User reviews

Without sounding like some "tech-head" and quoting all sorts of technical jargon, I've just got to say, that one of the main reasons for enjoying this Cold War pic is the sheer visual impact. The flight sequence where Dutch is sent out in a Peacemaker is incredible. The color, clouds, and air-to-air photography is stunning. My one thought through the movie was, "What a shame the Steady-cam wasn't around."

One of the classic film cable channels has been showing what appears to be a well restored print, and I wonder if a DVD version will be avaliable, at some date.

And, if you are a plane fan, seeing a B-36 in motion is impressive, too. It's something to see a flight deck that has no computer, digital display, ot high tech flight control. Dials! Propellers! Incredible!

And yes, being a car fan, too, I got a big charge out of this picture.

This is a great rainy/snowy/stay inside Sunday afternoon movie. Grab a drink, pop some popcorn, turn off the current world, and set "The Way-Back Machine" to the early 50's when the BAD GUY was a Bear, and the world was a safer place.

There are many movie couples who appeared on the silver screen that were made for each other. Their special talent lent their persona's to the films they were in and the formula worked as they were thrust together time after time. That is the story here as James Stewart playing Lt. Col. Robert 'Dutch' Holland is paired with lovable June Allyson as Sally Holland. The film is a reoccurring one as many annoyed reservists of this day and age can testify. Having done his air service duty during W. W. II, Bob Holland has taken his civilian job seriously and plans a long and lucrative career as third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. However, what was suggested as a 'part-time' job with the U.S. Airforce Reserves, becomes a dream stealing task when his reserve status is activated. Frank Lovejoy plays Gen. Ennis C. Hawkes who doesn't care what Holland like to do, he 'has a job' to do and the ballplayer has become part of the military team. Barry Sullivan plays Lt. Col. Rocky Samford. Unable to get a release from the military, Dutch makes the best of a bitter situation, one felt by many other reservists, and learns to fly the newest aircrafts, traveling around the globe. A supremely haunting musical theme accompanies this movie and Stewart/Allyson fans accept it as a heart warmer. I would tend to agree. ***

One of the parts of the James Stewart legacy is his love of flight. According to biographers something that developed with him while he was still a kid. When Stewart became the first Hollywood star to enlist in the Armed Forces in World War II it was natural that he went into the Army Air Corps. He kept his reserve commission status, transferring it to new formed Air Force.

Stewart was a great believer in the mission of the Air Force and specifically the mission of the Strategic Air Command which maintained a 24 hour combat ready status in those early days of the Cold War. So he did this film to help popularize the new service and to acquaint the public with the mission of the Strategic Air Command.

This is probably the weakest of the eight Stewart/Anthony Mann collaborations. It is technically fine film and airplane enthusiasts will love the flight scenes.

Problem is that the film is dull, not bad, but dull. There just isn't much entertainment value in the story of guys sitting around waiting for the Russians to turn the Cold War hot. The only moment when Strategic Air Command comes alive is when Stewart is forced to crash land and is stranded for a while. John Wayne did a most entertaining film, Island in the Sky, about such an incident. Unfortunately this was only part of the story.

John Wayne also did Jet Pilot which was a ridiculous film about the Air Force and Strategic Air Command doesn't sink to that level.

The only time boredom was ever successfully translated to the cinema was in Mister Roberts. This ain't no Mister Roberts.

June Allyson the same year played almost an identical role as Alan Ladd's wife in The McConnell Story. The McConnell Story was and is too saccharine, but at least the people were real and you did care about them. Stewart is a World War II veteran and now third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and is recalled to the service because they need top pilots for SAC. He and Allyson are not really people you get to care about here.

Frank Lovejoy does a very good job as General Hawks the head of SAC, right down to his cigars which Curtis LeMay was known for. The other cast members look quite natural in the military setting.

Fans of aviation and of Jimmy Stewart should love this film. But I don't think it had much of a broader appeal.

James Stewart flew more than 26 combat missions in WWII as the commander of a B-24. The infamous Ploesti oil field raids were the most dangerous of the war, and he flew a B-24 50ft off the deck on several runs.

This was a great man, and a fine, fine actor. His commitment to the U.S. Air Force SAC command resonated in this film. His courage in WWII and the courage and sacrifice of that entire WWII generation has been forgotten in what is left of America---the remaining oldsters of that generation, and their baby-boomer offspring who did not sandblast their brains with pot and booze back in the 60s and 70s being the only group that would enjoy this film and remember what it was all like back then. The rest of the "citizens' of this country register nothing when WWI or II is talked about. They do not even remember the Cold War and the hammer of nukes we all lived under, and still are threatened by.

The massive 10-engined (6 props, 4 jets) B-36 was the iconic cornerstone of 50s bomber tech. A magnificent leviathan that could fly for days at very high altitudes, and carry massive amounts of dumb bombs, or, in one aircraft, enough H-bombs to end the world. Google the B-36 and gaze upon an almost surrealistic machine that broke plates, glasses and windows when it flew over with a basso profundo propeller sound unlike anything ever heard before or since.

I remember my father pointing them out, very high in the sky, white contrails feathering back for miles behind them....and that roar.....distant and discordant...you could hear a B-36 fly over even at 40,000 feet.

"Strategic Air Command" was an extended showpiece for that airplane, and a beautiful piece of music, "Symphony of Flight" carries the film into the in-flight scenes that make the movie so transcending of an admittedly formulaic human drama. It is an amazing historical piece that actually shows the transition from props to full jets that the Air Force went through in the 50s. At the end, there is pristine footage of the B-47, the first U.S. jet bomber, and Stewart has an adventure with that.

The cockpit shots of the B-36 and B-47 probably drove Russian spies to a frenzy, but for an aviation buff they were the stuff of dreams.

The crash landing of Stewart's B-36 was done in miniature format, and actually was a weak point of the film. The model was too small to make the crash look realistic---Howard and Theodore Lydecker could have knocked that scene out of the park.....the bad weather landing of the B-47 at the end of the film was also done in miniature, and looked better, reminding me of how much fun special effects must have been in the pre-CGI days.

For an intimate look at a huge Cold warrior, and some beautiful music, plus a look at June Allyson's legs that could make the whole movie for you, I highly recommend "Strategic Air Command"

I was born a year after this movie was filmed, but I grew up during the cold war and this film is a great reminder of what so many people did on our behalf for so many years. And yes, the views of these great aircraft, now long gone, still amaze me. And whether I should or shouldn't, I like the story. I always enjoy watching Jimmy Stewart, and I remind myself that he actually did some of what he portrays here. He was, as I recall, a reserve Brigadier General in the Air Force after having served during World War II. For him this really was not play acting but reliving the real thing. A true reality show, as opposed to the nonsense on TV today calling itself that. This is the real thing!

68/100. Not one of Jimmy Stewart's best films, but not fault of his. He is terrific. June Allyson, I don't know what exactly it is I don't like about her. I feel her performances are so rehearsed and phony. She is way too sappy and understanding in this film and I feel she hurts the films overall effect. Some excellent aerial photography, good score and the entire production is top notch. It waves the flag a little excessively and the mix of personal drama and action sequences is at times a little awkward. The supporting cast is a bit bland, Harry Morgan and Rosemary deCamp stand out as the best. Good special effects. The color in the film was exceptionally crisp.

Strategic Air Command is directed by Anthony Mann and written by Valentine Davies and Beirne Lay. It stars James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Lovejoy, Bruce Bennett and Barry Sullivan. Music is by Victor Young and cinematography by William H. Daniels.

Film is inspired in part by the true story of baseball great Ted Williams, who after serving in World War II was drafted to serve in the Korean War just as his baseball career was taking off.

There's sometimes a film you watch that you desperately want to be good because you can't imagine having to pan it. This becomes even more irksome when it's directed by and stars personal favourites. Sadly I find myself in that irksome frame of mind where Strategic Air Command is concerned, for in spite of the quality of Mann and Stewart, and some truly special "up in the air" sequences, picture is a bore.

The flag waving and thematics involved are fine, these people deserve recognition, and it's great to have someone like Stewart, drawing from real life inspiration, leading out the story, but when on the ground the film comes off as an advertising reel for the Air Force that's punctured by military musings. None of which is very interesting.

On the major side of plus points is the planes themselves, those B36/47 Bombers are a sight to behold, graceful yet menacing, and beautifully brought to life in Vista Vision and Technicolor. The "loyal wife of an airman" thread is neatly welded into the human story, with Allyson's chemistry with Stewart set in stone after their work together in The Stratton Story (1949) & TheGlen Miller Story (1954).

Hardly a stinker, then, and Lay's story was Oscar Nominated, but it is a chore to get through, and one has to be suspicious of a film where the best thing about it is an aeroplane. 4/10

I'll be very quick to admit that this is NOT a film that would appeal to everyone. In fact, those who love the film are probably in the minority. So why did I like the film so much and consider it among Jimmy Stewart's best films? Well, I love airplanes as well as history and this film is a great lesson about the beginnings of the Strategic Air Command that was created after WWII in response to Soviet expansion. From the historical standpoint and combined with some of the very best aviation footage ever created, it's a fantastic film. Just watching the B-36 and B-47s flying in very vivid color (VISTAVISION) on a large screen is very inspiring and breathtaking to air aficionados. About the only downside, and this is only a minor gripe, is that occasionally the story itself involving Stewart and his wife, June Allyson, seems a tiny bit hokey. However, overall, this is a wonderful film.

UPDATE--After doing this review, I later read some of the other reviews and was very surprised with one that said how unbelievable the older Jimmy Stewart was in the film! This was pretty funny, since Stewart was in the air force reserves and did fly these planes for real--even eventually retiring as a brigadier general well after this movie was made. So apparently, at least according to some, Stewart wasn't believable even though he DID fly SAC bombers in real life!

A professional baseball player is drafted by the Air Force to rejoin the title division, where he served during WWII. Stewart had a long and successful career during which he made many fine films, but this is without a double one of his worst clunkers. It is little more than a propaganda film for the Air Force. There are long, dull sequences showing men going on uneventful missions. It is so tedious that time seems to come to a standstill. Furthermore, Stewart was obviously too old for the role. Looking to be pushing 50, he is not at all believable as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Allyson is rather annoying as his cloying wife, her third screen role as Stewart's wife.

I have some comments about one comment concerning the movie. First off, no one saw that movie at a SAC base theater. It was banned, and for good reason. The movie portrayed very accurately all the hours that SAC pilots and crewmen spent away from their spouses and family. It implicated the extreme dangers of technologies for strategic warfare that were ever changing and never proved out till some Air Force pilot actually got out and flew those new planes. You can read online about the prop reverse and engine overheat problems that caused fatal crashes. To say that the movie was written, acted, and directed poorly is an unfair assessment. When that movie was created, it was done as well as any other of the times. That any one would even consider making that movie deserves some admiration. I was a SAC brat during those years, and I can tell you that the public was well served by the movie. I lived in Louisiana just due east of Carswell AFB and saw and heard those huge planes flying over. The china in our cupboards would rattle! The only part of the movie that I thought was unrealistic is when the bomber crashed near Greenland. Judging by the terrain that was under the plane, it would have been impossible for that plane to survive to the extent that it did. It's a movie! The B-36 was an immense airplane. It was the only bomber at the time that could fly a long distance with a nuclear weapon. The B-47 was a medium range bomber and couldn't carry the weight of the largest(read big and heavy)weapons of the day. There are parts of a B-36 in the side of Franklin Mountain in El Paso Texas where there was a B-36 wing. I lived at Walker AFB here in NM which also had the B-36. Well those are my comments. Thank you for allowing me to post them. Fine page!

To really appreciate this movie, it has to be seen in context. After you watch it, watch the movie "Fail Safe", and then watch "Dr. Strangelove". You can see how America began to doubt its leadership as the Vietnam crisis deepened...It's almost a history course on the Cold War, and it goes from patriotic to scary to ridiculous. America goes from a "bomb shelter in every basement" to "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb" (the subtitle for Dr.Strangelove".) Or, from Jimmy Stewart, to Henry Fonda and Larry Hagman, to Peter Sellers and George C. Scott. All of whom provide outstanding performances in their respective roles. Seeing these films in order makes sense of all of them.

Proof that Jimmy Stewart can star in mediocre movies. Essentially a piece of Cold War propaganda, the plot is so-so, the dialogue is overly gung-ho, and the acting is fairly wooden.

Even the great Jimmy Stewart seems like he is just going through the motions. I guess Hollywood wanted to continue to milk the fact that he was a WW2 bomber pilot.

June Allyson, usually wonderful to watch, is incredibly irritating as the long-suffering Air Force wife.

It's not all bad though. Any scenes involving the B-36 and B-47 bombers were great, and there's a lot of them.

"Strategic Air Command" is a look at the 1950's, when the needs of the Cold War caused America to begin rearming after having nearly disarmed itself following World War II.

With his trademark sincerity, James Stewart plays Lt. Col. Holland, a former Air Force officer and now ballplayer who is recalled to duty as the new Strategic Air Command expands its might. June Allyson plays Sally, his devoted wife. Together they and the other families of SAC have to cope with the strains that SAC missions put on their personal lives.

The stresses that SAC duty put on families is true enough. But as movie drama it's all written in a way that's utterly trite and predictable. You can practically guess in advance the main set-pieces: Sally is going to become pregnant and have to deal with it without her husband around, Holland is going to get into some life-threatening situations and be thinking of his wife all the while, but he'll be rescued in the end, and so on.

What nearly makes up for a trite plot, however, is the spectacular aerial photography of the two "actors" that truly steal the show: SAC's B-36 Peacemaker bomber, and its state-of-the-art (at the time!) medium jet bomber, the B-47. The B-36, a huge flying battleship with six prop engines plus four jet engines, and a crew of maybe 15, is beautifully photographed in flight, with an accompanying musical score. For today's younger generation who are used to today's ultra-modern planes, the movie is worth seeing for its loving last look at a generation of impressive aircraft that never saw combat, and hence aren't as well known as both their predecessors and successors that did serve in war.

This is not a great movie, but that's okay, you are not watching it for that.

You're watching it for the glory footage of the massive B-36

And that's what you get in spades. And it takespor wide-screen technicolor to do justice to that huge 230-foot wing span, and high fidelity audio to capture the thundering drone of six 28-cylinder, 3800-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major radial engines and four GE J47 turbojets blasting 5200 pounds of thrust each.

While Strategic Air Command may seem terribly dated today, in the 1950's, the B-36 and B-47's depicted in the movie were the height of technology. This movie is one of two Air Force recruiting films that Hollywood made (the other was Bombers B-52 with Karl Malden and Natalie Wood a few years later).

The plot is somewhat trite, as others have noted. But, that isn't the point of the movie. The purpose of the movie was to help enlistments into SAC, and to reassure a nervous public about the strength of our nuclear deterrent. This was before ICBM's and submarine launched missiles could destroy a city within minutes of launch.

The best part of the whole movie is the rare footage of the B-36. This airplane could stay aloft for over 24 hours without refueling. It was initially designed in the early 1940's when it looked like England might fall, meaning we would have to bomb Germany from bases in the US.

There is about a five-minute sequence of the B-36 in flight, plus a guided tour. For airplane buffs, this is pure nirvana. This movie isn't for everyone, but if you like airplanes and want to see a slice of history, watch at least the first half.

I must admit I found it very difficult to rate this movie. On the surface it is a solid piece of entertain about a man choosing his country/duty over his successful career.

Jimmy Stewart is excellent as always and June Allyson plays his loving, dutiful wife for a 3rd time.

And while the special effects may not exactly be modern state-of-the-art, the flying scenes are dramatic and exhilarating.

No, the problem is SAC's justification for its existence, as personified by Gen. Hawks (Frank Lovejoy). Post Stangelove, Vietnam, Nixon, Afghanistan and Iraq, the unquestioning call to patriotism, backed by stirring music, rings completely hollow, if not downright uncomfortable 50 years later.

One can only wonder how it may be viewed in 2050.

Next year, 2005, will be the 50th anniversary of the movie, "Strategic Air Command." Nearly all reviews of this movie are quite similar...a somewhat boring movie with unsurpassed aerial photography of the magnificent B-36. (One really needs to see the in-flight sequences...they are extraordinary!)

These valid comments really ignore the "larger picture." The B-36 (Peacemaker) stopped flying before the average person living today was born...it was a long time ago. This movie captures a time in America when the military...SAC with its aircraft...ADC (Air Defense Command) with its hundreds of radar sites nationwide...civilians in The Ground Observer Corps...were all involved in "watching the sky" in order to help protect and defend from possible attack by our cold war enemies.

It is difficult, understandably, for many today to comprehend the times and attitudes depicted in "Strategic Air Command." I was there...it did happen. This movie captures some of the dedication that was required. With that in mind, perhaps we can forgive a script and story line that is weak. More importantly, let's celebrate that, a half-century ago, many served and did their duty as the times required. That is the real message of this movie.

Unless You are Literally a "Wing-Nut" or Revel in Political and Commercial Propaganda with Full Governmental Support for the Newly-Found United States Air Force...

more Specifically the "Strategic Air Command" (SAC), "Peace is Our Profession", then there is Really No-Need to Watch this Valentine Post-Card...

that Looks Beautiful and Delivers its Message in the Most Dumbed-Down Terms Imaginable. Presenting a Paper Cut-Out of America in the Eisenhower Era...

Complete with a Ring-Collar Preacher Father-In-Law...

Baseball "America's Pastime"...

a Doting Wife with Little Room for an Opinion that is Listen To or Considered (June Allyson), but Can Claim Her "Baby-Boom" Cred...

an Ultra-Patriotic Pilot that is Reluctant to Give Up a High-Paying Player in Major League Baseball, but then After Seeing the New-Models...

Takes a Test-Drive and is Forever Smitten, Falls In-Love with the Shiny Metallic Aircraft So-Much that He Re-Enlists for Life (James Stewart).

No Wonder, the Aircraft are Filmed, both On-the-Ground and In-the Air, Like Pin-Up Models Showcased for Maximum Seduction.

To Keep the Analogy Up, there is a Sequence Filmed of the Famous In-Flight Refueling from Gas-Tanker-Planes that is a Literal and Direct Method of Human Reproduction.

Stanley Kubrick Must have Noticed, because He Repeated Almost the Exact Scene in "Dr. Strangelove" (1964).

All of this "Flag-Waving", Nuclear-Family, Nuclear Bomber, Cold War Propaganda is In-Your-Face Directly and Distinctly Meant to be "Gospel" for America and its Citizens. Pass the Apple Pie.

Director Anthony Mann is in Full Cooperation with the Pentagon and Doesn't Step Out of the Party Line for Anything Provocative, Interesting, or Entertaining.

The Movie is a Combination of a Military Training Film, and an "American Dream" Documentary from the 1950's.

It's a Dull, Embarrassing Product of its Era and has Dated Horribly. Nothing More than the USAF Using Hollywood to Promote its Reason to Be.

Mediocre Movie Making at its Most Mundane. The "Entertainment" Value is Minimal.

This film reeks of production line planning. It appears like the filmmakers looked at recent hit movies, and threw spaghetti on the screen - Jimmy Stewart! June Allyson! Anthony Mann! Baseball! War! Baby! Airplane! - ROLL 'EM! - The film does address the age of the Stewart/Allyson performers; though, I'm certain we are still supposed to think they are much younger.

There are messages in "Strategic Air Command" I found curiously shocking and offensive, but I'll stick with one truly wretched element: The happily married couple is challenged when Mr. Stewart's character makes an important decision without consulting his wife. In the film's most dramatic scene, she calls him on it. It ends completely unresolved - Allyson is crying her heart out on their bed, and Stewart walks out on her. NO discussion; he simply says he is correct, and walks out on his devastated wife. For all he knows, she could slit her wrists.

Later, Allyson apologizes for questioning her husband's decision.

Unbelievable!

Stick with Stewart-Allyson in "The Stratton Story" (1949).

** Strategic Air Command (3/25/55) Anthony Mann ~ James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Lovejoy

If you like old airplanes, you'll love this movie. Seeing the B-36 and B-47 from the POV of people laying eyes on them for the first time was a trip. Despite it's slightly stilted propaganda dialouge, this is a film well worth watching.