This movie was released in 1973 primarily for TV, not a theatrical release. With respect to acting, cast and production quality it was done on a very limited budget, so it is really not fair to compare it to bigger budget Hollywood pictures. One of the ways that the defunct Tomorrow Entertainment chose to save production money was to only license the 1940s music used in the film for a very short number of years (I believe 10 years). The cost savings move by shorter music licensing was hailed by the entertainment industry back in 1973 as an example of thinking outside of the box, but since the music in this movie was so very much a part of the tone and theme of the movie, this means that the impact of the VHS, Beta and DVD versions is disappointing, because the original soundtrack is not there. You have to remember that home video systems like Beta, BetaMax, VHS and DVD really did not exist until years afterwards. What did exist was expensive and not for the average consumer in 1972-1973. Video systems were bulky, reel-to-reel and required a vidicon tube camera to record. Color recording was damn expensive. It is not surprising that the executive producer had no thoughts at the time of a home release product. Home video recording and playback technology was still years away and would not be affordable or mass marketable for years. By the time it was affordable and mass marketable, the permission (license) to use the original music had expired.
The movie has some terrific flying scenes. I've flown both helicopters and fix wing aircraft and helped develop military flight simulators in the 1980s, and my hats are off in respect for the stunt pilots on this movie. This particular movie actually inspired me to work in the aerospace industry in the 1980s.
It is a decent movie with a decent plot and acceptable acting and interesting characters. Janssen and Meeker play well off of each other. Although the music is dramatically different than what was originally used, I still have this in my DVD collection. I do wish that I could find out who sang "I'll Get By" in the original soundtrack. She was a superb singer who was better than the others I have heard singing that same song.
The movie has some terrific flying scenes. I've flown both helicopters and fix wing aircraft and helped develop military flight simulators in the 1980s, and my hats are off in respect for the stunt pilots on this movie. This particular movie actually inspired me to work in the aerospace industry in the 1980s.
It is a decent movie with a decent plot and acceptable acting and interesting characters. Janssen and Meeker play well off of each other. Although the music is dramatically different than what was originally used, I still have this in my DVD collection. I do wish that I could find out who sang "I'll Get By" in the original soundtrack. She was a superb singer who was better than the others I have heard singing that same song.