Watch the Sensational First Episode of the Classic WWII U.S. Army Air Forces TV Series, 12 O’Clock High (1964-1967), Starring the Inimitable Robert Lansing, with Paul Burke and a Very Young Bruce Dern, Without Commercial Interruption!

 

 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

My (since expanded) comment to the original poster: I knew who Robert Lansing (1928-1994) was, but I'd never seen him in this show. He was a sensation!

I saw this show a few times as a kid, but only after Paul Burke became the star, and I believe the show had already been cancelled, and was running in syndication.

It's a shame that Lansing couldn't get along with Quinn Martin who, during my childhood, was one of the most powerful producers on TV—The FBI, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, etc.

Thanks so much for posting this, and other episodes.

Paul Burke (1926-2009) was very good, and was one of the hottest things on TV in those days, but he would typically take over a great series after some sort of beef between the original star and the producer, first with Naked City, and then with this. Although he continued working in TV and movies after this show ended its run in 1967, he appeared to have trouble keeping his weight down, once he hit the big 4-0. When he played a Boston police detective in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), opposite Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, he was a fatso, and I don’t think he’d put on weight for the sake of his character. According to Gary Brumburgh at IMDB.com, Burke’s career was effectively ended when he and some high-profile fellow defendants were prosecuted in a federal case for racketeering involving gambling. Burke beat the rap, but no one would touch him after that.

There are some interesting reviews of the series posted at IMDB.com.
 

Twelve O'Clock High: Season 1, Episode 1, “Golden Boy Had 9 Black Sheep”
 


 

jefke peremans
Published on Aug 8, 2013

Twelve O'Clock High is an American drama series set in World War II. This TV series originally broadcast on ABC-TV for two-and-one-half TV seasons from September 18, 1964, through January 13, 1967; was based on the motion picture Twelve O'Clock High (1949).