Pre-production rehearsal - April, 1965.
JP Trevor Collection.
The Phoenix Production Diary
1964
| - | The Flight of the Phoenix novel by Elleston Trevor published. |
| Monday, December 14 | The Associates & Aldrich Co.
seek
aircraft for a film version of the novel. They contact Bavaria Studios in Munich, Germany looking to acquire two German WW2 era Gotha Go.244 twin-boom aircraft. Strange thing to do since the novel specifies a C-82A Packet of which plenty were available at that time in the US. |
1965
| Monday, January 18 | Tallmantz Aviation Inc.
contacted to provide aerial services for the film. Required to provide a B-25 camera-plane (N1203), a C-82A cargo plane and a newly built Phoenix aircraft. Tallmantz to provide pilots and mechanics. |
| Thursday, January 21 |
Tallmantz Aviation Inc. to provide a flyable scratch-built Phoenix
aircraft. Frank Tallman to act as film's Technical Advisor. Steward-Davis Inc. to provide rental of a Fairchild C-82A Packet. |
| Wednesday, February 03 | Steward-Davis to provide: 1
flyable C-82A (N6887C) with crew, 1 C-82A fuselage (N4833V) and 1 C-82A fuselage flight-deck section. Rental of parts for a one year period. |
| Saturday, February 06 | Tallmantz to build flyable Phoenix in 3/4 scale to a C-82A boom. |
| Thursday, February 18 | Details with Steward-Davis
become more finalized. They are to provide: 1 C-82A (N6887C), flyable with crew for a one month period. 1 C-82A (N4833V) fuselage for Yuma location filming. 1 C-82A (N53228) fuselage for indoor soundstage filming. 1 C-82A fuselage for interior filming (airframe to be cut up). 1 C-82A nose section, 1 C-82A set of undercarriage, ladders, equipment & loading ramps. Acquisition of a Fairchild R4Q-1 Packet (BuNo.126580), from Allied Aircraft of Tucson, Arizona for the non-flying Phoenix movie prop must have been in motion about this time also??? |
|
March |
Three C-82A fuselages noted in the backlot at 20th Century Fox Studios. |
| Friday, April 23 | Preparation for the Yuma outdoor location begins. |
| Monday, April 26 | 1st UNIT - PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS Location: 20th Century Fox Studios, Los Angeles, California 1st Unit filming of in-flight cargo hold scenes. |
| Thursday, April 29 | Cost of Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 increasing due to condensed schedule. |
Pre-production rehearsal - April, 1965.
JP Trevor Collection.
| Early May | Location: 20th Century Fox
Ranch, Los Angeles, California 4 days 1st Unit filming of in-flight sandstorm and cockpit interiors. |
| Saturday, May 08 | Frank Tallman breaks his leg in
a go-kart accident, business partner Paul Mantz steps in to replace him. |
| Thursday, May 13 | Location: Buttercup Valley
(sand dunes), Imperial County, California 1st Unit cast and crew leave for outdoor location filming with C-82A fuselage (N4833V) and wing / boom components from R4Q-1 (BuNo.126580) - filming continues till June 30. Production facilities, cast and crew located in nearby Yuma, Arizona. |
| Saturday, May 15 | Paul Mantz visits Phoenix P-1 take-off site near Yuma. |
| Wednesday, May 19 | Paul Mantz replaces Frank Tallman as film's Aerial Supervisor. |
| Thursday, May 20 | Cast and crew celebrate James Stewart's 57th birthday during filming. |
| Tuesday, May 25 | Author Elleston Trevor visits Yuma set, belly-dancer (Barrie Chase) scene is filmed. |
20th Century Fox Ranch sandstorm filming -
May, 1965.
JP Trevor Collection.
| Monday, June 14 | Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 (N93082) is completed, FAA issue flight certificate the same day. |
| Thursday, June 24 | 1st Unit film non-flying Phoenix engine starts and cast pulling plane. |
| Friday, June 25 | 1st Unit film non-flying Phoenix
engine starts. Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 trucked from Orange County Airport to Yuma Intl. Airport. |
| Saturday, June 26 | Location: Quarry at Pilot
Knob, Imperial County, California 1st Unit film cast / oil drillers at make-shift oil camp oasis. |
| Monday, June 28 | 1st Unit film non-flying Phoenix
engine starts and cast pulling plane in Patton Valley, located near the Buttercup Valley set. |
| Tuesday, June 29 | 1st Unit film take-off scenes,
close-ups of cast in Patton Valley. Also film at the Quarry set including Chu-Cho the monkey drinking. Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 makes maiden flight from Yuma Intl. Airport, pilot: Paul Mantz. FAA flight certificate issued for C-82A (N6887C) to begin aerial filming. |
| Wednesday, June 30 | 1st Unit film take-off scenes,
close-ups of cast in Patton Valley. Last day of desert filming, cast and crew depart Yuma, head back to Los Angeles. |
Outdoor set at Buttercup Valley - May, 1965.
JP Trevor Collection.
| Thursday, July 01 | Location: Stage
6 - 20th
Century Fox Studios, Los Angeles, California 1st Unit begins night sequences and other indoor required filming with C-82A fuselage (N53228) - filming continues till August 13. The R4Q-1 (BuNo.126580), non-flying Phoenix prop must have been hastily trucked back to the studios??? 2nd UNIT - AERIAL UNIT PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS 2nd Unit based at Yuma Intl. Airport with B-25 (N1203), C-82A (N6887C) and Phoenix P-1 (N93082). 2nd Unit set up to film Phoenix P-1 but aircraft unable to make appearance. |
| Friday, July 02 | 2nd Unit set up to film Phoenix P-1 but aircraft unable to make appearance. |
| Saturday, July 03 | C-82A air-to-air shots filmed with B-25 camera-plane. |
| Tuesday, July 06 | C-82A air-to-air shots filmed with B-25 camera-plane. |
| Wednesday, July 07 | Location: Pilot
Knob Mesa, Imperial Valley, California Phoenix P-1 makes first flights past cameras - wide shots and over-head camera shots. |
| Thursday, July 08 | Phoenix P-1 crashes
on second camera pass killing Paul Mantz and injuring stunt man Bobby Rose. First camera fly-by is the one later used in the film. |
| Saturday, July 10 | 2nd Unit film camel / C-82A sequence - later cut from film during editing. |
| Monday, July 12 | 2nd Unit film
air-to-ground shots for camel sequence / C-82A ground shadows. Filming stops in memory of Paul Mantz, funeral held this day. |
| Tuesday, July 13 | 2nd Unit film
air-to-air and quarry / various C-82A shots as well. Where was the airstrip (C-82A take-off) filmed and when??? Tallmantz involvement in the film ends at this point. |
| Wednesday, July 14 | 2nd Unit film
sunrise Buttercup Valley and some flying. Jim Gavin of Mercury Helicopters brought in to film air-to-ground footage and background plates for rear screen projection at Fox Studios. |
| Friday, July 16 | 2nd Unit helicopter air-to-Skytruck & graves filmed. Also sunrise at Buttercup Valley. |
| Saturday, July 17 | 2nd Unit helicopter
air-to-Skytruck & graves filmed again. 2nd UNIT - AERIAL UNIT PHOTOGRAPHY FINISHES |
| Friday, July 23 | James Stewart leaves set for African holiday - 1st Unit forced to film around him. |
| Thursday, July 29 | C-82A (N6887C) FAA flight certificate expires. |
| Friday, July 30 | Filmmakers looking
for Phoenix P-1 replacement, consider using F4F, F6F, TBF and T-6. Found an North American O-47B at The Air Museum currently under rebuild. |
Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 crash aftermath - July,
1965.
James H. Farmer Collection.
| Tuesday, August 03 | James Stewart still absent - film forced to stop production. |
| Friday, August 06 | James Stewart returns - 1st Unit photography resumes. |
| Monday, August 09 | O-47B (N4725V), confirmed as replacement flying Phoenix. |
| Wednesday, August 11 | Proposal to FAA to acquire skids from wrecked Phoenix P-1 (N93082), to film cutaways. |
| Friday, August 13 | Last day of studio filming on
Stage 6. 1st UNIT - PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY FINISHES |
| Friday, September 10 | Location: Fox Field,
Lancaster, California 2nd Unit film Phoenix skids mounted on garbage truck lifting off a sandy surface. Hastily done as sand is a salty white, not golden, and buildings are evident in the background. |
| Friday, September 17 | O-47B "stand-in" throws piston during flight test, filming postponed further. |
|
Wednesday, October 13 |
FAA flight certificate issued for O-47B (N4825V) to begin aerial filming. |
| Wednesday, November 03 | 2nd Unit re-shoot, back to Yuma Quarry location for O-47B fly-by. |
| Thursday, November 04 | 2nd Unit film O-47B fly-over. Bobby Rose and 15 extras as oil workers present. |
| Monday, December 13 | O-47B (N4725V) FAA flight certificate expires. |
| Wednesday, December 15 | The Flight of the Phoenix
premiers before the end of the year in order to secure Oscar nominations. It goes into general release in 1966. |
Derelict at Long Beach, the C-82A used for
indoor studio filming.
Photo by James H. Farmer.