Twelve O’Clock High ***** (1949, Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill) – Classic Movie Review 6124

Gregory Peck was Oscar nominated for one of his best roles as Brigadier General Frank Savage, an American bomb-group commander cracking up at a wartime British base, in director Henry King’s outstanding, involving and highly popular 1949 war movie Twelve O’Clock High.

The winner of two Oscars, it is set at the time of the World War Two risky daylight bombing mission raids on Nazi Germany in 1943.

The brilliant acting, Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay Jr’s realistic, thoughtful screenplay (from their 1948 novel), Darryl F Zanuck’s impressive 20th Century Fox production, the fine Leon Shamroy black and white cinematography and King’s efficient direction are the main keys to the film’s success.

Dean Jagger won Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Major, later Lieutenant Colonel, Harvey Stovall and the sound recording (Thomas T Moulton) also won. It was also Oscar nominated as Best Picture, as well as Peck’s nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The New York Film Critics Circle voted Peck best actor.

Frank Savage is a composite of several group commanders, though mainly inspired by Colonel Frank A Armstrong, commander of the 306th Bomb Group on which the film’s 918th is modelled.

Bartlett and Lay’s work draws on their World War Two experiences with Eighth Air Force bomber units.

Combat footage is used for the battle scenes, including some shot by the Luftwaffe. Much filming was done on Eglin Air Force Base and its auxiliary fields near Fort Walton, Florida.

Stunt pilot Paul Mantz was paid a huge sum of $4,500 to crash-land a B-17 bomber.

Twelve O’Clock High refers to calling out the positions of attacking enemy aircraft by referring to an imaginary clock face, with the bomber at the centre.

It is Peck’s fourth Oscar nomination, after The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946) and Gentleman’s Agreement (1947). He won the Best Actor Oscar for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Also in the cast are Hugh Marlowe as Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately, Gary Merrill as Colonel Keith Davenport, Millard Mitchell as Major General Pritchard, Robert Arthur, Paul Stewart, John Kellogg, Robert Patten, Joyce Mackenzie, Don Hicks, Lee MacGregor, Sam Edwards, Roger Anderson, John Zilly, William Short, Richard Anderson, Lawrence Dobkin, Kenneth Tobey, John R McKee, Peter Ortiz, Harry Lauter, Paul Picerni, Steve Clark and Patrick Whyte.

Twelve O’Clock High runs 132 minutes, is scored by Alfred Newman and designed by Lyle R Wheeler.

The main cast are Gregory Peck as Brigadier General Frank Savage, Hugh Marlowe as Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately, Gary Merrill as Colonel Keith Davenport, Millard Mitchell as Major General Pritchard, Dean Jagger as Major Harvey Stovall, Robert Arthur as Sergeant McIllhenny, Paul Stewart as Major Doc Kaiser, John Kellogg as Major Joe Cobb, Robert Patten as Lieutenant Jesse Bishop, Lee MacGregor as Lieutenant Zimmy Zimmerman, Sam Edwards as Lieutenant Birdwell, Roger Anderson as Interrogation Officer, and Kenneth Tobey as Guard Post Sergeant.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6124

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