# 12 O'Clock High (TV series)

12 O'Clock High is an American military drama television series set in World War II. It was originally broadcast on ABC-TV for two-and-one-half TV seasons from September 1964 through January 1967 and was based on the 1949 film of the same name. The series was a co-production of 20th Century Fox Television (Fox had also produced the movie) and QM Productions (one of their few non-law-enforcement series). This show is one of the two QM shows not to display a copyright notice at the beginning, but rather at the end (the other was A Man Called Sloane) and the only one not to display the standard "A QM Production" closing card on the closing credits.

## Overview

The series follows the missions of the fictitious 918th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF), equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, stationed at Archbury Field, England (a fictitious air base). For the first season, many of the characters from the book and 1949 movie were retained, including Brigadier General Frank Savage, Major Harvey Stovall, Major Cobb, Doc Kaiser, and General Pritchard, albeit played by different actors from in the motion picture. In addition to these characters, several other infrequently reappearing characters were introduced, including Captain (later Colonel) Joseph "Joe" Gallagher, who appeared in two episodes (episodes 1 and 24) as well as being the central character for seasons two and three.
At the end of the first season, the studio executives decided a younger-looking lead actor was needed. In the first episode of the second season, General Savage, played by Robert Lansing, was killed in action and replaced by Colonel Joe Gallagher, played by Paul Burke. (Burke, though considered more youthful-looking than Lansing, was actually two years older, which TV critics were quick to point out.) The decision to replace Lansing with Burke proved unpopular and the ratings began to drop quickly.
The character Joe Gallagher's father was Lt. General Maxwell Gallagher, played by Barry Sullivan. Burke and Sullivan had previously worked together in the TV series Harbormaster. In an interview given by Lansing on The Mike Douglas Show in 1965, Lansing mentioned that had he known what a boost to his career 12 O'Clock High was, he never would have fired himself. Savage was killed off in a way so as not to require Lansing's participation. According to TV Guide, ABC moved the show from a 10:00 pm Friday time slot to a 7:30 pm Monday time slot for the second season to capture a younger audience. It was hoped that TV viewers would identify more with a colonel rather than an Army Air Corps general. Lansing, had he remained, would have received limited air time with Burke's addition.
For the second season, most of the supporting cast from the first season was replaced, with the exception of Major Stovall, Doc Kaiser, and an occasional appearance by General Pritchard. Other actors who did reappear after the first season played other characters. Edward Mulhare appeared twice – as different Luftwaffe officers. Bruce Dern appeared four times as three different characters. Tom Skerritt appeared five times, each time in a different role.
The first two seasons were filmed in black-and-white, as ABC did not mandate prime time shows to be in color until the 1966-1967 season, but it also allowed the inclusion of actual World War II combat footage supplied by the U.S. Air Force and the library of 20th Century Fox movies. The inclusion of combat footage was often obvious, as it was often quite degraded. Limited usable combat footage often resulted in the same shot being reused in multiple episodes. For the third season, the TV series was filmed in color, but this season only ran for 17 episodes, with the series being canceled in midseason. Some of the combat footage used for the third season seemed to be in black-and-white footage tinted blue. Film footage from the 1940s was also used for take-offs and landings since the one B-17 to which the show had access could only taxi. To simulate different aircraft, it was frequently repainted.
In later episodes, Gallagher flew as "mission control" in a North American P-51 Mustang. This plot scheme was added to cut production costs. The single-engine Mustang costs less to fly than the four-engined B-17, and requires only a single pilot rather than two pilots and several crewmen. A wartime precedent for this existed, however: Maj.-Gen. Earle E. Partridge, the G-3 (operations) commander of the 8th Air Force, used a P-51 modified for photo-reconnaissance work to take photographs of his bomber group formations for training and critiquing purposes.
12 O'Clock High was created in an episodic format, with no particular order for the episodes. A trio of episodes produced about a shuttle air raid to North Africa was in fact never aired in story order (episode 44 "We're Not Coming Back", episode 37 "Big Brother", and episode 38 "The Hotshot"). The stories were often based more on character drama than action, usually involving individuals who felt the need to redeem themselves in the eyes of others. Other story lines focused on actual war events, such as the development of bombing through cloud cover using radar, and the complexities of operating a large fleet of (often malfunctioning) B-17s.
Much of the filming was carried out on the Chino Airport, just east of Los Angeles County, California, in San Bernardino County. Chino had been a USAAF training field for World War II, and its combination of long, heavy-duty runways and (at the time) wide-open farmland for miles in all directions was rapidly turning the field into a haven for World War II aviation enthusiasts and their restored aircraft. Former Army Air Forces P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, B-26 Invaders, and former U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs and F6F Hellcats could be found, along with a vintage B-17 and the P-51 Mustang used in 12 O'Clock High.
The B-17 belonged to Ed Maloney's Air Museum, B-17E, F, and G models of the Flying Fortress (the latter with the chin turret) were used interchangeably. The inclusion of actual combat and crash footage often resulted in the tail designations of the bombers changing between film shots.
The segments in 1966 had the former Royal Canadian Air Force pilot Lynn Garrison coordinating the aerial footage. Garrison had been drawn to the project by his friend Robert Lansing. Garrison owned the P-51 used in the series.
As of February 2020, the Heroes & Icons channel broadcasts the series as part of its Saturday-night lineup.

## Cast

* Robert Lansing as Brigadier General Frank Savage (season 1)
* Frank Overton as Major Harvey Stovall
* Paul Burke as Colonel Joe Gallagher (seasons 2 and 3, two appearances in season 1)
* Chris Robinson as T/Sgt. Alexander "Sandy" Komansky (seasons 2 and 3)
* John Larkin as Major General Wiley Crowe (season 1)
* Barney Phillips as Major "Doc" Kaiser
* Andrew Duggan as Brigadier/Major General Ed Britt (seasons 2 and 3)
* Paul Newlan as Lieutenant General Bill Pritchard
* Lew Gallo as Major Joe Cobb (season 1)
* Robert Dornan as Lieutenant/Captain Fowler (seasons 2 and 3)

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1964–65)

All episodes in black-and-white
l
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Golden Boy Had 9 Black Sheep" | Don Medford | Al C. Ward | September 18, 1964 (1964-09-18) |
| 2 | 2 | "Follow the Leader" | William Graham | Beirne Lay, Jr. | September 25, 1964 (1964-09-25) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Men and the Boys" | William Graham | Harold Jack Bloom | October 2, 1964 (1964-10-02) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Sound of Distant Thunder" | Don Medford | Edward J. Lasko | October 16, 1964 (1964-10-16) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Climate of Doubt" | Don Medford | Harold Jack Bloom | October 23, 1964 (1964-10-23) |
| 6 | 6 | "Pressure Point" | William Graham | John T. Dugan | October 30, 1964 (1964-10-30) |
| 7 | 7 | "Decision" | William Graham | Story by : Clair Huffaker Teleplay by : Clair Huffaker & Jack Turley | November 6, 1964 (1964-11-06) |
| 8 | 8 | "The Hours Before Dawn" | Don Medford | Donald S. Sanford | November 13, 1964 (1964-11-13) |
| 9 | 9 | "Appointment At Liege" | Don Medford | Story by : John McGreevey Teleplay by : Charles Larson | November 20, 1964 (1964-11-20) |
| 10 | 10 | "Interlude" | William Graham | Dean Riesner | November 27, 1964 (1964-11-27) |
| 11 | 11 | "Here's to Courageous Cowards" | Don Medford | Al C. Ward | December 4, 1964 (1964-12-04) |
| 12 | 12 | "Soldiers Sometimes Kill" | Sutton Roley | Story by : Edmund H. North Teleplay by : Edmund H. North & Charles Larson | December 11, 1964 (1964-12-11) |
| 13 | 13 | "The Suspected" | Don Medford | Story by : Ken Pettus Teleplay by : Jack Turley & Charles Larson | December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18) |
| 14 | 14 | "An Act of War" | William Graham | Donald S. Sanford | December 25, 1964 (1964-12-25) |
| 15 | 15 | "Those Who Are About to Die" | Abner Biberman | Harold Jack Bloom | January 1, 1965 (1965-01-01) |
| 16 | 16 | "In Search of My Enemy" | Don Medford | Story by : Jean Holloway Teleplay by : Stanford Whitmore | January 8, 1965 (1965-01-08) |
| 17 | 17 | "The Albatross" | William Graham | Richard Landau | January 15, 1965 (1965-01-15) |
| 18 | 18 | "The Lorelei" | Don Medford | Albert Aley | January 22, 1965 (1965-01-22) |
| 19 | 19 | "Faith, Hope and Sergeant Aronson" | László Benedek | Charles Larson | January 29, 1965 (1965-01-29) |
| 20 | 20 | "To Heinie, With Love" | Ralph Senensky | Story by : Ken Pettus Teleplay by : Jack Turley & Charles Larson | February 5, 1965 (1965-02-05) |
| 21 | 21 | "The Clash" | Josef Leytes | Story by : Mike Adams Teleplay by : Jack Turley & Mike Adams | February 12, 1965 (1965-02-12) |
| 22 | 22 | "The Ticket" | Josef Leytes | Al C. Ward | February 26, 1965 (1965-02-26) |
| 23 | 23 | "The Trap" | Ralph Senensky | Richard L. Newhafer | March 5, 1965 (1965-03-05) |
| 24 | 24 | "End of the Line" | Sutton Roley | Dean Riesner | March 12, 1965 (1965-03-12) |
| 25 | 25 | "The Threat" | Ralph Senensky | Jack Turley | March 19, 1965 (1965-03-19) |
| 26 | 26 | "Mutiny at Ten Thousand Feet" | Sutton Roley | Harold Jack Bloom | March 26, 1965 (1965-03-26) |
| 27 | 27 | "The Mission" | William Graham | Samuel Roeca | April 2, 1965 (1965-04-02) |
| 28 | 28 | "The Cry of Fallen Birds" | Walter Grauman | Story by : Edward J. Lasko Teleplay by : Edward J. Lasko & Charles Larson | April 9, 1965 (1965-04-09) |
| 29 | 29 | "V for Vendetta" | William Graham | Al C. Ward | April 16, 1965 (1965-04-16) |
| 30 | 30 | "P.O.W. – Part 1" | Don Medford | Al C. Ward | April 23, 1965 (1965-04-23) |
| 31 | 31 | "P.O.W. – Part 2" | Don Medford | Al C. Ward | April 30, 1965 (1965-04-30) |
| 32 | 32 | "The Hero" | Ralph Senensky | Albert Aley | May 7, 1965 (1965-05-07) |

### Season 2 (1965–66)

All episodes in black-and-white
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 33 | 1 | "The Loneliest Place in the World" | Richard Donner | Harold Jack Bloom | September 13, 1965 (1965-09-13) |
| 34 | 2 | "R/X For a Sick Bird" | Richard Donner | William C. Anderson & William D. Hamilton & Marc Huntley | September 20, 1965 (1965-09-20) |
| 35 | 3 | "Then Came the Mighty Hunter" | László Benedek | Jack Paritz | September 27, 1965 (1965-09-27) |
| 36 | 4 | "The Idolator" | László Benedek | Story by : Gustave Field Teleplay by : Gerald Sanford & Marc Huntly | October 4, 1965 (1965-10-04) |
| 37 | 5 | "Big Brother" | Jerry Hopper | Jack Turley | October 11, 1965 (1965-10-11) |
| 38 | 6 | "The Hotshot" | Richard Donner | Robert Lewin | October 18, 1965 (1965-10-18) |
| 39 | 7 | "Show Me a Hero, I'll Show You a Bum" | Richard Donner | Robert Hamner | October 25, 1965 (1965-10-25) |
| 40 | 8 | "Runway in the Dark" | Robert Douglas | Robert Lewin | November 1, 1965 (1965-11-01) |
| 41 | 9 | "I Am the Enemy" | Robert Gist | Anthony Spinner | November 8, 1965 (1965-11-08) |
| 42 | 10 | "Grant Me No Favor" | Robert Douglas | Anthony Spinner | November 15, 1965 (1965-11-15) |
| 43 | 11 | "Storm at Twilight" | Robert Gist | Story by : James Doherty Teleplay by : Anthony Spinner | November 22, 1965 (1965-11-22) |
| 44 | 12 | "We're Not Coming Back" | Jerry Hopper | Philip Saltzman & Dan Ullman | November 29, 1965 (1965-11-29) |
| 45 | 13 | "The Jones Boys" | Robert Douglas | William D. Gordon | December 6, 1965 (1965-12-06) |
| 46 | 14 | "Between the Lines" | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Coles Trapnell Teleplay by : Andy Lewis | December 13, 1965 (1965-12-13) |
| 47 | 15 | "Target 802" | Robert Douglas | Story by : Sherman Yellen Teleplay by : Sherman Yellen & Marc Huntly | December 27, 1965 (1965-12-27) |
| 48 | 16 | "Falling Star" | László Benedek | Andy Lewis | January 3, 1966 (1966-01-03) |
| 49 | 17 | "The Slaughter Pen" | Robert Douglas | Dave and Andy Lewis | January 10, 1966 (1966-01-10) |
| 50 | 18 | "Underground" | Robert Douglas | Story by : James Doherty & Coles Trapnell Teleplay by : Robert Lewin | January 17, 1966 (1966-01-17) |
| 51 | 19 | "Which Way the Wind Blows" | László Benedek | James M. Miller | January 24, 1966 (1966-01-24) |
| 52 | 20 | "The Outsider" | Don Medford | Ellis Marcus | January 31, 1966 (1966-01-31) |
| 53 | 21 | "Back to the Drawing Board" | Gerald Mayer | Dave and Andy Lewis | February 7, 1966 (1966-02-07) |
| 54 | 22 | "Twenty-Fifth Mission" | Lawrence Dobkin | Carey Wilber | February 14, 1966 (1966-02-14) |
| 55 | 23 | "The Survivor" | Alan Crosland, Jr. | Philip Saltzman | February 21, 1966 (1966-02-21) |
| 56 | 24 | "Angel Babe" | Robert Douglas | Preston Wood | February 28, 1966 (1966-02-28) |
| 57 | 25 | "Decoy" | Gerald Mayer | Lou Shaw | March 7, 1966 (1966-03-07) |
| 58 | 26 | "The Hollow Man" | Robert Douglas | Gustave Field & Marc Huntly | March 14, 1966 (1966-03-14) |
| 59 | 27 | "Cross Hairs on Death" | Alan Crosland, Jr. | Robert Lewin | March 21, 1966 (1966-03-21) |
| 60 | 28 | "Day of Reckoning" | Alan Crosland, Jr. | Halsted Welles | March 28, 1966 (1966-03-28) |
| 61 | 29 | "Siren Voices" | Robert Douglas | Story by : Ed Kelso Teleplay by : Carey Wilber | April 4, 1966 (1966-04-04) |

### Season 3 (1966–67)

All episodes in color
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 62 | 1 | "Gauntlet of Fire" | Joseph Pevney | John T. Dugan | September 9, 1966 (1966-09-09) |
| 63 | 2 | "Massacre" | Robert Douglas | Carey Wilber | September 16, 1966 (1966-09-16) |
| 64 | 3 | "Face of a Shadow" | Richard Benedict | Dave and Andy Lewis | September 23, 1966 (1966-09-23) |
| 65 | 4 | "Fortress Wiesbaden" | Joseph Pevney | Story by : Michael Lalor Brown Teleplay by : Carey Wilber | September 30, 1966 (1966-09-30) |
| 66 | 5 | "A Distant Cry" | Robert Douglas | Jack Curtis | October 7, 1966 (1966-10-07) |
| 67 | 6 | "Practice to Deceive" | Robert Douglas | William D. Gordon | October 14, 1966 (1966-10-14) |
| 68 | 7 | "The All-American" | Joseph Pevney | Jack Hawn | October 28, 1966 (1966-10-28) |
| 69 | 8 | "The Pariah" | Josef Leytes | Robert C. Dennis | November 4, 1966 (1966-11-04) |
| 70 | 9 | "The Fighter Pilot" | Robert Douglas | E.B. Anderson | November 11, 1966 (1966-11-11) |
| 71 | 10 | "To Seek and Destroy" | Donald McDougall | Glen A. Larson | November 18, 1966 (1966-11-18) |
| 72 | 11 | "Burden of Guilt" | László Benedek | Robert Longsdorf, Jr | December 2, 1966 (1966-12-02) |
| 73 | 12 | "The Ace" | Robert Douglas | Oscar Millard | December 9, 1966 (1966-12-09) |
| 74 | 13 | "Six Feet Under" | Murray Golden | James Doherty | December 16, 1966 (1966-12-16) |
| 75 | 14 | "The Duel at Mont Sainte Marie" | Josef Leytes | R. Wright Campbell | December 23, 1966 (1966-12-23) |
| 76 | 15 | "Graveyard" | Robert Douglas | William D. Gordon | December 30, 1966 (1966-12-30) |
| 77 | 16 | "A Long Time Dead" | Gene Nelson | James Doherty | January 6, 1967 (1967-01-06) |
| 78 | 17 | "The Hunters and the Killers" | Robert Douglas | E.B. Anderson | January 13, 1967 (1967-01-13) |

## Awards and honors

| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
| 1965 | Golden Globe Award | Nominated | Best TV Show | - |
| 1965 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment - Cinematographer | William W. Spencer |
| 1967 | American Cinema Editors | Won | Best Edited Television Program | Jodie Copelan (For episode "The All American") |

## Comic books

Dell Comics produced a comic book based on the series that ran two issues in 1965. Both had photocovers and artwork by Joe Sinnott.