[andyh1956]

Man watching this will just about make you wet your pants!
Go Navy!😁
"The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954) - Aircraft footage (HD) - YouTube

 

[M1A's r BEST]

I was a kid when I saw that movie. Is it the one with William Holden and Mickey Rooney? Where the pilot eventually got shot down and the helicopter came in to pick him up and they got killed, too?

 

[Snake45]

Still one of if not THE best aerial war movies ever made. And that's coming from a USAF guy.

 

[rickgman]

The movie is based on the James Mitchner novel. This might be the only case where the movie was better than the book.

 

[unkola]

You might be right there Rick. I read the book in high school and saw the movie a few years later. It definitely followed the book. -Lloyd 🍻

 

[rickgman]

You might be right there Rick. I read the book in high school and saw the movie a few years later. It definitely followed the book. -Lloyd 🍻

I, too, read the book in high school. I saw the movie years before.

The one part of the of the book I disliked was the ending - when LT Brubaker was killed by a sniper as he was contemplating the irony of his situation. I liked the movie ending where Brubaker died fighting.

Just my two cents worth.

By the way, after seeing the movie I asked my Dad why they didn’t arm rescue helos. He said that helos are so vulnerable to ground fire that they had to rely on fixed wing support and really couldn’t safely go into a location where ground fire hadn’t already been suppressed. I guess I somehow foresaw the need for armed rescue helos long before they existed.

 

[Puccini]

Still one of if not THE best aerial war movies ever made. And that's coming from a USAF guy.

Then I guess you never saw 12 o clock high or the Strategic Air Command movie.
thats coming from a Navy P3 Aircrew veteran

 

[Para Pete]

After watching that movie as a kid I went straight out and bought a Revell F9F-5 1:72 model kit- I logged many hours flying that plane around the house. Great memories.

 

[andyh1956]

I've only seen that movie once, but I've watched this video a dozen times!
Was there any air to air with Migs in the movie?

 

[unkola]

I've only seen that movie once, but I've watched this video a dozen times!
Was there any air to air with Migs in the movie?

I don't think so Andy. The squadron in the movie were bombers hitting rail lines, bridges etc. All ground attack stuff. -Lloyd 🍻

 

[M1A's r BEST]

Wanna see a good Korean air war movie take a look at The Hunters. Robert Mitchem, Robert Wagner, etc. F86's vs. Migs (F84 swept wing model, I think).

 

[Puccini]

After watching that movie as a kid I went straight out and bought a Revell F9F-5 1:72 model kit- I logged many hours flying that plane around the house. Great memories.

__

When I was a kid about 6, we lived not far from NAS Willow Grove, PA.
My dad used to drive us up there on Sundays to watch the planes take off and land.
There was Hellcats, Corsairs, P2V Neptunes, F9F Panthers and Cougars among others over the years.
There was a diner right across the street from the fence. Those were some good days.
Then they closed the base. Sad Day.
Now what you get to watch is the graduating class at Annapolis where two new male officers are passionately
kissing each other at the graduation ceremony. Not the same.

 

[15636215]

I did a show with Mickey rooney back in 73. He arrived with an armed bodyguard! Too many alimony servers! LOL. not a bad guy. I was a stagehand for 34 years. Have some stories to tell!

 

[andyh1956]

I don't think so Andy. The squadron in the movie were bombers hitting rail lines, bridges etc. All ground attack stuff. -Lloyd 🍻

What about those prop jobs strafing- were those Skyraiders or Bearcats?

 

[Snake45]

What about those prop jobs strafing- were those Skyraiders or Bearcats?

In the book, Corsairs. In the movie, Skyraiders.

The Bearcat never saw combat in Korea. Or, for that matter, anywhere in US service. Only the French and VNAF moved mud with them.

 

[Puccini]

In the book, Corsairs. In the movie, Skyraiders.

The Bearcat never saw combat in Korea. Or, for that matter, anywhere in US service. Only the French and VNAF moved mud with them.

____

When you say "service" do you mean "combat" because the Bearcat was issued to a few squadrons and had Navy Bureau tail numbers issued. That makes them Navy "service" aircraft

 

[Snake45]

I meant what I wrote. Read it again.

 

[luigi]

After watching that movie as a kid I went straight out and bought a Revell F9F-5 1:72 model kit- I logged many hours flying that plane around the house. Great memories.

I loved models as a kid....tanks, jeeps, aircraft, navy ships, cars, etc. Spent many hours with cement, paint, and those water soluble decals.

 

[Snake45]

I loved models as a kid....tanks, jeeps, aircraft, navy ships, cars, etc. Spent many hours with cement, paint, and those water soluble decals.

Me too. Still do, for that matter.

 

[Lucky#13]

I did a show with Mickey rooney back in 73. He arrived with an armed bodyguard! Too many alimony servers! LOL. not a bad guy. I was a stagehand for 34 years. Have some stories to tell!

Very cool. I saw Mickey and Ann Miller back in the mid 80s, I think, when they toured the review, Sugar Babies. Got to meet them back stage after. I did theater for over 30 years myself, and have a great appreciation for stage crew. The crew that traveled with our company from town to town had to work harder than any of the artists or musicians!