Twelve O'Clock High

"A story of twelve men as their women never knew them..."

1949 2h 12m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 167

WarActionDrama

Synopsis

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In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a 'hard luck' bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

“A story of twelve men as their women never knew them...”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
Brigadier General Frank Savage
Hugh Marlowe
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately
Gary Merrill
Colonel Keith Davenport
Millard Mitchell
Major General Patrick Pritchard
Dean Jagger
Major / Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Stovall
Robert Arthur
Sergeant McIllhenny
Paul Stewart
Major "Doc" Kaiser (flight surgeon)
John Kellogg
Major Cobb

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry King
Writers: Sy Bartlett, Beirne Lay Jr.
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry King, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Hugh Marlowe and Gary Merrill carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A story of twelve men as their women never knew them...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041996 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry King directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Barbara McLean cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

177 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Henry King, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Gregory Peck and Hugh Marlowe and Gary Merrill carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A story of twelve men as their women never knew them...".
7IMDB entry: tt0041996 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "nazi", "world war ii", "u.s. air force".

The technical file

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Barbara McLean
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,225,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Sound
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Henry King

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-05-11
★ 8/10
Under Pressure. Twelve O'Clock High features one of Gregory Peck's best performances as Brigadier General Frank Savage, a tough no nonsense martinet brought in to shake up a World War II Bomber Squadron. The men are shattered emotionally and after it's deemed that their previous commander (Gary Merrill) has been soft with them, there is no chance of that happening with Savage - but is he himself taking too much on? Split into two parts, the first half of pic deals with how a group of men in war time can reach their lowest ebb. Fear of the jinx, fear of cracking under the strain, these men are by definition demoralised. Things are further compounded by the appointment of Savage, who drags the group further down the battered emotional scale. Second half softens things for a short while as Savage's methods begin take a hold, then there's the missions, which in turn builds to the film's revelation, which as it happens lets Peck become a revelation as well. Director Henry King is on form, showcasing the skill of directing an ensemble cast, which sees Dean Jagger add mighty heft to the work of Peck, Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Paul Stewart and Millard Mitchell. The flying sequences are expertly photographed (Leon Shamroy), with the real footage splicing very effective, while the writing allows the piece to exude a realism factor, which then offers up a more humane war film that is delving into psychological stings. 8/10
CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 7/10
Gregory Peck is on top form in this gritty, authentic looking recounting of the actions of a battle-weary USAF squadron during WWII. Peck is "Gen. Savage" drafted into replace an extremely popular, but no longer effective squadron commander. Initially, his hard-nosed approach to them, their training and their attitudes engenders hostility, but over a period of time - and with the assistance of the intelligent camp adjutant/chief administrator "Maj. Stowell" (Dean Jagger) he sets about trying to change these opinions (and some of his own) before his entire squad transfers out. Henry King has managed to create a film that unsentimentally encapsulates some of the senses of frustration, fear, low morale and trauma that went with the relentlessness of constant missions - regardless of rank - not knowing who might return. The supporting cast - featuring Hugh Marlowe and Gary Merrill compliment the star well; some excellent original aerial battle cinematography and the Sy Bartlett screenplay has pace and detail enough to make this 2¼ hour assessment of leadership under enormous pressure a thoroughly entertaining and at times thought-provoking watch.