The Way to the Stars (question)

[Ruy Horta]

Does The Way to the Stars end with a B-17 not making it back home, the crew (or pilot) just getting killed within sight of the coast (or even crashing with the cliffs)?

I remember being impressed by a movie ending along such lines, but I am not sure if it was this classic?

Unfortunately although (re)released in 2004 on DVD R2, I cannot find it anywhere in stock.

[NickM]

Ruy:

I think the only film I've seen with a B17 flying into the cliffs of Dover was 'The War Lover' with Steve McQueen; That's how that film ended with just him at the controls & he could not get high enough to get over the top...


NickM

[Ruy Horta]

Sounds like the ending I have in mind, thanks for helping me out on that one.

IIRC The Way to the Stars ends with a church service, but I think that it also has a B-17 loss near the end, however your version matches exactly with my memory, so it must be a mix up in my mind!



Thanks again.

[david Cotton]

Hello
I think the way to the stars was a very British and that the aircraft in it may hace been Blemins. I know it start with the camara looking at the writting on the wall of an old bomber base. I think it end when Johny tries to land with a bomb on board ( that will get you to the stars if nothing else will).

There is also a B17 film that has the same sort of beginning. A man walking round an old Eigth airforce bomber base. I think this may of had Gregory Peck in the lead roll, but I dont rember its name... it may of been 12 oclock high.

Regards
David

[gaynako]

The film with Gregory Peck is "Twelve o'clock High" (1949) Director : Henry King, with Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gay Merrill...
The planes you can see in this film are : 12 B-17G from First Experiment Guided Missile group based at Englin, and wartime US and german footages of : Me-109E/G; Me 163; P-47D; FW-190.
This film is still avalaible as it is a great classic.

Christian

[gaynako]

"Twelve o'clock high" ends with John's girlfriend looking at the stars in front of the flyers's mess, after he was killed on landing with his B-17.

Best

Christian

[gaynako]

"The way to the stars" ends with John's girlfriend looking at the stars in front of the flyers's mess, after he was killed on landing with his B-17.

Best

Christian[/quote]

[BIGVERN1966]

The Way to the Stars was released in 1945 and tells the story of a fictional RAF Bomber Station from August 1940 to sometime in late 1943 / early 1944. Aircraft in the film are Anson (John Mills arrives at the station in one from flying training at the start of the film), Hurricanes (a detachment is based at the unit and are scrambled as the base is attached by German bombers (just after Mills arrives). Blenheim IVs (main type operated on the station as the first half of the film shows the operation of a 2 Group light bomber base), Blenheims are in turn replaced by Bostons which later go to the Mid East and the base is taken over by the USAAF with B-17's (Mills remaining there as an operations officer in between Flying tours, until he gets posted onto Lancasters). The film is set mostly in the Aircrew's quarters, Crew room and control tower, plus the bar of the hotel in the local village (the manager of which gets married to a pilot of the Blenhiem squadron (Michael Redgrave), has a kid, the pilot gets to be the CO of the Squadron and is then killed in a Boston while leading a daylight attack on a target in Europe (needless to say after forgetting to pick up his lucky lighter). She then gets friendly with Johnny Hollis, the B-17 pilot who is then killed trying to land a damaged B-17 with a live bomb on board). Yes the film does start with views of a derelict airfield, the camera shots focusing on items left behind by aircrew that were based there (aforementioned Lighter on the shelf of the crewroom, sign nicked out of the toilet of a German train by Redgrave’s character before the war in his room, hole in the wall by the dart board made and signed by Hollis before he takes off on the mission that results in his death, etc). While the film does end in Toddy, the Manager of the hotel locking up the building and looking up at the sky, while overhead you can hear the drone of a large RAF night bomber raid heading out towards the coast. A classic without doubt, however not much in the way of aerial photography as it covers the bits in between operations.

[Juha]

Even if the film doesn’t show many a/c, IMHO it’s one of the best war films I have seen. IMHO it catch well the atmosphere of a British wartime airbase and shows, without showing combats, how expensive in human lives the bomber war was. IIRC the film was voted in 1946 to the best British film of the year.

[BIGVERN1966]

Originally Posted by Juha

Even if the film doesn’t show many a/c, IMHO it’s one of the best war films I have seen. IMHO it catch well the atmosphere of a British wartime airbase and shows, without showing combats, how expensive in human lives the bomber war was. IIRC the film was voted in 1946 to the best British film of the year.

I would have to agree with that comment.