Archbury / 12 O'clock High

[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

[CDP]

Yes - 91st Bomb Group (H), Bassingbourne

Chris

[David Thompson]

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 .

[norwichpaul]

I believe David is correct

[NJR]

The opening scenes and some other bits were filmed at RAF Barford St John

[Denis]

The film that launched my interest in old airfields
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'.

[dave windsor]

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...