| Title | Lady Takes a Flyer |
| Studio | Universal International |
| Date Released | 1958 |
| Director | Jack Arnold |
| Actors | Lana Turner, Jeff Chandler |
| Aerial Coordinator | James Womack |
| B-17 Filming Locations | Burbank Airport, California; Whitman Airpark, San Fernando, California(?); NAF Litchfield Park, Arizona |
B-17s Identified
VB-17G 43-39356 (borrowed from USAF); surplus unidentified Navy PB-1Ws
The Movie...
A bit of a bland movie about a subject that will interest readers of these pages. The three prinicples are two veteran pilots from World War II and a lady flyer, who also takes one of the other two flyers, or so it seems from the movie's title. The trio form a business that starts off ferrying surplus military airplanes to customers around the world. Thus, we get to see a number of scenes with surplus military airplanes circa 1958, specifically a USAF VB-17G, a surplus PB4Y-2 Privateer surrounded by other surplus Navy airplanes at NAF Litchfield Park (including PB-1Ws, or Navy B-17s), a B-25, and a Mustang. The plot follows the lady and her flyer as they fly airplanes, have fights, get married, fly airplanes, have fights, have kid, have fights, fly airplanes, and culminates when the flyer talks the lady down a precision GCA approach that ends badly for the Mustang but works out okay for the lady and her flyer. They live happily ever after, or at least until the credits roll. Not a real bad flick, but we're only going to watch it for the airplane stuff.
Anecdotal
- The opening scenes depict a war surplus B-17G being flown to an emergency landing on Runway 15 at Burbank Airport in Southern California. The radio communication dialog is surprisingly accurate, having the pilot call his position at Newhall and over the "gulch".
- The air-to-ground shots of the B-17G on final approach show the airplane landing on Runway 31, a runway that doesn't and (I think) never did exist at Burbank. One suspects that shot was actually done at nearby Whitman Airpark whose current Runway 12-30 was probably 13-31 back in the late 1950s. (Airport runways are ocassionally renumbered as the magnetic variation gradually changes, and since the number reflects the magnetic course of the runway to the nearest ten degrees, this adjustment is necessary.) Can anyone confirm this assumption about the runways in use at Whitman in 1957-1958?
- It appears the landing and rollout are also filmed on Burbank's Runway 15, with vehicles following the smoking B-17 down the runway and into a parking area. The pilot of the B-17 did make at least two actual two-engine-out landings for the filming.
- The B-17G used for the filming was a borrowed USAF VB-17G, s/n 43-39356. The airplane was photographed at Van Nuys Airport, presumably the Air National Guard ramp, with the bogus registration number of N39356, an obvious effort to convert the military serial to a civil registration number. The airplane doesn't appear in the film like this, however, as it instead received a blotchy coat of olive drab, probably water based, though its USAF markings are still seen, including "USAF" on the right wing upper surface and a tail serial that appears to be "0-339356."
- Internet sources state that the uncredited pilot for the filming was James Womack. Details about Mr. Womack are desired; other flying scenes in the film included a surplus PB4Y-2, a B-25, and a P-51. To what extent Mr. Womack was flying these airplanes is unknown. Update on 3/21/13: Paige Joyce, the granddaughter of Major James Womack, confirms that their family history shows Womack flew in the film and flew a crash landing scene, presumably the emergency landing (not crash) involving VB-17G 43-39356.
- An lengthy scene was shot at NAF Litchfield Park, Arizona, with good views of surplus Navy airplanes including F7F Tigercats, PB4Y-2 Privateers, and PB-1W (B-17s) seen in a row in the background. Of the several PB-1Ws scene, on is natural metal finish, unusual in the standard PB-1W paint scheme was in the dark Sea Blue shade.
Buy this Movie!
Links
Acknowledgements
Todd Hackbarth
Nick Veronico
Internet Movie Data Base
USAF VB-17G s/n 43-39356 on the Van Nuys Air Guard ramp during the filming in 1958. Note the effort to disguise the serial for a civil registration number. This photo has caused N39356 to be listed as an 'unknown B-17 registration' but the FAA has no record of it ever being assigned to a B-17.
Movie still of actor Jeff Chandler discussing business as he walks away from the damaged B-17 at Burbank.
Screen capture of VB-17G 43-39356 in air-to-air footage from the film, with engines #1 and #2 shut down. No details have surfaced as to who actually did the filming and flying for these scenes.
Approaching the threshold of what is believed to be Whitman Airpark's Runway 31 in this screen capture from the film.
Rolling out on Runway 15 at Burbank, recognizable from the mountains in the rear. The opening scenes featuring this B-17 are worth the effort of trying to find the movie on AMC.
Scene at NAF Litchfield Park with the natural metal PB-1W in the background. At least three PB-1Ws can be seen i various views during the film sequence, but they remain unidentified.
On the set shot of Jeff Chandler and Lana Turner (back to camera with scarf) at NAF Litchfield Park with a surplus Navy PB-1W in the background. (via Nick Veronico)