12 O'Clock High (TV Series) Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep (1964) User Reviews

Not 100% original...but excellent.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 9 August 2021]

The plot to this first episode of the television version of "12 O'Clock High" was taken from the original movie, a decade and a half earlier. It is a subplot within the film of a hard luck pilot who seems too quick to abort missions. As a result, is commanding officer is furious and assigns his a crew of misfits and renames the plane 'The Leper Colony' in order to try to shame them into fighting harder.

While this episode is clearly NOT very original, it was handled so well I didn't mind. Extremely well written and well acted....an auspicious, albeit safe, beginning to this series.

Decent First Episode

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 13 April 2016]

12 O'CLOCK HIGH "Golden Boy had Nine Black Sheep" 1964

12 O'CLOCK HIGH was a television series about the fictitious 918th Bomber Group of the U.S. Air Force. The Group flew Boeing B-17 bombers and was based out of Archbury Field in England. The series ran for a total of 78 episodes between 1964 and 1967. Regular cast members included, Robert Lansing, Frank Overton, Paul Burke, Chris Robinson and Barney Philips. The series is loosely based on the superb 1949 film of the same name. This episode is the first of the series.

The Group has just returned from a raid over occupied Europe. The commanding officer is furious with a particular pilot, Paul Burke. Burke is always finding excuses to abort missions, rough running engines etc. Lansing is not sure if Burke, (who is from a family with a long military tradition) is just unlucky, or a coward.

Lansing assigns Burke a new aircraft named, THE LEPER COLONY. Lansing combs through the Bomber Group for the worst 9 crewmen and gives them to Burke. He tells Burke he has 2 weeks to whip them into a combat ready crew. Burke rides the men hard and they are soon ready to go on a mission.

THE LEPER COLONY soon becomes one of the better ships in the group. After several missions Lansing tells Burke and his crew they can change the name of the bomber. The men however want to keep THE LEPER COLONY as they now consider the handle, good luck. The plane is badly shot up on the next mission and just barely makes it back with Burke and most of the crew wounded.

Lansing now decides to promote Burke and give him a squadron of his own.

Also in the cast is a young Bruce Dern.

This one is a decent stab for a first episode.

The series was produced by Quinn-Martin who had a string of successful series during the 1960's and 70's. These include, THE FUGITIVE, THE INVADERS, CANNON, THE FBI, THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, BARNABY JONES and MANHUNTER.

Great start

[grantss · 8/10 · 12 February 2024]

Brigadier General Frank Savage is the commander of the 918th Bomb Group, a B-17 bomber unit operating out of England in World War 2. One of his pilots, Captain Gallagher, is displaying a habit of not completing missions due to technical issues. Angered by this, Savage gives Gallagher a crew of malingerers and malcontents, has their plane named "Leper Colony" and generally makes life tough for Gallagher.

A great start to the series. Quite realistic in most respects and presents a scenario that plays out often in military units, of a good soldier/airman who has lost his nerve and for whom self-presentation is all that matters. Quite well done in how this is resolved.

Not quite how I expected the first episode to run though. I thought it was largely going to be scene-setting and character-introduction. There's elements of that but for the most part it is straight into the series and the action, which is a good thing.

Good pilot-first episode that diverges just far enough from its namesake film

[sgspires-89-442591 · 10/10 · 5 November 2011]

Slight spoilers below

This was the first episode of "12 O'Clock High," and I thought it would be full of the melodrama and stereotypes found in most episodes of 60s television - squadron bar brawls and created conflicts with superior officers. While there is conflict, it makes sense and is well acted by the principals - Paul Burke as Capt. Joe Gallagher and Robert Lansing as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage - and cleverly plotted with the real emphasis on the teamwork it takes to fly bomb missions. This episode zeros in on what was a "B," or side plot, of the 1949 film this television show was based on. Capt. Gallagher is unlucky with his aircraft and in danger of losing leadership capability due to fear and combat nerves. Savage give Gallagher the misfits in the wing and charges him with whipping them into shape. The flying scenes are realistic, the combat stock footage matches up with German aircraft attacking and allied aircraft defending (it wouldn't always in later episodes). Burke would return as Gallagher in a later episode and eventually take over the 918th Bomb Group later in the show's run. His performance is about 80 percent what is was in later episodes, and you can see Gallagher has some changes to undergo before leading the 918th.