A Gathering of Eagles (1963) on Netflix
An unannounced readiness inspection finds many problems at an Air Force wing, so Colonel Jim Caldwell takes command. His harsh policies bring him into conflict with his old friend Hollis Farr.
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- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb6.1/101,272 votes
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Plot summary
Major General "Happy Jack" Kirby, the Strategic Air Command's inspector general, lands without warning at a California air base that hosts a strategic aerospace wing and declares an operational readiness inspection. His team finds many problems, and Kirby reports unfavorably to General Hewitt. Hewitt gives the wing to his own aide, Colonel Jim Caldwell. Caldwell's assistant is Hollis Farr, an old and trusted friend. Caldwell sees many reasons for the wing's low training and readiness, and the harsh policies he institutes bring him into conflict with Farr.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Gathering of Eagles (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While filming at SAC headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, producer Sy Bartlett and director Delbert Mann noticed the SAC personnel seemed unusually tense. They later learned SAC had just learned of Nikita Khrushchev's plan to put nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles in Cuba.
- A subplot in which Colonel Hollis Farr has an affair with Colonel Caldwell's wife, played by Mary Peach, was cut from the film during postproduction.
- Julie Andrews was the original choice for Mary Peach's role, but screenwriter Robert Pirosh said director Delbert Mann believed Andrews could not act, only sing.
- General Curtis LeMay, then Air Force Chief of Staff and former head of SAC, used his influence to give producer Sy Bartlett and director Delbert Mann unprecedented access to SAC facilities, believing the film would remind Americans the Air Force had powerful weapons under tight control.
- SAC commander Curtis LeMay, from 1948, frequently flew unannounced inspections of bases, and a poor showing could mean a wing commander's immediate replacement, plus on-the-spot demotions or promotions for airmen.
- Tom Lehrer wrote one original song, "The SAC Song", for the film, and Rod Taylor performs it as Colonel Hollis Farr at a party for officers and their wives.
- Air Force colonel Daniel J. Bigelow flew the B-52G and served as a stand-in for Rock Hudson in the scenes where Colonel Caldwell is shown flying the bomber.
