Our Central Valley
By STEVE NEWVINE
It was a real treat to see the 1957 movie Bombers B-52 on TCM (Turner Movie Classics) recently.
The movie is hardly memorable for the story or the acting. But for those familiar with the former Castle Air Force Base, it was a window as to how the Base looked at the peak of the Cold War. Parts of the movie were filmed at the Base in early 1957. Many of the scenes depict the large landing strip that is still in use in the Base’s reimagined role as an industrial business park.
The critics did not care for the movie, and it was not a box office blockbuster in spite of having Natalie Wood in the starring role. However, it provides a magnificent view as to how the Base appeared in the so-called golden era of American military air power.
In one scene, there’s a full screen of the skies with the words CASTLE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, HOME OF THE B-52 emblazoned across the Cinema Scope wide movie screen. The director did not include the word “Atwater” in that description.
Other scenes show the wide expanse of the landing strip practically covered with aircraft, the Base fire department, and actor Karl Malden motoring from one spot to another on a small motor scooter with lots of personnel and buildings in the background.
The movie shows up on TCM occasionally. In November 2023, it was shown as a Veterans Day special event at the Merced Theatre.
Castle Air Force Base closed as part of a realignment effort in the 1990s known as the Base Realignment and Closure Act or BRAC. Fortunately, the Castle Air Museum holds many of the documents and items that tell the story of the Base and what it meant to the community.
The Museum even has an exhibit on the filming of Bombers B-52 in its indoor exhibit building. Visitors can see photographs the Air Force took while the stars were on site, two military uniforms worn by actors Malden and (in his third film) Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., a red dress worn by Natalie Wood, and other items. According to a placard at the display case, the exhibit was researched by Rick Marshall with help from Allen Thompson.
From that exhibit, we learn Natalie Wood attended a March of Dimes fundraiser put on by a group known as Teenagers Against Polio. She stayed at the Hotel Tioga in Merced during filming.
One of the more compelling images depicted in the film was the aerial refueling of the B-52. This was a big deal in 1957 as the Air Force sought to demonstrate the US could keep the bombers in the air around the clock and for days on end should the need arise.
In January 1957, Life magazine was consumed with the story of an around-the-world flight with no landing for refueling. That mission, known as Operation Power Flite, began at Castle Air Force Base, went around the world, and would have ended in Atwater were it not for fog on the Castle air strip. Instead, Operation Power Flite, and we note that is how the Air Force spelled the word we spell as “flight”, landed in Riverside, California.
The test of the US’s ability to refuel military aircraft from the air was a success.
1957 was a big year for Castle Air Force Base. The year began with an accomplishment that made the cover of Life magazine. It ended with the release of the movie Bombers B-52 which showcased Castle on the cinema screen.
Steve Newvine writes books about California.