Angels One Five (1952) on Netflix
In 1940, Pilot Officer 'Septic' Baird delivers a replacement Hawker Hurricane to Pimpernel Squadron. He crashes it on landing, into the garden of Squadron Leader Barry Clinton's bungalow.
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Trailer
Plot summary
In 1940, Pilot Officer T. B. 'Septic' Baird flies a replacement Hawker Hurricane to the airfield of Pimpernel Squadron. Another damaged Hurricane lands across his path; his quick reaction avoids a collision, but he cannot slow in time and wrecks the aircraft in the garden of Squadron Leader Barry Clinton's bungalow. The crash injures the ligaments in Baird's neck, which he diagnoses himself, having studied medicine before the war. Group Captain 'Tiger' Small tells him he cannot fly until the neck heals and puts him in the operations room instead. Baird wants to earn his place among the squadron's pilots and to fly again.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Angels One Five (1952)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Dulcie Gray, Michael Denison's wife and co-star, was persuaded to accept a small part on the understanding that a scene would be added for her; the scene was written and shot but cut entirely because the film was overlength.
- Kenneth More desperately wanted the role of Flight Lieutenant "Batchy" Salter but could not take it because he had already signed to make Appointment with Venus.
- Five Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc fighters, numbered 544, 554, 600, 601 and 624, came from the Portuguese Air Force, which flew the type operationally until mid-1954; other Hurricanes were lent by the RAF Air Historical Branch and Hawker Aircraft.
- The title comes from wartime RAF radio shorthand, "Angels" for altitude and "One Five" for 15,000 feet, and the film was the first British post-war production to deal with the Battle of Britain.
- Ronald Adam, who plays a Group Controller in the film, had been the Fighter Group Controller at RAF Hornchurch during the Battle of Britain and was a veteran of both World Wars.
- Jack Hawkins wrote that the film set his feet on the road to a run of service character parts, and that over the next few years he played enough senior officers to stock the whole Ministry of Defence.
