User Reviews

Some shows were simply better in black and white. This is certainly true of 12 O'Clock High which when it transitioned to color in the 3rd season seemed to lose the seemingly more authentic WWII look that is B&W. Too, the scripts deteriorated markedly as there are only so many stories you can tell about planes taking off, making bombing runs, and being shot at and with 59 episodes through season 2 it is understandable that the writers had to look far afield for material for the last 17 shows which would comprise the half season 3 before the show was mercifully shot down in the first week of January of 1967. Maybe the switch to color made the reality of the bombing, etc. more real and less "entertaining". "Combat", another WWII B&W staple of the early and mid '60's would surrender its timeslot just two months later (March 14 1967) and the boomlet of WWII drama series was at an end. "The Rat Patrol" (more of a WWII dramedy) and "Hogan's Heroes" (almost straight comedy) would survive a little longer. TRP was RIP in March '68 while Hogan would last until the spring of '71 - almost long enough to hand off the war comedy franchise to the Korean War with M*A*S*H.

Vietnam was beginning to have its effect as well at this time but I truly think the transition to color and the lack of new stories to tell was what killed the WWII drama which simply doesn't look right in color - something that is also true for WWI. Not so true for earlier wars like our Civil War, for example. I think it was the pervasiveness of the B&W newsreels for both World Wars which sears them into our memories as being fought in black and white. Certainly WWII - the last "good war" - was the last Black and White war on multiple levels.

That said, this is a great episode - the best of 12 O'Clock High's final season. It features a very young John Voight as a German pilot and an equally young Ossie Davis as an American soldier with an interesting back story. No spoilers here! Watch it if you liked this series or want to see one of its best episodes.

If you watch the TV episodes of "12 O'Clock High" you might wonder why, up until one of the final episodes you never saw black soldiers or flyers. Well, this isn't because the producers of the show were bigots...it's because it's realistic. Sadly, back before the armed forces were integrated (just before the Korean War), blacks served either in all-black units OR were given menial jobs....like cooks, servers and the like. And, on an airbase you simply wouldn't have seen black men. But, "Graveyard" introduces two types of black servicemen...and it's a pretty dandy episode.

Early in the show, a bomber is shot down by a German fighter pilot (Jon Voigt). They all land on an island where two black servicemen are apparently stationed (Ossie Davis and Don Marshall--two fine actors). The Major (Davis) is a doc and patches up two of the injured men...including the General. But there are a few huge things the downed airmen don't know. First, the Major is NOT a real officer and he's a man who went AWOL!! Second, the German pilot survived and he's a VERY lethal guy...and he manages to free the Germans captured by the two black soldiers.

In addition to these two black soldiers, you see a brief appearance by members of the Tuskegee Airmen...a nice tribute to some brave men who put up with a lot of $&%@ in order to serve their country and earn respect. Well written but especially well acted...and worth seeing.

A major inaccuracy in that The Tuskegee Airman never lost a bomber to enemy action.

A minor one is the positioning of the generals stars by the shoulder instead of at the center of the epaulets.

There were plenty of good stories for this series but a B&W budget didn't do well in color 😷