“REEL STUFF”

The Millionaires’ Unit
“REEL STUFF”
“It’s a Wrap!”
2013 Film Projects Update
Story by Ron Kaplan
A
s Warbird Digest and Reel Stuff wish
you a Happy New Year, I think it worth
The Bob Hoover Project
updating readers on three film projects
shared earlier in 2013.
As reported in Issue #46, filmmaking partners Ron King and
Darroch Greer were tackling the previously sparsely documented
tale of Yale undergrads who in 1916 were inspired to volunteer to
fly and fight in “The Great War.” The aristocratic flyboys of the
First Yale Unit were mustered into the U.S. Navy as its first air
reserve squadron. Their colorful stories also chronicle early flight
and the birth of American naval aviation in The Millionaires’ Unit:
U.S. Naval Aviators in the First World War, as it is now titled.
The documentary has moved into post-production after the
filmmaking team finally captured the elusive Sopwith Camel in
air-to-air combat — simulated, of course. Last spring the team
flew to New Zealand to work with Gene DeMarco and The
Vintage Aviator Ltd. to film the Camel and a dozen other World
War I aeroplanes from a helicopter and a Cessna. Co-producer and
director Greer says the footage has given The Millionaires’ Unit a
thrilling authenticity as it moves into the final edit and scoring in
preparation for an airdate with PBS to commemorate the World
War I centennial in 2014. Visit www.millionairesunit.org.
What was referenced in Issue #48 as The Bob Hoover Project:
Flying the Feathered Edge is now helmed by veteran filmmaker
Dan Birman, with a new title not announced as of this writing.
The big news is that this long-awaited production prompted
some key players in the warbird community to realize that a
documentary alone is not enough to honor Hoover’s legacy, inspire
future achievement, and serve as a lasting tribute to his aviation
contributions. Thus “Hoover … A Lifetime of Excellence”
is a two-night event that will include the film’s star-studded
February 21, 2014, premier at Paramount Studios, serving as the
centerpiece of a celebration that will reveal the “Hoover Hall of
Honor” inductees and establish several continuing scholarships in
the legendary pilot’s name. Distribution and broadcast plans for
the Hoover film remain in the works. More about the premier and
related events is available at www.hooverhallofhonor.com.
In Issue #49, filmmaker Adam White and his co-producer, Kara
Martinelli, shared that they were producing a five-episode, “proof
of concept” public television series based on their acclaimed 2004
full length documentary, The Restorers. In addition to a pilot
episode on the Doolittle Raiders and the historic B-25 Gathering
at their 2010 reunion, they had already filmed an Oklahoma-based
World War II re-enactor group that jumps from C-47s, a two-day
72
Photo: Paul Bowen
The Restorers
Photo: The Restorers
B-24 “fantasy camp,” and were headed to Alaska for the recovery
of a B-25 hulk known as “The Sandbar Mitchell.”
White reports that after successfully filming the Mitchell recovery,
they travelled to Rhinebeck, New York, in July to explore the
legendary Aerodrome show. In October the team was off to Kitty
Hawk to film flights of a 1902 replica glider (and had to break
into the Wright Memorial due to the government shut-down), to
Planes of Fame at Chino, California, for a story on Vietnam War
pilots and aircraft, and focused on the Tora! Tora! Tora! air show
team at their Wings Over Houston performances. Next up will
be filming with the granddaughter of Louise Thaden, the 1929
Women’s Air Derby champion, and then to Texas where a group
is rebuilding one of Jackie Cochran’s aircraft. Imagine — all this
will appear in just the first five episodes of The Restorers, channel
and air dates TBD. For updates visit www.therestorers.com or
www.facebook.com/therestorers.
With all the dedicated filmmakers hard at work, and with
numerous milestone anniversaries ahead in 2014 (such as World
War I’s centennial, the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Bulge,
Leyte, etc.), I look forward to sharing news of more exciting
warbird film action. If you know of a new production that should
be on the Reel Stuff radar, please let me know. Thanks for your
support and see you at the movies!
Ron Kaplan is director of Reel Stuff Aviation Resources LLC,
consultant to non-profit museums and the entertainment industry.
Contact him at www.ReelStuffFilmFest.com.
WARBIRD DIGEST #52 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014