wonder how we get people to serve when the pay and benefit are really a mere pittance, although I can understand why Dutch Holland took all those flights when whiny June Allyson is your wife.

As for the aircraft - what a visual treat to see these grand aircraft of a bygone era in vivid color. Almost makes up for the lackluster story.

On a side note, a commenter stated that the film erred in placing Thule AFB in Greenland, but the film is correct, Thule is in Greenland, not Iceland.

There are many movie couples who appeared on the silver screen that were made for each other. Their special talent lent their persona's to the films they were in and the formula worked as they were thrust together time after time. That is the story here as James Stewart playing Lt. Col. Robert 'Dutch' Holland is paired with lovable June Allyson as Sally Holland. The film is a reoccurring one as many annoyed reservists of this day and age can testify. Having done his air service duty during W. W. II, Bob Holland has taken his civilian job seriously and plans a long and lucrative career as third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. However, what was suggested as a 'part-time' job with the U.S. Airforce Reserves, becomes a dream stealing task when his reserve status is activated. Frank Lovejoy plays Gen. Ennis C. Hawkes who doesn't care what Holland like to do, he 'has a job' to do and the ballplayer has become part of the military team. Barry Sullivan plays Lt. Col. Rocky Samford. Unable to get a release from the military, Dutch makes the best of a bitter situation, one felt by many other reservists, and learns to fly the newest aircrafts, traveling around the globe. A supremely haunting musical theme accompanies this movie and Stewart/Allyson fans accept it as a heart warmer. I would tend to agree. ***

68/100. Not one of Jimmy Stewart's best films, but not fault of his. He is terrific. June Allyson, I don't know what exactly it is I don't like about her. I feel her performances are so rehearsed and phony. She is way too sappy and understanding in this film and I feel she hurts the films overall effect. Some excellent aerial photography, good score and the entire production is top notch. It waves the flag a little excessively and the mix of personal drama and action sequences is at times a little awkward. The supporting cast is a bit bland, Harry Morgan and Rosemary deCamp stand out as the best. Good special effects. The color in the film was exceptionally crisp.

"Strategic Air Command" is a look at the 1950's, when the needs of the Cold War caused America to begin rearming after having nearly disarmed itself following World War II.

With his trademark sincerity, James Stewart plays Lt. Col. Holland, a former Air Force officer and now ballplayer who is recalled to duty as the new Strategic Air Command expands its might. June Allyson plays Sally, his devoted wife. Together they and the other families of SAC have to cope with the strains that SAC missions put on their personal lives.

The stresses that SAC duty put on families is true enough. But as movie drama it's all written in a way that's utterly trite and predictable. You can practically guess in advance the main set-pieces: Sally is going to become pregnant and have to deal with it without her husband around, Holland is going to get into some life-threatening situations and be thinking of his wife all the while, but he'll be rescued in the end, and so on.

What nearly makes up for a trite plot, however, is the spectacular aerial photography of the two "actors" that truly steal the show: SAC's B-36 Peacemaker bomber, and its state-of-the-art (at the time!) medium jet bomber, the B-47. The B-36, a huge flying battleship with six prop engines plus four jet engines, and a crew of maybe 15, is beautifully photographed in flight, with an accompanying musical score. For today's younger generation who are used to today's ultra-modern planes, the movie is worth seeing for its loving last look at a generation of impressive aircraft that never saw combat, and hence aren't as well known as both their predecessors and successors that did serve in war.

James Stewart flew more than 26 combat missions in WWII as the commander of a B-24. The infamous Ploesti oil field raids were the most dangerous of the war, and he flew a B-24 50ft off the deck on several runs.

This was a great man, and a fine, fine actor. His commitment to the U.S. Air Force SAC command resonated in this film. His courage in WWII and the courage and sacrifice of that entire WWII generation has been forgotten in what is left of America---the remaining oldsters of that generation, and their baby-boomer offspring who did not sandblast their brains with pot and booze back in the 60s and 70s being the only group that would enjoy this film and remember what it was all like back then. The rest of the "citizens' of this country register nothing when WWI or II is talked about. They do not even remember the Cold War and the hammer of nukes we all lived under, and still are threatened by.

The massive 10-engined (6 props, 4 jets) B-36 was the iconic cornerstone of 50s bomber tech. A magnificent leviathan that could fly for days at very high altitudes, and carry massive amounts of dumb bombs, or, in one aircraft, enough H-bombs to end the world. Google the B-36 and gaze upon an almost surrealistic machine that broke plates, glasses and windows when it flew over with a basso profundo propeller sound unlike anything ever heard before or since.

I remember my father pointing them out, very high in the sky, white contrails feathering back for miles behind them....and that roar.....distant and discordant...you could hear a B-36 fly over even at 40,000 feet.

"Strategic Air Command" was an extended showpiece for that airplane, and a beautiful piece of music, "Symphony of Flight" carries the film into the in-flight scenes that make the movie so transcending of an admittedly formulaic human drama. It is an amazing historical piece that actually shows the transition from props to full jets that the Air Force went through in the 50s. At the end, there is pristine footage of the B-47, the first U.S. jet bomber, and Stewart has an adventure with that.

The cockpit shots of the B-36 and B-47 probably drove Russian spies to a frenzy, but for an aviation buff they were the stuff of dreams.

The crash landing of Stewart's B-36 was done in miniature format, and actually was a weak point of the film. The model was too small to make the crash look realistic---Howard and Theodore Lydecker could have knocked that scene out of the park.....the bad weather landing of the B-47 at the end of the film was also done in miniature, and looked better, reminding me of how much fun special effects must have been in the pre-CGI days.

For an intimate look at a huge Cold warrior, and some beautiful music, plus a look at June Allyson's legs that could make the whole movie for you, I highly recommend "Strategic Air Command"