George Lucas: Hollywood Wouldn't Back My Film About Tuskegee Airmen Due to All Black Cast

NewsBusters ^ | January 11, 2012 | Noel Sheppard

[george76]

Star Wars creator George Lucas said Monday that Hollywood studios refused to back his new film Red Tails - about World War II's Tuskegee Airmen - because the cast was all black.

...

Hollywood balked given the message Lucas was trying to convey.

“I wanted to make it inspirational for teenaged boys. I wanted to show that they have heroes, they’re real American heroes, they’re patriots that helped to make the country what it is today. And it’s not Glory where you have a lot of white officers running these guys into cannon fodder. It’s like a real, they were real heroes.”

And Hollywood said, "No."

Just remember that the next time some movie star or film director calls Republicans or members of the Tea Party racist.

[Mr Rogers]

I saw a trailer in the theater. My impression was the story went:

‘Bomber pilots were getting shot down because white fighter pilots didn’t have the guts to protect them...kept running away. So some abused black pilots came, stayed with the bombers, didn’t run away - and changed the outcome of the war and history.’

My Dad was one of the white fighter pilots, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t run away. In fact, there wasn’t a lot of running away in WW2, and NO ONE was big enough to change the outcome of the war by themselves. It took millions of men willing to risk their lives.

Also, as the full article points out, a big concern of Hollywood was how the movie would play overseas. Would Chinese, Korean, Turks and Germans want to see a movie about black Americans kicking German butt and saving the world? Probably not - so why invest their money when most of the money is made overseas?

Oh - and from the perspective of a WSO/EWO with 2000+ hours of fighter time...the CGI graphics SUCK. In part that is because they don’t know what real combat or real flying looks like, and in part it is because they want the entire screen in focus. When you make a strafing run, there isn’t time to notice much besides the target itself.

The flight scenes in Twelve O’Clock High were MUCH better - but then, they were mostly combat archive...

[djf]

From a historical context, it makes no sense.

Is George saying that all the mechanics who worked on the planes were black?
All the air control people?
All the Comm-Con?

All the waitresses in the coffee shops?

I think it actually dishonors those pilots to fabricate a false reality.

[Doogle]

Although I’m looking forward to the story and enjoy the telling of the redtailed devils escapades.....

....could it be that Lucas knows Dumbo has billions to spend?

just saying

[miss marmelstein]

And if he was gearing the film towards inner-city males without father figures, he can forget that to. They don’t go to “feel good” movies.

These people live in a bubble.

[Doogle]

...when is Hollywood going to make the movie about Dumbo’s AF One fly over that panicked thousands. How the little boy king thought it was “OK” .....no one gets that sort of permission without the nod.

[gattaca]

That would be an interesting movie, I totally agree.

[PeteB570]

My impression - and history - did not have the white pilots “running away” but dog fighting with the German fighters and getting pulled away from the bombers.

The Red Tails became famous for not leaving the bombers - and many a black fighter pilot died protecting the bombers.

While many bombers were lost to flak the Red Tail’s claim was no bombers were lost to enemy aircraft while under Red Tail protection.

I’ll go see it just because I like Military related movies based - in at least some fashion - on history.

Maybe someday they’ll make a better movie on the Red Ball Express - another chapter in American history where black soldiers played a big role in “winning the war”.

[SJSAMPLE]

It was absolute trash.
Especially the dialogue.
Fishburne should’ve been ashamed to utterhalf his lines.

[Nicojones]

I'll wait for the third version that they expect to release in 2022. In that version, the Japanese Americans, Blacks, Gays, and female soldiers single handedly defeat the Germans/Japanese and restore world peace, teaching the lazy and cowardly white man a valuable lesson in the process. Isn't Hollywood's politically correct retelling of history wonderful!

[Bender2]

Re: Maybe someday they’ll make a better movie on the Red Ball Express - another chapter in American history where black soldiers played a big role in “winning the war”.

The 1952 film Red Ball Express, starring FR's own 'Fightin' Jeff Chandler... was pretty good when I probably first saw it at a drive in with my Mom and Dad in the early 1950s but then again, it has been years since I saw it on video tape but Amazon has copies available here if you are interested.

If red X above go to http://images.moviepostershop.com/red-ball-express-movie-poster-1952-1020235483.jpg or http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/27/2769/RSJTD00Z/posters/jeff-chandler.jpg

BTW for years and years it was stated a fact that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber to German fighters while under their care. That was finally shown to be a lie in 2007 in a story covered by, believe it or not, The Washington Post-Toastie

Makes me wonder if George... will include that titbit in his Red-Tails film?

[Fresh Wind]

Perhaps Lucas chose to use black actors wearing white makeup to depict white people.

[Timber Rattler]

Lucas is a big idea guy, but he can’t write screen plays or dialogue worth a damn!

[Timber Rattler]

Warcraft is actually the same-—you buy the core copy of the game at Walmart for $49.99 and then subscribe to the online system for real- world play, including constantly expanding realms and weekly patches. I do both and they are virtually the same in how they operate and cost. Gotta pay to keep the programmers on staff!

[PeteB570]

I did put “Red Tail’s claim”.....

As to the 2007 story - I read about that at the time.

For the amount of bombers falling out of the sky at the time due to enemy activity I’ll still say the Red Tails racked up an impressive record - and were well liked by the bomber crews.

Military History is Military History - black or white.

Plenty of Black History from The Great War and WW II for movie makers to take a look at.

[TalBlack]

“I wanted to make it inspirational for teenaged boys.

Well, that explains why, when I heard the commercial but couldn’t see the TV I thought it was a story set in the present.

[freeangel]

“fail by design. nice move.”

My guess is he’s trying to get the taxpayer to pay for it via hussein who he hopes will bail him out in the name of diversity education.

[mnehring]

From the previews, this looks to be a kick a** movie.

[Locomotive Breath]

“And it’s not Glory where you have a lot of white officers running these guys into cannon fodder.”

As opposed to the white officers who had been running WHITE troops into cannon fodder [sic] for the entire war. Welcome to equality.

[Magnatron]

Lucas’ problem is he’s a crappy character director. Aside from special effects, the acting in his movies is wooden, stiff, and phony. Judging by the trailer, it looks like he hasn’t changed much. It’s likely that the movie moguls know this and hoped that a movie with such historical importance would be picked up by someone who knows how to direct - say a Spielberg or someone like him.

[TheOldLady]

Boop Their Tiny Tamarin Tootsies!

Before You Pass Out From Acute Cute
Support Free Republic

Donate monthly
Sponsors will contribute $10 for each new monthly sign-up