War Documentary hosted by James Wallace and Nat Fuller, published by PBS in 1991 - English narration
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Produced by an independent film production company four World War II documentaries, "Peleliu 1944: Horror in the Pacific," "Pistol Packin' Mama: Missions of a B-17," "Fighting 17: The Jolly Rogers," and "17th Airborne: The Bulge to the Rhine," have received 11 prestigious film awards, including two Telly Awards, two Columbus International Film Festival Awards, and two New York International Film Festival citations.
In 1989 Kenwood Productions began producing WWII documentaries as part of a series of films titled The American Hero. The original objective of the company was to produce a series of 13 films (The American Hero Series) documenting, through the use of interviews and archival materials, the combat experience America's World War II soldiers. Ultimately only four films were finished and the interview portions of two additional films were shot, but due to a lack of ongoing funding the remainder of the identified stories were not completed.
While disappointed that circumstances prevented the completion of the series, the opportunity to work in each film with five veterans who served and fought together was the experience of a lifetime. From five crew members of a B-17 from the 8th Air Force, to five Navy fighter pilots of the Jolly Rogers squadron, to five members of the 17th Airborne, to five battle-tested Marines of the 1st Marine division, they were to a man remarkable individuals who openly shared their personal stories of combat and service.
In recent years with Ken Burns' series "The War" and the Tom Hanks/Stephen Spielberg series "The Pacific" more attention has been brought to what has been called the Greatest Generation. When series was being produced in the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was little public awareness of the WWII vet and their stories. Now that their stories are coming to light production team is proud to have played a small part in capturing some of these stories for posterity.
3) Pistol Packin' Mama: the Missions of a B-17
In Pistol Packin' Mama: Missions of a B-17, five crew members of Betty Boop/Pistol Packin' Mama relate what it was like in the grim early days of daylight bombing. Winner of several film awards and recipient of the Joseph Addison Moller Medal from the 390th Memorial Museum Foundation, this film tells the story of a plane, Pistol Packin' Mama, and its crew - featuring James Geary, Richard Perry, Shirl Hoffman, Gus Mencow, and Clifford Puckett. It traces the crew's story from their enlistment through training through their 25 mission tour, including the missions they flew in the difficult early days of daylight bombing. As members of the 390th Bomb Group, they led their sqaudron, their group, and sometimes the entire 8th Air Force into action.
The life of a bomber crewman is described here as never before... the strain and cold, the fear, the sense of death and loss, the bond of camaraderie. Enhanced by stunning combat footage and photos, this is how it was battling fighters and flak 25,000 feet over Hitler's Third Reich.
Director: Tom Jenz ; 1991 Kenwood Productions, Inc., The American Hero Series
