I need one of you guys out there who have been in military service to explain the basics of the Tibbets story to me. Why were his hands tied, and his mouth figuratively gagged to the extent they were? Why could he not tell his wife he was going to be working on a top secret project which he could not discuss with her or anyone, and in turn, neither could she? The way she was portrayed by Eleanor Parker, she seemed sensible and mature enough to understand she could not take light of the situation.
In the last stage, when she went to Uanna's office, I don't see why he could not tell her it was an imporant project. That was all she wanted - to know her husband hadn't turned into some kind of monster, but was just following orders.
Terrible thunderstorms going on right now.
Bye
Anne
Above and Beyond
Above and Beyond
Anne
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movieman1957
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Anne:
I'm not military so this is just my brain but in 1945 and before this may have been the biggest secret in the history of our country. If I remember correctly the Germans were working on a similar device. I had an uncle who worked on the "Manhattan Project" in Oak Ridge, TN. He was exposed to a huge dose of radiation. They immediately retired him. He went to live into his 90's. We use to kid him that it actually preserved him.
Mrs. Tibbetts couldn't be told because she was not part of the military. Wife or not there is no way they were going to tell her unless it became itself too big a problem.
The other side is a practical one. The fewer people that know the less likely it is to get out (also making it easier to find who did it.) You never knew who might be on the wrong side.
I'm not military so this is just my brain but in 1945 and before this may have been the biggest secret in the history of our country. If I remember correctly the Germans were working on a similar device. I had an uncle who worked on the "Manhattan Project" in Oak Ridge, TN. He was exposed to a huge dose of radiation. They immediately retired him. He went to live into his 90's. We use to kid him that it actually preserved him.
Mrs. Tibbetts couldn't be told because she was not part of the military. Wife or not there is no way they were going to tell her unless it became itself too big a problem.
The other side is a practical one. The fewer people that know the less likely it is to get out (also making it easier to find who did it.) You never knew who might be on the wrong side.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
Movieman:
Thanks for your reply, but although I understand the need for secrecy, I still think his situation was wrong. the violence of the weather cut me off before I could explain my theories.
When she was in Uanna's office, she flat out said, "If he's working on something very important, then I understand, but if he's not, then that's the end of our marriage". She didn't want details, or even to know exactly what he was doing, simply a relief from the belief that there was something mentally, or physically wrong with him.
Add to that the fact that through a part of this venture, she was pregnant and the uncertainty of what was happening to her husband could easily have caused physical problems for her, not to mention the child.
Tibbets should never have been chosen for the project, simply because he was married. It should have gone to a single man who had no responsibility to anyone else.
All of my respect goes to his wife. She had to be some kind of person to take him back after that kind of treatment, even knowing the facts later on. It would have rubbed at me for years and finally eroded my feelings for him.
Anne
Thanks for your reply, but although I understand the need for secrecy, I still think his situation was wrong. the violence of the weather cut me off before I could explain my theories.
When she was in Uanna's office, she flat out said, "If he's working on something very important, then I understand, but if he's not, then that's the end of our marriage". She didn't want details, or even to know exactly what he was doing, simply a relief from the belief that there was something mentally, or physically wrong with him.
Add to that the fact that through a part of this venture, she was pregnant and the uncertainty of what was happening to her husband could easily have caused physical problems for her, not to mention the child.
Tibbets should never have been chosen for the project, simply because he was married. It should have gone to a single man who had no responsibility to anyone else.
All of my respect goes to his wife. She had to be some kind of person to take him back after that kind of treatment, even knowing the facts later on. It would have rubbed at me for years and finally eroded my feelings for him.
Anne
Anne
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moira finnie
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Hi Anne,
I'm certainly no military veteran, but thought that Above and Beyond was pretty skewed dramatically, emphasizing aspects of Tibbets' private life vs. military necessity. If you caught the previews for this movie that were run on TCM, you probably noticed the emphasis on the love story aspect, which I assume was aimed at the female audience.
One thing that seemed fairly accurate in the movie to me was showing the compartmentalization of one's life that's required for a person to sublimate all "normal" impulses for the sake of some military goal. It certainly wouldn't make for a great hubby, but probably seems necessary militarily, and it seemed to me that Eleanor Parker's character was overly emotional about it. The military wives I've known are a really stoic bunch, especially the women who lived through that period, (though I'm sure they had their meltdowns too). From what I've read, the real Tibbets had a terrible temper in real life, which made Taylor a good choice for playing him since he can express cold rage rather well, Tibbets was quite a maverick flier, (he was nearly court-martialed because of it), and an aeronautical innovator during the air war in Europe and, of course, later in the Pacific. I thought that some of that came through, but wondered about the accuracy of the home life stuff.
Also, in the movie, the script indicates that Tibbets was somewhat conflicted about dropping the bomb, but if one reads anything about the real guy, such as his autobiography Mission: Hiroshima and Chicago columnist Bob Greene's book, A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War, both books reiterate what Tibbets has said all along: he has no regrets, especially since this terrible event ended the war, allowing thousands, perhaps millions to live on. Interestingly, Tibbets and his wife Lucy's marriage ultimately failed. Paul Tibbets went on to remarry and is still living in relative obscurity at 92. He's even been involved in the internet sale of "mementos" from the Enola Gay flight.
If you're interested in some touching comments by Bob Greene about Tibbets, his own father and the WWII generation, here's a speechthat he gave about the topic, giving a distilled version of the book I mentioned above.
I'm certainly no military veteran, but thought that Above and Beyond was pretty skewed dramatically, emphasizing aspects of Tibbets' private life vs. military necessity. If you caught the previews for this movie that were run on TCM, you probably noticed the emphasis on the love story aspect, which I assume was aimed at the female audience.
One thing that seemed fairly accurate in the movie to me was showing the compartmentalization of one's life that's required for a person to sublimate all "normal" impulses for the sake of some military goal. It certainly wouldn't make for a great hubby, but probably seems necessary militarily, and it seemed to me that Eleanor Parker's character was overly emotional about it. The military wives I've known are a really stoic bunch, especially the women who lived through that period, (though I'm sure they had their meltdowns too). From what I've read, the real Tibbets had a terrible temper in real life, which made Taylor a good choice for playing him since he can express cold rage rather well, Tibbets was quite a maverick flier, (he was nearly court-martialed because of it), and an aeronautical innovator during the air war in Europe and, of course, later in the Pacific. I thought that some of that came through, but wondered about the accuracy of the home life stuff.
Also, in the movie, the script indicates that Tibbets was somewhat conflicted about dropping the bomb, but if one reads anything about the real guy, such as his autobiography Mission: Hiroshima and Chicago columnist Bob Greene's book, A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War, both books reiterate what Tibbets has said all along: he has no regrets, especially since this terrible event ended the war, allowing thousands, perhaps millions to live on. Interestingly, Tibbets and his wife Lucy's marriage ultimately failed. Paul Tibbets went on to remarry and is still living in relative obscurity at 92. He's even been involved in the internet sale of "mementos" from the Enola Gay flight.
If you're interested in some touching comments by Bob Greene about Tibbets, his own father and the WWII generation, here's a speechthat he gave about the topic, giving a distilled version of the book I mentioned above.
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movieman1957
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I think even the hint of something going on could have been enough for her to suggest something to the wrong people and the whole thing starts to come apart. Her reaction to the circumstance she found herself in as it was might have been enough of a clue to the right people. There's potential trouble either way.mrsl wrote:Movieman:
When she was in Uanna's office, she flat out said, "If he's working on something very important, then I understand, but if he's not, then that's the end of our marriage". She didn't want details, or even to know exactly what he was doing, simply a relief from the belief that there was something mentally, or physically wrong with him.
Anne
Like you I wonder on the thought of sending a family man for this mission but maybe it came down to more the right guy inspite of his personal life.
I've seen Tibbets interviewed and he has no qualms about what he did. Would he have really had an option anyway?
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."