Stock footage of the pilots from the right side of the chopper as they fly it was reused in nearly every flying scene, and was stock footage of the choppers in flight.
It is especially telling when you notice that the closeup of the pilots always shows a window with a unique bullet hole it in, and even when that particular chopper is supposedly shot down and lost that chopper and window with a bullet hole shows up again.
Near the beginning F86s are called in to knock out a tank, but the footage of the plane dropping the napalm is of a F80 not a F86.
After the chopper is repaired, during the test flight several scenes of it flying are reused several times, and one scene of it flying in a curve low to the ground is even played in reverse.
No doubt, the film contains more than its share of deficiencies, which have been amply pointed out in previous reviews of this title. But we have to remember that it was probably shot on a minuscule budget, and most likely in a heluva hurry, for the war had been over for at least a year before it got released.
Herbert L. Strock -- a name to conjure with.
Rodada 2 años después de ese conflicto bélico post WWII entre las 2 Coreas (acabaron 20 naciones involucradas) conocido como "la guerra de Corea" (1950 – 1953) y centrada en la participación norteamericana en dicha contienda, estamos ante un surtido muestrario de helicópteros y aviones de la época en acción, eso es todo, una especie de documental, que supongo que dado lo minucioso de las explicaciones que se nos da sobre modelos y prestaciones será de obligada visión para los aficionados a la aviación (aunque yo no lo soy, la verdad es que me ha parecido muy interesante en este aspecto), ya que la intensidad dramática de esa historia que nos cuenta sobre la vida en la unidad de rescate aéreo comandada por el Capitán Russ Edwards (Sterling Hayden), y los rifi rafes de este con el Teniente Pete Stacy (Arthur Franz), piloto de reactores devenido en gruñón piloto de helicópteros de rescate, distan mucho de poder considerarla mas allá de una curiosidad (a años luz de la muy entretenida referencia, "Bat 21 1988"),en la que tanto Sterling Hayden, como Arthur Franz, realizan unas rutinarias interpretaciones, y el interesante Herbert L. Strock (su opera prima fue aquella entretenida curiosidad llamada, "El monstruo magnético 1953" y en el 57 dirigió otra que tal baila, "Yo fui un Frankenstein adolescente") se limita a hacer conjugar lo mejor posible las interesantes imágenes de archivo que son el alma de la producción con la justita trama.
Sterling Hayden, a very good and underrated actor, plays a grouchy captain whose one and only goal is to keep his rescue helicopters flying. However, he has a hot-shot new pilot (Arthur Franz) who has ideas of taking wild risks and it puts him in the hot seat with Hayden.
A very good movie for all the aviation buffs : it can easily be considered as the "Sikorsky H-19 " helicopter definitive film. Then , there are a lot of good old Sabres and Shooting Stars, some S-51 Hely and other USAF stuff of the period(F-51 , B-45, B-29, Hu-16) .
Rough tough, phone in the performance and cash the paycheck Captain Sterling Hayden commands a fleet of helicopters in the Korean War. Can he keep his BATTLE TAXIS in the air rescuing shot down pilots, or will re-purposed hot shot pilot Arthur Franz keep flying the copters into unnecessary danger?
Everything about this movie is wrong.... or just plain bad.
