Movies - Memphis Belle

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	Movies - Memphis Belle

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final bombing mission of the B-17 bomber Memphis Belle, whose aircrew was the first in the U.S. Eighth Air Force to complete 25 missions over Germany and German-occupied Europe. The dramatic 16 mm color film of actual battles was made by cinematographer First Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum. The film was directed by William Wyler and narrated by Eugene Kern.

Made under the auspices of the First Motion Picture Unit, a branch of the United States Army Air Corps (to which future US President Ronald Reagan also belonged), the film claimed to show the everyday courage of the men who manned these planes.

The crew included:

Captain Robert Morgan (pilot)
Captain James A. Verinis (co-pilot)
Captain Vincent B. Evans (bombadier and chin turret operator)
Captain Charles B. Leighton (navigator)
Technical Sergeant Robert J. Hanson (radio operator)
Technical Sergeant Harold P. Loch (engineer and top turret gunner)
Staff Sergeant Casimer A. Nastal (waist gunner)
Staff Sergeant Clarence E. Winchell (waist gunner)
Staff Sergeant Cecil H. Scott (ball turret gunner)
Major John P. Quinlan (tail gunner)
Arthur Kennedy (crewman)

In 2001 the United States Library of Congress deemed the original version "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

1990 Fictionalized Version

A fictionalized version of the story was made in 1990, produced by David Puttnam in England. (See Memphis Belle (film)
). It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones from a script by Monte Merrick. The film starred Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D. B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, Sean Astin, Harry Connick Jr. and Reed Diamond. Captain Morgan later said that this film was untrue in many ways and used dramatic license. David Tucker is a Sergeant in the US Army and a respected historian who wrote to Morgan about the Memphis Belle. Morgan told Sergeant Tucker that when his crew got into the air they were all business.

Aircraft Information

The actual Memphis Belle, a Boeing-built B-17F-10-BO, serial 41-24485, was delivered in July 1942 and flew its seven months for 25 missions with the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group from Bassingbourne, England. These were:

7 November 1942 - Brest, France

9 November 1942 - St. Nazaire, France
17 November 1942 - St, Nazaire

6 December 1942 - Lille, France
20 December 1942 - Rommily-Sur-Seine, France

3 January 1943 - St. Nazaire
13 January 1943 - Lille

23 January 1943 - Lorient, France
4 February 1943 - Emden, Germany

14 February 1943 - Hamm, Germany
16 February 1943 - St. Nazaire

26 February 1943 - Wilhelmshaven, Germany
27 February 1943 - Brest

6 March 1943 - Lorient
12 March 1943 - Rouen, France

13 March 1943 - Abbeville, France
22 March 1943 - Wilhemshaven

28 March 1943 - Rouen
5 April 1943 - Antwerp, Belgium

16 April 1943 - Lorient
17 April 1943 - Bremen, Germany

1 May 1943 - St. Nazaire
4 May 1943 - Antwerp

15 May 1943 - Wilhelmshaven
17 May 1943 - Lorient

It was then brought back to the United States for war bond tours. The plane was named for pilot Robert K. Morgan's sweetheart, Margaret Polk. The famous Petty girl nose art was painted by the 91st's group artist Tony Starcer. After the war the Flying Fortress was saved from reclamation at Altus, Oklahoma by the efforts of the mayor of Memphis, the Hon. Walter Chandler, and the city bought the plane for $350. It was flown to Memphis in July 1946 and stored until the summer of 1949 when it was placed on display at the National Guard armory. It sat out-of-doors into the 1980s, slowly deteriorating due to weather and vandalism.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Memphis Belle ]

Some related entries: List of films generating losses | The Red Pony | Immortal Beloved | Craig Brewer | Pépé le Moko | Edwin S. Porter | People Will Talk | Peter Benchley | Cannes Film Festival | Torn Curtain | Southern Comfort
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Movies - Memphis Belle

1990 Fictionalized Version

Aircraft Information

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