This thread prompted me to watch the movie. On "that" streaming site no one seems to name. My wife had never seen it.

I've been having problems with my Sony television that I didn't know if I could attribute to my cable service or the TV. After the TV froze up the fifth time I just pulled up the movie on the laptop. The laptop on the lap top fills a bigger angle and looks like a bigger screen.

My wife asked why I was a bit teary eyed. The movie is 1955. This is the era my dad got his wings. WWII officers were the leadership. They formed the leadership that formed me as a young officer long ago. I was commissioned in 1985 and was pretty sure the Cold War was going to last forever. My dad was stationed in Germany in the late 70s. I remember posters for the Soviet Military Liaison Mission cars. Etc. I'm very much a product of a Cold War military upbringing.

SAC in 1955 was the only piece of what became the nuclear triad. Nukes/plans from that era are pretty fascinating.

Turns out I bought the TV in 2015 for $500. Its tube predecessor lasted well into the high def era but wasn't missed when it was gone. I can now get the same size TV off brand for $120. Not sure if Sony is still worth the splurge, it's $300. It's hard to find 32" TVs these days. They were once a size people dreamed of. Now I'm constrained by an awkwardly located piece of built in furniture that constrains me to 32" - just half the size of a typical TV now.

The B-36 is amazing. The B-47 is gorgeous. The B-52 was already flying in small numbers when the movie was made and is obviously still around. I was age "minus five" then; my parents hadn't met. My dad was not yet even at the base where he eventually met my mother.

The B-36 had large multi-tire trucks for landing gear. The prototype used huge single wheels for the main gear. One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH. Need to go back for a visit!

So much for rambling - time to go drop off a shoe for repair and buy a new TV while I wait.

Hi def
 

It's been a while since I saw this but the definition and colours appeared to be almost modern 4k.

Was there something special about the cameras / film or simply home TVs have caught up to the quality it was filmed in?

Movie/film makers had great quality cameras/equipment by the late 1930's - so I guess it is a combination of the movie/film being available/remastered in (say) blu ray quality (as opposed to VHS :) ) and - as you say - having a TV which is capable of utilising that blu ray/HD quality.
We rewatch many older films if we think they have been remastered/transferred to blu ray - so nice to be able to pick out details (except perhaps the aforementioned June Allyson night attire :) )

Pedant mode on

Dutch bought back from Greenland a toy penguin for his new baby daughter. Unlikely because Greenland is in the arctic and penguins only live in the Antarctic.

Pedant mode off.

I also enjoyed seeing the film again but still found Dutch's wife very annoying!

Doesn't stop the BX selling stuffed penguins though. Geography is not a strong point in the US :)

Loved watching the movie again. Culturally the 1950’s. Loved the shots of B-47 formations. They dramatized the SAC culture but there was truth in it. There were no alternatives to the SAC way. Not much grace either. But they had a job to do.

Having traveled “up north” a lot stuffed penguins are regularly seen in stores…much more cute and cuddly than a stuffed walrus. “give the tourists what they want”.

Funny story: There was a native Hawaiian / US Vietnam vet flying helicopters in Northern Quebec mid 70s. He had just arrived from far up North and was walking down the street in CYVO Val Dor Qc wearing his Jet-B parka and carrying his packsack.
He was accosted by a US family “Look Honey, an Eskimo, get the kids over here we will take a photo!” He then said to Tim “Me give 5$ - we take picture OK?”
Tim nodded smiled, said some very inappropriate remarks in his native Hawaiian concerning a shocking plan involving himself, a polar bear rug and the wife and teen age daughter, smiled and posed with the family!
Only afterwards did he open fire in American english at them. He kept the 5$.
Great guy
RIP Tim Tagaden -AKA “The flying Hawaiian”. He passed in a tragic S-58T accident back in the states.

Evening All

Just watched the film (but skipped the luvey-dovey and baseball stuff!) and thought it moderately good for its time and definite "SAC propaganda" value (at least to the American "cousins") .

BTW: Can anyone tell me if B36's were ever stationed at Brize Norton because we moved to nearby Alvescot in 1953/4 but I can't ever remember (I was only 5 or 6 at the time!) seeing them there - although I certainly saw B52's and, I think, B47 's, there through the Black Bourton gate when I rode my bike down there in the slightly later 1950's/early 1960's?

Was later scared almost witless by the sound of a 52 flying overhead at around 100-200ft when riding along the Alvescot to Carterton road at the South Western end of the main runway. - and the later Concorde & VC10 take-offs were nearly as noisy during the period of Concorde tests from Brize!

No B-36’s were ever stationed anywhere in the UK, there was just the occasional visitor to most of the UK SAC bases.
In fact, no SAC bombers of any kind were stationed in the UK at all. B-47 Squadrons were deployed to the UK (and Spain and North Africa) on Temporary Duty deployments (TDY) where they held nuclear alert and did not fly whilst deployed. They were rotated every 30 days, initially as whole Bomb Wings, and later as squadrons. They were on Reflex Alert in the UK and even up to the mid 70’s there were vehicle parking spaces marked as “Reflex Alert Only” visible at Brize Norton.
B-52’s and B-58’s also visited but never held alert.

I have one from each era, she was it from hers.

https://californiadiver.com/san-dieg...ion-beach-931/

One sits just offshore San Diego for anyone with the skills to visit her.

I've just watched the trailer of "Bombers B52". I remember seeing it in the late fifties, and didn't think it was a patch on "Strategic Air Command". Having seen the trailer I confirm my original opinion was correct.