The Tuskegee Airmen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Tuskegee Airmen
DVD Cover art
Genre	Drama History War
Written by	Paris Qualles Trey Ellis Ron Hutchinson Robert Wayland Williams T. S. Cook
Directed by	Robert Markowitz
Starring	Laurence Fishburne Allen Payne Malcolm-Jamal Warner Courtney B. Vance Andre Braugher Christopher McDonald Daniel Hugh Kelly Mekhi Phifer John Lithgow Cuba Gooding Jr.
Music by	Lee Holdridge
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Frank Price Robert Wayland Williams (co-executive producer)
Producer(s)	Bill Carraro Carol Bahoric (co-producer)
Production location(s)	Muskogee, Oklahoma Fort Smith, Arkansas (Ft. Smith Frisco Station) Muskogee, Oklahoma (Davis Field) Fort Chaffee, Arkansas Fort Smith, Arkansas Los Angeles Juliette, Georgia
Cinematography	Ron Orieux
Editor(s)	David Beatty
Running time	106 minutes
Production company(s)	HBO Pictures Price Entertainment
Distributor	HBO
Budget	$8,500,000 (estimated)
Release
Picture format	Black and White Color
Audio format	Dolby SR
Original release	August 26, 1995 (1995-08-26)

The Tuskegee Airmen is a 1995 TV movie from HBO. It tells the true story of the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. These brave pilots fought during World War II. The film was directed by Robert Markowitz. It stars famous actors like Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Lithgow, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen

Becoming Pilots: Training Begins

The movie starts during World War II. Hannibal "Iowa" Lee, Jr. (played by Laurence Fishburne) travels by train to Tuskegee, Alabama. He meets other hopeful pilot candidates. These include Billy "A-Train" Roberts (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Walter Peoples III (Allen Payne), and Lewis Johns (Mekhi Phifer).

At the training base, they meet their leaders. Colonel Noel Rogers is the base commander. Major Sherman Joy is the training director. Lieutenant Glenn is their liaison officer. Colonel Rogers is hopeful and wants the cadets to succeed. He tells them it is a great honor to become pilots.

Major Joy, however, has a different view. He doubts the cadets' abilities because of their race. He tries to make their training very hard. He even makes them retake a flight exam they already passed. But the cadets all score well, which surprises Major Joy.

Facing Challenges and Loss

The cadets begin their flight training with instructors. Sadly, cadet Johns (Mekhi Phifer) crashes his plane during a flight. Both he and his instructor die. This tragic event makes cadet Leroy Cappy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) doubt himself. He thinks about quitting.

Cadets Lee and Peoples encourage Cappy not to give up. They tell him to keep going. The cadets continue to learn how to fly on their own. Major Joy even lets cadet Lee fly solo many times.

Later, Lieutenant Glenn starts teaching the cadets about air combat. Peoples asks why Lt. Glenn is teaching instead of Major Joy. Lt. Glenn then shares that he fought in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He shot down three enemy planes. This means he is the only officer on the base with real combat experience.

A Tragic Accident and Strong Resolve

Peoples and Lee fly their training planes in a practice dogfight. Peoples outsmarts Lee and "shoots him down." After this, Peoples flies his plane in unauthorized tricks to impress Lee. But this gets the attention of Colonel Rogers and Major Joy.

Peoples is removed from the training program. He begs them to let him stay, but they refuse. Upset, Peoples takes a plane without permission. He then crashes it and tragically dies.

Back at the barracks, the cadets are very emotional after Peoples' death. Cadet Roberts blames Major Joy for pushing Peoples too hard. Cadet Cappy also feels like giving up again. But cadet Lee strongly tells them not to quit. He says Major Joy wants them to give up, and he won't let that happen. He is determined to achieve his dream of flying.

Earning Their Wings and Fighting for Respect

Lt. Glenn, Lee, Roberts, and Cappy are on a training mission. Cappy's plane has problems. Cappy and Lee land their planes on a country road. There, they see a prison chain gang working. The guards are surprised when Lee and Cappy get out of their planes. They are shocked to see that the pilots are black.

The cadets successfully finish their training. They become 2nd Lieutenants in the Army Air Corps. But they are not sent to Europe right away because of their race. Later, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visits. She chooses Lee to fly her in a plane. This creates positive news coverage.

Because of this, the men are sent to North Africa. They become part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. However, they are only allowed to attack targets on the ground. During a mission, Lee's flight meets German planes. Cappy breaks formation and attacks, shooting down one. But his plane is hit and catches fire. Cappy is killed when his damaged plane crashes.

Proving Their Worth in Combat

A special meeting is held to decide if the Tuskegee Airmen program should continue. Some people claim that black pilots cannot handle complex machines. But their commanding officer, Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (played by Andre Braugher), gives powerful testimony. The hearing decides in favor of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The 99th Pursuit Squadron then joins three new squadrons. They form the all-black 332nd Fighter Group. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis now leads them. The 332nd is sent to Italy. Their job is to protect Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. These bombers were losing many planes to enemy attacks.

During this time, Lee and Billy Roberts (Cuba Gooding Jr.) sink a German destroyer. They also save a B-17 bomber from two German fighters. The bomber pilot and co-pilot visit them to say thank you. But the B-17 pilot does not believe that black pilots saved them.

Later, Roberts' plane is shot down. Lee is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for sinking the destroyer. He is also promoted to captain. The white bomber pilots now respect and admire the Tuskegee Airmen. They specifically ask for the Tuskegee Airmen to escort them on a raid to Berlin. This request comes from the same pilot who doubted them before.

Meet the Cast

Making the Movie

Bringing the Story to Life

Captain Robert W. Williams was a real pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group. He wrote a story about his experiences years before. He worked with writer T. S. Cook to create a movie script. The story mixes real facts with made-up parts. But it is mostly true to history.

Frank Price helped get the movie made. Williams stayed on as a co-executive producer. HBO invested about $8.5 million in the film. This was a very large amount for a TV movie at the time. They wanted the movie to be very accurate.

Real People and Places

Most of the main characters in the movie are made up. They are based on several real pilots. However, Eleanor Roosevelt and General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. were real people. Their roles in the movie are based on actual events.

For example, Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1941. She insisted on flying with C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson. He was the first African American to get a pilot's license. A photo of her flying with a black pilot was shared widely. Andre Braugher's acting as "B.O." Davis was very accurate to the real person.

The movie was filmed in several places. These included Fort Chaffee in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Other locations were Juliette, Georgia, and Muskogee, Oklahoma. Some scenes were also shot in Los Angeles, California.

The movie used real planes from that time. These included North American T-6 Texans and P-51 Mustangs. A few real P-51 fighter planes with their famous "red tail" colors were used for the flying scenes.

How Accurate is the Movie?

Fact vs. Fiction

The movie shows Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. as a real person. He is seen during the ceremony where the pilots get their wings. But other Tuskegee Airmen characters in the film are not real people. They are "composite" characters. This means they are made up of traits and experiences from many different real pilots.

In one scene, the character Lewis Johns (Mekhi Phifer) recites a poem called "Strange Fruit." This poem became a famous song by Billie Holiday in 1939.

At the end of the film, it lists the accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen. It says 66 out of 450 Tuskegee Airmen died in battle. They fought against the first jet fighters. They also won 850 medals during the war.

The Bomber Escort Debate

The movie also states that the 332nd Fighter Group never lost a single bomber to enemy fighters. This claim was believed for many years. However, later Air Force records showed that at least 25 bombers were lost.

Even with these losses, the Tuskegee Airmen had an excellent record. Other fighter groups lost an average of 46 bombers. So, while the movie's claim was not perfectly accurate, the Tuskegee Airmen were still incredibly successful.

Awards and Recognition

The Tuskegee Airmen won many awards. It received the 1996 Peabody Award. This award honors excellence in broadcasting. The movie also won three Emmy Awards. These were for sound editing, editing, and casting.

Laurence Fishburne and Andre Braugher were nominated for Emmy acting awards. At the 1996 NAACP Image Awards, the movie won for Outstanding Television Movie. Fishburne also won for Outstanding Actor. Braugher and Cuba Gooding Jr. were nominated for supporting actor awards.

Fishburne was also nominated for a 1996 Golden Globe Award. This was for Best Television Actor. Some people thought he was a bit old for the role. But he still received the nomination.

See also

• Fly, a 2009 play about the Tuskegee Airmen
• Red Tails, the 2012 George Lucas film on the 332nd Fighter Group
• Wilfred DeFour

Images for kids

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  Training base where Maj. Joy (Christopher McDonald) instructs the trainees for the first time.

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  Robert W. Williams (left) and other Tuskegee Airmen at a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy (March 1945)

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  With the characteristic cry, "Here we come, fellas," the 332 FG escorted USAAF bombers over Europe. (screenshot)