| Title | Closing The Ring |
| Studio | Independent |
| Date of Release | December 2007 |
| Producer | Richard Attenborough + Others |
| Director | Richard Attenborough |
| Actors | Christopher Plummer, Shriley MacLaine |
| Aerial Coordinator | None? |
| B-17 Filming Locations | Evidently, Hamilton (Ontario) International Airport |
B-17s Used
B-17G N3193G Yankee Lady
The Movie...
A forgettable then-and-now romance that intertwines the story of B-17 lost in Northern Ireland while returning from a June 1944 bombing mission with a modern day lost love and other survivors. Somehow we get the Catholic-Protestant thing going in Ireland that wraps into the story. Probably more than you need to know.
Anecdotal
- Yep, that May 1941 B-17 landing with the happy crew is a fully armed B-17G that is quickly recognized as the YAF Yankee Lady. As per the credits, pilot was Donald Wedekemper, copilot was Jon Rule, and crew chief was Norm Ellickson, who got top billing.
- Various interior shots with an unidentified mockup, maybe a leftover from The Memphis Belle.
- The CGI doomed B-17G is marked as s/n 43-38733 and has markings of the 401st Bomb Group. As a matter of fact, exact markings (squadron codes and aircraft letter SC-K) as the actual B-17G with the serial 43-38733 that was actually assigned to the 612th Bomb Squadron. According to the bomb group website (linked below), this airplane was delivered to the group on September 13, 1944, and lost on March 24, 1945, in a crash landing due to battle damage suffered on a mission. It carried the name I'll Be Seeing You. This could be the most intriguing thing about the movie: how an actual B-17G with correct markings and all get all computer generated up? Albeit, the airplane in the movie crashed before it was delivered to the group, but details, details. Very peculiar, indeed, with no doubt a story behind it.
Buy this Movie! (Or maybe not!)
Links
Acknowledgements
- Nick Veronico ("Head's up, there's a movie...")
Screen shot of Yankee Lady touching down at, probably, Hamilton International Airport for this scene in the film. I'm thinking the film crew searched far and wide for a B-17C but, alas, found none. Damn.
Ramp view of N3193G, the only "live" B-17 shots in the film.
Computer generated view of the "boys" B-17 on their last desperate mission. Notably, the markings are of B-17G 43-38733. Funky looking tail turret...not a stinger, not a Cheyenne...more of a Charmin empty toilet paper roll.
A scene during the filming of a B-17 nose interior...the history of the nose mockup is unknown.
The results of just such filming in the nose mockup...a pretty as a picture B-17 navigator. This is, technically, well, I'm not sure who it is technically, but it is somebody. I'm thinking he is so happy because he just finished lunch.