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PLOT SUMMARY:
Col. Jim Caldwell (Rock Hudson) is assigned to command an Air Force base
in California after base personnel fail to respond adequately to a surprise alert devised by Strategic Air Command. He immediately
alienates his new colleagues, as well as his new British wife, Victoria (Mary Peach), by removing missile squad commander
Col. Bill Fowler (Barry Sullivan) from his post because of alcoholism. Caldwell's tough, no-nonsense demeanor, and the long
hours he puts in at work do little to help his marriage, and his lonely wife begins spending time with Jim's best friend Col.
Hollis Farr (Rod Taylor), the vice commander at the base. Jim becomes increasingly unhappy with the gregarious Farr's lax
attention to efficiency, and suggests to his superior General Aymes (Nelson Leigh), that he be replaced. Before a change
can be made, SAC issues a new alert and Farr and the rest of the men on the base are put to the test once again.
MOVIE NOTES:
Shooting for A Gathering of Eagles
began on July 16, 1962. Most of the location filming was done at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, CA, located
40 miles north of Sacremento. Other scenes were shot at the Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offutt AFB in
Nebraska.
The movie was directed by Delbert Mann, an
Air Force veteran who had served in the 8th Air Force during WWII. As a pilot of a B-24 bomber, Mann had 35 wartime
bombing missions to his credit. After being discharged from the service, he attended the prestigious Yale
School of Drama where he received his M.F.A. He went on to direct such classic movies as Desire Under the Elms,
That Touch of Mink with Cary Grant and Doris Day, Lover Come Back, which also starred Hudson, and the Best
Picture winner of 1954, Marty, for which he also won the Academy Award for Best Director.
A Gathering of Eagles
was based on a story by Sy Bartlett, who also produced the film. Most Lansing fans will recognize Barlett's name from
12 O'Clock High -- he co-wrote (with Beirne Lay, Jr.) the book on which both the movie and the television
series was based. Bartlett, whose family immigrated from Russia to the United States when he was 4, also served
in the Army Air Force during WWII. In 1956 Bartlett and actor Gregory Peck co-founded Melville Productions, which produced
such hit movies as Pork Chop Hill, The Big Country, and Cape Fear, all of which starred Peck.
Considered one of the most realistic military
films in Hollywood history, A Gathering of Eagles was produced with the complete cooperation of the United States
Air Force. It boasted a stong supporting cast and critics consistently give it high marks for its realism and aerial
sequences. Despite those factors, for whatever reason, it was not a major hit at the box office. Some reviewers
attribute this to the fact that Hudson played a hard-nosed, somewhat ruthless character and his fans couldn't accept him
in that kind of role.
LANSING'S ROLE:
RL played Sgt. Banning, the line chief, in A Gathering of Eagles. It
is established in the very first scene in which Banning appears that he is an excellent mechanic. He discovers the
wrong size bolt has been used in one of the planes, and Col. Caldwell praises him for his good work. Later on in the
movie, in the scene where they are trying to get the plane up, Banning manages to get it ready seconds before the deadline.
In the scene in the steam room, Caldwell seeks Banning's advice on how
to get the most out of the men. Banning tells him that the best way to get people to respond is to build a fire inside
of them instead of under them. It's obvious that Banning thinks Caldwell is going about things in the wrong way.
Later on, despite his misgivings, he eats lunch with the colonel when all of the other men make a point to avoid him because
they are upset over his leadership style.
Not much is revealed about Banning's private life. In one scene
he mentions to Col. Caldwell that he has a wife and five kids, but they are not shown on-screen. Col. Farr mentions
that Banning is an excellent handball player, and that is proven to be an accurate statement when he easily beats Caldwell in
a match.
RL only appears in six scenes, but his character plays an important supporting
role in the film. Despite his lack of air time, it ranks among his fans' favorites for the steam room scene alone.
To see photos of RL in this role, please click the link below.
Movie Stills
SPECIFICATIONS:
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English
Distributed By: Universal
Color: Color
Sound: Mono
Release Date: June 21, 1963
Complete Credits at IMDB
AVAILABILITY:
A Gathering of Eagles was released on VHS on November 3, 1998.
It has not yet been released on DVD.
LINKS:
The Complete Rod Taylor Site
Nice, comprehensive site devoted to Rod Taylor. Includes an entire
page on A Gathering of Eagles. There's no mention of RL, but there is plenty of interesting information about
the movie, including lots of behind-the-scenes tidbits and several nice pictures. I highly recommend this
site to anyone who wants to learn more about the making of the movie.
Delbert Mann
Interesting information about Oscar-winning director Delbert Mann, including
a biography, a picture, and a complete filmography.
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