Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American war film directed by Henry King and based on the novel of the same name by Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay Jr. It stars Gregory Peck as Brig. General Frank Savage. Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell, and Dean Jagger also appear in supporting roles.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two: Dean Jagger for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Thomas T. Moulton for Best Sound Recording."The 22nd Academy Awards (1950) Nominees and Winners." oscars.org. Retrieved: August 18, 2011. In 1998, Twelve O'Clock High was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
In 1949, former United States Army Air Forces officer Harvey Stovall spots a familiar Toby Jug in an English antique shop and learns it came from Archbury, where Stovall served during World War II. Convinced it's the same jug from the airfield's officers' club, he buys it and journeys to the derelict airfield, where he reflects on his wartime experiences.
In a flashback, the setting shifts to 1942, when the 918th Bomb Group at Archbury has gained a reputation as a "hard luck group". After a disastrous mission, group commander Colonel Keith Davenport appears exhausted and demoralized. His defeatist attitude spreads through the group's senior leadership, including his Air Exec, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately. Ordered to fly another mission the next day at a dangerously low altitude, Davenport protests to his friend, Brigadier General Frank Savage, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations at VIII Bomber Command. Savage reluctantly shares with Major General Pritchard, the commanding general of VIII Bomber Command, his belief that Davenport has become too emotionally close to his men and may no longer be fit to command. That night, Pritchard and Savage visit the group headquarters to investigate the cause of the mission's heavy losses. When Davenport refuses to discipline failed navigator Lieutenant Zimmerman, Pritchard realizes Savage is right, relieves Davenport of command, and places Savage in command.
Savage takes a harsh approach to restoring the group's discipline and morale. He reprimands Gately, demotes him to aircraft commander, and insists he fly every mission. Savage assigns Gately the least competent crewmen and orders him to paint the name "Leper Colony" on his airplane. Rough-and-ready Major Cobb impresses Savage with his independent spirit and replaces Gately as Air Exec. Savage conducts a series of training missions and waits for an opportunity to restore the group's pride in its abilities. Upset by the contrast of Savage's stern leadership with Davenport's easygoing ways, all of the group's pilots apply for transfer. Savage asks the Group Adjutant, Major Stovall, to delay processing their applications to buy him some time.
When several groups are ordered to abort a combat mission due to heavy weather, Savage ignores the recall order and the 918th is the only group to successfully bomb the target. Savage claims he didn't hear the recall due to a radio malfunction and persuades a furious Pritchard to recommend the group for a Distinguished Unit Citation. Savage also convinces Lieutenant Jesse Bishop, a Medal of Honor recipient, to be Savage's eyes and ears among the combat aircrews. When the Inspector General arrives to investigate the transfer requests, Savage packs his belongings, expecting to be relieved or court-martialed. But, led by Bishop, the pilots withdraw their requests. Savage softens his attitude towards the men as he becomes more closely involved with them. Gately goes on to win Savage's respect by demonstrating extraordinary leadership and courage in combat.
With enemy resistance intensifying as the air war advances deeper into Germany, missions become longer and riskier and many of Savage's best men are shot down or killed. Pritchard tries to get Savage to return to a staff job at VIII Bomber Command, but Savage feels that the 918th is not yet ready to do without him. Reluctantly, Pritchard leaves him in command. Ordered to return to the same target after a particularly brutal raid on a ball bearing factory, Savage finds himself physically unable to haul himself up into his B-17. Gately takes his place as lead pilot and strike commander for the mission. While waiting for the group's return, Savage becomes catatonic. Only as they return to Archbury does he regain his composure and fall asleep.
The story then returns to 1949, as Stovall pedals away from Archbury.
Cast
Gregory Peck as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage Hugh Marlowe as Lt. Col. Ben Gately Gary Merrill as Col. Keith Davenport Millard Mitchell as Maj. Gen. Pritchard Dean Jagger as Major Harvey Stovall Robert Arthur as Sgt. McIllhenny Paul Stewart as Major "Doc" Kaiser John Kellogg as Major Joe Cobb Robert Patten as Lt. Bishop (credited as Bob Patten) Lee MacGregor as Lt. Zimmerman Sam Edwards as Birdwell Roger Anderson as Interrogation Officer Kenneth Tobey as Guard Post Sergeant (uncredited) Barry Jones as Lord Haw-Haw (voice, uncredited)
Historical counterparts of characters The character Brigadier General Frank Savage was a composite of several group commanders, but the primary inspiration was Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, who commanded the 306th Bomb Group on which the 918th was modeled.Bowman, Martin. '12 O'Clock High.' Osprey Publishing, 1999. The name "Savage" was inspired by Armstrong's Cherokee heritage. While his work with the 306th, which lasted only six weeks, consisted primarily of rebuilding the chain of command within the group, Armstrong had earlier performed a similar task with the 97th Bomb Group. Many of the training and disciplinary scenes in Twelve O'Clock High derive from that experience.
Towards the end of the film, the near-catatonic battle fatigue that General Savage suffered and the harrowing missions that led up to it were inspired by the experiences of Brigadier General Newton Longfellow. The symptoms of the breakdown were not based on any real-life event, but instead were intended to portray the effects of intense stress experienced by many airmen.
Major General Pritchard was modeled on the VIII Bomber Command's first commander, Major General Ira C. Eaker.
Colonel Keith Davenport was based on the first commander of the 306th Bomb Group, Colonel Charles B. Overacker, nicknamed "Chip". Of all the personalities portrayed in Twelve O'Clock High, that of Colonel Davenport most closely parallels his true-life counterpart. The early scene in which Davenport confronts Savage about a mission order was a close re-creation of an actual event, as was his relief.
Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Harvey Stovall, who is a former World War I U.S. Army Air Service pilot who has returned to active duty as a nonflying adjutant, was modeled on William Howard Stovall, a World War I flying ace who returned to active duty as a major in the USAAF the week following Pearl Harbor, and served as the nonflying deputy chief of staff for personnel for the 8th Air Force in England for his World War I comrades, Brigadier General Frank O'Driscoll Hunter and General Carl Spaatz.
Second Lieutenant Jesse Bishop (played by Robert Patten), who belly-lands in the B-17 next to the runway at the beginning of the film and was nominated for the Medal of Honor, had his true-life counterpart in Second Lieutenant John C. Morgan. The description of Bishop's fight to control the bomber after his pilot was hit in the head by fragments of a 20 mm cannon shell is taken almost verbatim from Morgan's Medal of Honor citation. Details may be found in The 12 O'Clock High Logbook. Patten had been a USAAF navigator in World War II, the only member of the cast with aircrew experience.
Sergeant McIllhenny was drawn from a member of the 306th Bomb Group, Sgt Donald Bevan,Correll, John T. 'The Real Twelve O’Clock High.' The Air Force Association via airforcemag.com, Volume 94, Issue 1, January 2011. a qualified gunner who was assigned ground jobs, including part-time driver for the commander of his squadron. Bevan had received publicity as a stowaway gunner (similar to McIllhenny in the film), though in reality, he had been invited to fly missions. Like McIllhenny, he proved to be a "born gunner".
The "tough guy" character Major Joe Cobb was inspired by Colonel Paul Tibbets, who had flown B-17s with Colonel Armstrong. Tibbets was initially approved as the film's technical advisor in February 1949, but was replaced shortly after by Colonel John H. de Russy, a former operations officer for the 305th Bomb Group.Duffin, Allan T. and Paul Matheis. The 12 O'Clock High Logbook. Albany, Georgia: Bearmanor Media, 2005. ISBN 1-59393-033-X., p. 61.
Production
According to their files, 20th Century Fox paid $100,000 outright for the rights to the unfinished book, plus up to $100,000 more in escalator and book-club clauses. Darryl Zanuck was apparently convinced to pay this high price when he heard that William Wyler was interested in purchasing it for Paramount. Even then, Zanuck only went through with the deal in October 1947 when he was certain that the United States Air Force would support the production. The film made use of actual combat footage during the battle scenes, including some shot by the Luftwaffe.'Notes: Twelve O'Clock High.' Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: October 16, 2022. A good deal of the production was filmed on Eglin Air Force Base and its associated auxiliary fields near Fort Walton, Florida.'Filming locations: Twelve O'Clock High.' IMDb. Retrieved: October 21, 2009.
Source material Screenwriters Bartlett and Lay drew on their own wartime experiences with Eighth Air Force bomber units. At the Eighth Air Force headquarters, Bartlett had worked closely with Colonel Armstrong, who was the primary model for the character General Savage. The film's 918th Bomber Group was modeled primarily on the 306th because that group remained a significant part of the Eighth Air Force throughout the war in Europe.
Casting Clark Gable was interested in the lead role of General Frank Savage. Gable, who had served in the USAAF during World War II, played a similar role in the 1948 film Command Decision. John Wayne was offered the leading role, as well, but turned it down. Burt Lancaster, James Cagney, Dana Andrews, Van Heflin, Edmond O'Brien, Ralph Bellamy, Robert Preston, Robert Young, and Robert Montgomery were also considered for the role. Eventually, the role went to Gregory Peck, who initially turned it down because the script was similar to Command Decision. Peck changed his mind because he was impressed with director Henry King, finding his empathy with the material and the cast and crew appealing. The two made more films together: The Gunfighter (1950), David and Bathsheba (1952), The Bravados (1958), and Beloved Infidel (1959).
Filming Veterans of the heavy bomber campaign frequently cite Twelve O'Clock High as the only Hollywood film that accurately captured their combat experiences.Duffin, Allan T. and Paul Matheis. The 12 O'Clock High Logbook. Albany, Georgia: Bearmanor Media, 2005. ISBN 1-59393-033-X., p. 87. Along with the 1948 film Command Decision, it marked a turning away from the optimistic, morale-boosting style of wartime films and toward a grittier realism that deals more directly with the human costs of war. Both films deal with the realities of daylight precision bombing without fighter escort, the basic USAAF doctrine at the start of World War II (prior to the arrival of long-range Allied fighter aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang). As producers, writers Lay and Bartlett reused major plot elements of Twelve O'Clock High in later films featuring the U.S. Air Force, the 1950s-era Toward the Unknown and the early 1960s Cold War-era A Gathering of Eagles.