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That Campy 60s B-Class TV Series, Twelve O'Clock High:The DVDs
Y_O_U_'_V _E ___C_ O_ M _E___ T_ O___ T _H_ E ___R _I_ G_ H_ T ___P_ L_ A_ C_ E |
Available now!  Twelve O'Clock High, the TV series, had a 78-episode run. Originally, I thought I would just take a few of the memorable ones, usually those that starred actors who would go on to become famous, such as William Shatner, made three or four DVDs, then thought nothing more of it. The series went off my local station, never to resume—or so I thought. However, viewer outcry forced the station, which at one point had said in an online forum "Forget it! This series will never again air on this channel!" to bring it back in all its campy glory. Thereupon, and with the urging of a few diehard collectors, I decided to get as many episodes as possible on DVD, since no one knows when, or if this show will ever air again. One thing's for sure—it's unlikely ever to make it officially to DVD. The problem is, short of taping the entire run, then transcribing everything in one go—a massive task, one for which I am not fit—I elected to make the DVDs as efficiently as possible. The station, refusing to cooperate, has danced around with the official episode list, missing some in the order, then including them later, mixing season one and three, and so on, so I am forced to just assemble them in as orderly a fashion as possible. Only the most fanatical will take umbrage to this approach, as viewing the episodes in no particular order is perfectly acceptable. This show has no episodic continuity and guest stars come and go, sometimes as many as four times (Tom Skerritt) in four different roles. (Yes, it would be amusing to do four Tom Skerritts in a row, but I will leave that to someone else with WAY too much time on their hands.) Thus, this collection begins completely arbitrarily with star episodes, but then gradually settles down into a more-or-less-by-the-numbers progression of episodes through the first season etc. I hope I will be forgiven for missing a few or placing some out of sequence. These are all shipped on Maxell DVD-Rs (the best) in cases with artwork for each volume. In the event that a DVD skips or is otherwise defective (it happens) I will gladly send out another one at no cost to you, or give you a full refund. Please scroll down for information on purchasing.
Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep In this, the pilot for the whole series, Gallagher is selected by Savage to gather all the scum in the outfit together and make a plane crew out of them. Dirty Dozen revisited? Follow The Leader When an ace bombardier loses his best friend due to Savage's "by-the-book" insouciance, he balks when Savage wants him to be the bombardier for the whole group.
The Jones Boys Lt. Jaydee Jones (Andrew Prine) is a troubled pilot too scared to fly, and his older brother Frank (Bruce Dern) is finding himself bailing his little brother out of harrowing situations one time too many. Then Came the Mighty Hunter Gunner Cpl. Steven Corbett (Beau Bridges) is suspiciously eager to "bag a Nazi." A cynical crew plays a trick on him and messes with his guns, and it's all downhill from there.
Face of a Shadow Colonel Yates (Jack Lord, Hawaii 5-0) is a disgruntled commander based in Italy who is usually so"bombed" on scotch that he doesn't realize his base is surrounded by treacherous natives and legions of Germans. A Distant Cry Anal flight instructor Captain"Instrument Panel" Pridie (Roy Thinnes) runs across an old school-chum-turned-ace-bomber-pilot-who-also-happens-to-be-a-Native American (that's"Redskin" to the writers of this episode) Lt. Eagle (Robert Blake, currently accused of whacking his wife with a surreptitious gunshot to the head), and much stereotypical hilarity ensues.
I Am the Enemy In a foreshadowing of his Kirk role, our favorite ham does his impression of a disgruntled (everyone is always disgruntled on this series) German American as Major Kurt Brown, with a passionate hatred for his former countrymen. You have to listen closely, but you'll hear his vague attempt at a German accent—it's good that's it's only vague, because it's atrocious. The Loneliest Place in the World Actress Claudine Longet "accidentally" shot to death her ski-bum boyfriend while married to crooner Andy Williams. She served all of thirty days. Her acting back then was obviously much better than in this episode.
The Outsiders James Mac Arthur (“Book ‘em, Danno” of Hawaii 5-0) is a major screwup of a gung-ho pilot, shooting at his own planes and generally annoying his whole squadron. I'm afraid to say Danno doesn't book anyone today. Back to the Drawing Board Burgess Meredith plays a geeky radar guy who has invented a device that can see see through overcast, majorly annoying a German Oberst named Ehrland, who can't get his planes off the ground.
The Survivor Capt. Ernie Bradovich (Don Gordon) is a strange, brooding pilot who is mistrusted by his own crews—no one knows why he's so antisocial, and he's not telling! Suspicion deepens when he comes back alone from a crash in which all the rest of his crew is killed. Can Bradovich keep going in this war? Sgt. Komansky to the recue! Angel Babe Has the B-17 named "Angel Babe" run out of luck? Roddy MacDowell thinks so. She's led a charmed life and is about to become the first aircraft to fly 50 missions, with all the accompanying hoopla and publicity—but there are those who are convinced Angel Babe is about to become a devil!
The Men and The Boys Why does General Savage (Robert Lansing) want to court-martial Captain Wade Ritchie (Lou Antonio), when the Ritchie breaks formation to fly escort for a crippled B-17, saving the lives of that plane's crew? Little does general Savage know that his own inflexibility on leaving formation will come back to haunt him . . . The Sound of Distant Thunder Lt. Andy Lathrop (Peter Fonda) is a gangling, aw-shucks country bumpkin, but General Savage thinks he's also the spitting image of—General Savage! Can Savage tool this yokel into a strutting, tinsel-chested career airman? You'll find out!
The Climate of Doubt Poor old Savage is bamboozled into flying a special mission to please an ex-girlfriend/resistance fighter of General Wiley Crowe. Of course it all goes horribly wrong and Frankie is forced to defend Wiley in a Board of Inquiry. Side story with a token Japanese rounds out this, the 6th episode of Twelve O'Clock High which aired October 23, 1964. Decision One of Frank's buddies (great character actor Tim O'Connor) is shot down over Germany and held at a factory suspected of trying to produce a gyroscope for the V-1 bomber, and the German commandant plays Musical POWs to try to deflect a spanking by Savage's 918th BG. Knowing his old friend is there, Frank goes in to bomb the place anyway, trusting that the writers will make sure he doesn't kill the poor guy. Little does he know the writers!
Hours Before Dawn Another highly unlikely episode pitting General Savage against the lone, hunted German officer (Frank's German must have gotten pretty good by the end of this series!) When his car is bombed in an air raid, Frank takes refuge at a proper English manor owned by rouée Glynis Johns and promptly discovers that the pilot who bombed him is also in need of a stiff cognac or two! It's a strictly come-as-you-are affair as they make idle chit-chat and smoke and drink—all while General Savage has to make the Base with top secret, time-sensitive information! Appointment at Liege Gary Lockwood is a deranged pilot who decides to take on the Huns in a very personal way when he discovers that his crew was killed by a German flak gun. He wants that Heinie to get it up the wazoo personally! Only problem is that he can't get the keys to the car from the old fogeys at the 8th Air Force. Hell, you know he'll go ahead and do it anyway! That's why we all love this series.
Interlude Savage is very close to eating his revolver when the producers decide he's sorely in need of a rest from the series. Whoops, no, that comes later. Anyway, he flees to the countryside, only to fall in love with a WAC in the short space of an hour only to find out that—well, let's just say that there'll be no hanky-panky on this shore leave. Here's to Courageous Cowards Desk jockey Lawrence discovers he has hidden talents when he sneaks onto a bomber and takes pot shots at a few German fighters—whaddya know, the joker is an ace! His gung-ho captain (the brilliant Gerald O'Loughlin), however, is none too pleased when he finds out Lawrence is a closet peacenik who would rather flick paper clips!
Those Who Are About to Die Lt. Lockridge has flown 24 missions and it looks like his 25th and last is going to be a doozy: a target beyond fighter support and at maximum fuel range! What a time to get a very, very bad cold! No wonder the whispers around the base are that the Sneezing Lieutenant is 110% fit for duty . . . Tom Skerritt makes the first of several performances on the series as a young drunk. The Albatross Long-lashed Lt. Kane, the former actor, has finally finished his 25 missions and is ready to go home on a public relations tour when party-pooper Savage asks him to go on one last mission. Well, if it was a milk run, you wouldn't be reading this! After having half his face burned off, "Do not look upon me! I am hideous!" Kane steals an airplane and goes on a suicide mission to finish off what the Germans couldn't.
The Lorelei You're forgiven if you thought you'd stumbled into a Marlboro commercial, but it's actually Episode 18 of Twelve O'Clock High (aired January 22, 1965) in which one of the planes lands with a dead crew . . . wait a minute, who was flying the plane? General Savage's grim task is to find out . . . and also to dismiss Colonel Royce's insistence that The Lorelei is The Flying Dutchman reborn. Faith, Hope and Sgt. Aaronson When General Savage is injured by shrapnel on a mission his hospital bedmate is a morose sergeant who's despondent over the death of a close friend. You can tell the writers are looking for some way to kill off Gen. Savage when the plane carrying his heart surgeon crashes, forcing Doc Kaiser to do the risky operation. They thought the bumbling fool would accidentally snip an aortic valve, but instead, he pulls off the procedure admirably and saves the general, who forms a blood bond with Lieutenant Aaronson. Goofs: if you look closely you can see Paul Burke cursing just offstage. This was the 19th episode of Twelve O'Clock High and aired January 29, 1965.
The Clash Within the span of only 21 episodes (and presumably 21 missions) General Savage experiences no less than his second encounter alone with a desperate Nazi. This time there's no cognac, but lots of seawater as he undergoes a battle of wills with Albert Paulsen, who like all Nazis wants nothing more than to return to his unit to fight once again for the Fatherland. The Ticket Lt. Stiger finds 20,000 reasons to get cold feet when he wins the sweepstakes just before his high-risk mission to bomb a dam by himself. Can he overcome his hickory-smoked mindset, not go AWOL with the girl, go bomb the damn dam and survive to drink some more Jim Beam? Find out in this, the 22nd episode of Twelve O'Clock High, which aired February 26, 1965. Goofs: Look for the odd typeface on the splash for Act IV.
The Trap Another improbable "away-from-the-base" episode in which Savage is trapped with a motley group of Londoners in an air-raid shelter. This episode has it all: the hand-wringing, the sympathetic old woman, and a ticking, unexploded bomb that has a tendency to overact. The End of the Line Major Gallagher absolutely loses his marbles in this episode, a convoluted tale (what were the writers smoking?) about his best buddy getting killed, so he wants to marry the guy's girlfriend, who's pregnant with his buddy's baby, and ohh, forget it.
The Idolater Series psycho Gary Lockwood is a lunatic buddy of General Savage's who joins the group, but quickly finds himself running into trouble when his ego makes him decide to start bombing Germans by himself. Look for "Robinson Crusoe on Mars"'s Paul Mantee. The Threat Easily the most bizarre episode to date. Let's just say that General Savage won't be getting too many haircuts after this episode. You may not either.
Big Brother McGarrett of Hawaii Five-0 flies onto the set to become Gallagher's older brother, an embittered infantry officer who blames his little brother for setting the Germans onto his squad by making an emergency landing in the area. Show me a Hero and I'll Show You a Bum Convoluted plot centering on Komansky, who accidentally becomes a hero when he lands the plane when Gallagher is injured. He's targeted by some predatory female reporter who's involved with some Brit and Komansky falls in love in half an hour and Gallagher . . . oh, my brain is tired.
Duel at Mont. St. Marie Gallagher is faced with a dilemma when he's ordered to bomb a Nazi observation post that's right on top of a religious retreat full of nuns. What dilemma? Seek & Destroy A German V2 rocket lands in Sweden without going off. It must be dismantled, so Gallagher pilots in disgruntled rocket scientist David Frankham. Only he's more than disgruntled — he's a lush and he's going to spill all to the Krauts.
Decoy A disgruntled pilot (aren't they all in this series?) blames Gallagher for washing him out of flight school. Naturally they crash and get stranded together on an island and become pawns for a nasty U-Boat captain. Natch! Hollow Man Another visit from the resident Twelve O'Clock High psycho (Robert Drivas, whom you'll remember had his face burned off in another episode) suffering again from — what else? Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome.
Cross Hairs on Death Underrated actor James Franciscus makes an appearance as an impostor who wants to fly a bomber. Day of Reckoning Eric Braeden of daytime soap fame appears under his former name Hans Gudegast as a Nazi spy intent on blowing up a 918th ammo dump.
Siren Voices A British woman is an "Axis Sally" radio broadcaster for the Germans, but she's actually a double agent getting codes and frequencies for the allies. She's discovered by her Nazi lover and turned into a triple agent. Triple agent? That's redundant . . . actually quite gripping. Gauntlet of Fire Gallagher's at it again, leading his men on lethal missions, except this time not to bomb people, but to drop leaflets. William Windom is the resident "postal" dude in this one. |
IMPORTANT NOTE 2: From now on, I will only be offering Twelve O'Clock High as a 5-DVD set, except for evaluation copies. Evaluation copies will have the full artwork on the DVD but no case artwork, in the hope that you will be buying a complete 5-DVD set in the future. SEND ONE VOLUME OF TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH EVALUATION COPY FOR $19.99 PLUS $8.00 WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. (Please specify which volume you want by email.) Click below: SEND ANY FIVE VOLUMES OF TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH FOR $79.95 PLUS $10.00 WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. These will come in 5-DVD cases with artwork on the DVDs. (Please specify which volumes you want by email.) Click below: SEND ALL 20 VOLUMES OF TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH AT A PRICE OF $220 PLUS $20.00 WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. These will come in 5-DVD cases with artwork on the DVDs. (Please specify which volumes you want by email.) Click below: After ordering, if you have specific volume choices, please email me. NOTE: IF YOU BUY A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND LATER DECIDE TO BUY MORE, DISCOUNTS WILL BE GIVEN ACCORDING TO CASE, IE. IF YOU BUY 5 VOLUMES, THEN DECIDED TO BUY ALL THE REST, A REFUND WILL BE GIVEN EQUIVALENT TO WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE PAID IF YOU HAD BOUGHT THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME. See the other DVDs I have! |