1941

1941 movie poster.

Movie (1979)

Starring:
Dan Aykroyd (Sergeant Frank Tree)
Ned Beatty (Ward Douglas)
John Belushi (Captain Wild Bill Kelso)
Lorraine Gary (Joan Douglas)
Murray Hamilton (Claude Crumn)
Christopher Lee (Captain Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt)

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

North American T-6 Texan (or variant)

Any information about these four Texan/Harvard is welcome! There is speculation online that these are SNJ-2s belonging to the Skytypers.

North American T-6 Texan & North American B-25J Mitchell & Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

North American T-6 and three B-25J Mitchells on the right. In the background is the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Sentimental Journey" reg. N9323Z s/n 44-83514 (see next section).
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).
Further in the background, we can see (left to right):

• behind the B-17 (with unfinished paint on the rudder!), an Avro 748 (or NAMC YS-11?);
  
• a Douglas DC-2 (without rudder);
  
• Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB) activity;
  
• (behind the tail of the center B-25) a tricycle undercarriage Beechcraft Model H18 is taxiing.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

Reg. N9323Z built as a B-17G-85-DL by Douglas at Long Beach, California, USA. s/n 44-83514 (Pacific theater). Stored in Japan (1945-1947). Converted to RB-17G for photo mapping task until 1950. Modified into DB-17G for service in Air-Sea Rescue operations then DB-17P within a year to fly as a mother ship, which directed unmanned, radio controlled B-17 drone aircraft during the fourth US postwar atmospheric nuclear weapon test series (Operation Greenhouse). From January 1959, storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, USA. December 1960 : converted to fire Tanker (still N9323Z) and flying under code E17 (till June 1962), then C17 and from September 1968 just "17". 1977 : to Confederate Air Force seen in October 1977 for restoration as s/n 44-83514 (B on red tail). From January 1978 to 1981: chin turret removed (F model).
Seen here as 541 with pre-May 1942 national markings to look like a natural metal D model.
1981-1985: Restored to full military G-type configuration. From then to date (2025): nose art Sentimental Journey with Betty Grable silhouette, U on blue tail (same serial 44-83514).
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).

Curtiss P-40E / Kittyhawk

Three airframes used:
Kittyhawk Mk. I (AL752) actually N1207V (same aircraft in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing);
P-40E Kittyhawk Mk. I registration N40PE, c/n 15376 used for some cockpit close-ups;
a surviving P-40 mock-up from Tora! Tora! Tora! was used for the crashlanding on Hollywood Boulevard.

Beechcraft Model 18

An unknown wreck mocked-up in the studio (fake betrayed by its engines).

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See also

• 1941 at IMDb
• 1941 at Wikipedia
• 1941 at IMCDb