Bombers B-52 (1957)

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

A pleasant enough Air Force propaganda piece, with appropriate thanks to this branch of our country's military service in the closing credits; it also includes all the requisite elements for a CinemaScope production – impressive widescreen shots of the titled aircraft taking off, landing and an in-flight refueling, and even some impressive aerial shots of North Africa (including the Pyramids). Its story and the dramatic elements that hold it together are fairly rote and not particularly compelling.It begins with a 19 year-old Natalie Wood, playing the daughter of Karl Malden and Marsha Hunt, and being courted by 40 year-old Efrem Zimbalist Jr.. Of course, Malden's character isn't too keen about it while, surprisingly, Hunt's doesn't seem to care. The fact that Malden plays a career master sergeant mechanic that doesn't trust nor respect flyboy Zimbalist Jr. (per their history during the Korean War six years earlier), who's now his commanding officer, is a regularly recycled plot point as well.Then again, the film's message is meant to convey the value of the B-52 to our nation's security to the audience of its time (during the Cold War) whereas other superior dramas (Strategic Air Command (1955) and, later, A Gathering of Eagles (1963)) were focused on the U.S.A.F.'s leadership challenges.Directed by Gordon Douglas, its screenplay was written by Irving Wallace from the novel by Sam Rolfe. Movie fans will recognize Dick Elliott, Juanita Moore (don't blink or you'll miss her), and Stuart Whitman among the uncredited actors in the cast.

I am NOT being negative when I say that "Bombers B-52" is a propaganda piece. Not all propaganda is necessarily evil and the film clearly is a giant recruiting film for the US Air Force. It features their new B-52 bomber and is intended as a publicity piece. However, he's the odd part...the film is also, at times, a bit like a soap opera. While the general plot is a lot like the superior "Strategic Air Command" where a man struggles to decide whether to stay on active duty or move to the private sector, there is the soapy element because the man with this struggle (Karl Malden) is under the impression that his Commanding Officer (Efram Zimbalest) is a playboy trying to wood Malden's daughter (Natalie Wood). Of course, it's all just a misunderstanding that could EASILY be explained away, but most of the film Malden and Zimbalest grunt and do their macho posturing instead of just talking. This makes an otherwise decent film a bit clichéd. During a few sequences, you really wish they'd have edited out the schmaltz and theatrics! It's a shame, as the air sequences are very nice (with a few amazing aerial shots of the bomber from above in mid-flight) and the film is a decent historical look into the Cold War.A few things to note in the film: The interesting ejection sequence--it really opened my eyes about the way a crew would leave the plane if there was an emergency as well as the low flyover in Egypt--which surely would have resulted in the Egyptians shooting at the plane as well as an international incident!

If you love anything and everything about the B-52 than you'll love this film. That's what caused me to give it a six. It would have been higher; but this was a really dumb story. A really good cast was squandered on a poorly written story. The underlying story is about a misunderstanding that came out Karl Malden's character jumping to a conclusion about his commanding officer; that he doesn't bother to clarify. He just holds his bitterness about his conclusion until he finds himself working with Zimbalist again. Both men are assigned to the testing program. To make the story more interesting, I guess; Malden has a beautiful daughter (Natalie Wood). While the first part of this story was in Korea, the rest of the story is about the B-52 and Karl Malden trying to keep Effram Zimbalist away from his daughter. Because he thought Zimbalist had been a coward in Korea (and didn't bother to talk to him about it), so did everything he could to keep Zimbalist away from his daughter. He goes so far as resigning from the air force to be able to get his daughter away. However he winds up having to fly another long test flight while his resignation is being processed. During this test flight there is a major failure and most of the crew has bail out; the pilot (Zimbalist) stays with the plane and gets it back to the air base. It's here that the story gets really silly. When Malden bailed out they didn't get a very good fix on his position. So when the search is going badly Zimbalist's character decided he was going to take part in the search. So we have a story where a full colonel is riding in helicopter, taking part in a search and rescue operation. They get to an area to where they think he is; and they put the colonel down on the ground to search for Malden. He finds him, and this eventually gives him the chance to find out he was wrong about Zimbalist, all along. In the end all is forgiven and Malden now wants Zimbalist to marry his daughter. Even though Zimbalist is twenty years older then the girl he is pursuing (Natalie Wood). In this story the crew is working with the very first B-52's and supposedly doing some kind of advanced testing; the thing that is hard to believe is that there are no people from Boeing (the maker of the plane) working with this plane. Advanced testing like this is done with major involvement with the plane; they would even be flying on the plane during this kind of testing. And in the end, in this film the Air Force seems to be making all their decision about the B-52 based on the advice of one senior enlisted man. It's difficult to spell out how really silly this story is. It's a guilt pleasure that i have watched this film more then once. But I watch for the scenes with the 52. The underlying story is rubbish.

This film lays it on with a trowel. By the end of it, you will admit that:i) the B-52 is the most fantastic bomber ever ii) every man in the Air Force is utterly dedicated to the safety of the United States iii) the mechanics are extremely important, despite not being officers iv) everyone in or around the Air Force is a fine example of good American decencyThe plot on which the pictures of the B-52 are hung is very silly indeed, as well as entirely predictable.