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The 12 O'Clock High Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series Paperback – Illustrated, April 4, 2017

by Allan T. Duffin (Author), Paul Matheis (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 84 ratings
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Since its original release The "12 O'Clock High" Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series has been a consistent seller among WWII buffs, lovers of aviation, and fans of Hollywood TV and movies. The book, a labor of love for co-authors Allan T. Duffin and Paul Matheis, is a detailed, comprehensive look at a media phenomenon. Army Air Force officers Beirne Lay, Jr., and Sy Bartlett wrote the novel 12 O'Clock High as a somewhat fictionalized record of their experiences in England during World War II. Twentieth Century-Fox optioned the book and produced the 1949 movie version starring Gregory Peck as tough-as-nails Brigadier General Frank Savage. In 1964, prolific producer Quinn Martin (The Untouchables, The FBI) brought 12 O'Clock High to television as a weekly series on ABC, starring Robert Lansing as Savage. Packed with fresh interviews, rare photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories published for the first time anywhere, The "12 O'Clock High" Logbook is the definitive history of this unique tale of heroism in World War II.
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  1. Print length
    428 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 4, 2017
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.97 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    159393033X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1593930332
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ALLAN T. DUFFIN is a writer/producer based in Austin, Texas. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he is the co-author of Catch the Sky: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Police Helicopter Pilot and author of History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers. His website is aduffin.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BearManor Media; Illustrated edition (April 4, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 428 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 159393033X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593930332
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.38 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.97 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 84 ratings

About the author

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Allan T. Duffin

Allan T. Duffin

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Allan Duffin is a writer and television/multimedia producer. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he has written for magazines, newspapers, and the Internet, and has produced media content for the History and Discovery networks. His website is www.aduffin.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
84 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book exhaustively researched, comprehensive, and well-written. They also say the storyline is brilliant and remarkable. However, some find the e-book formatting poor and uninteresting. Opinions are mixed on the image quality, with some finding it good and others poor.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ContentStorylineImage qualityReadability
9 customers mention "Content"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content exhaustively researched, comprehensive, and well-written.

"...This exhaustively researched, comprehensive and well-written book is what every fan of the book/movie/series was waiting for!..." Read more

"...I am reading the synopsis over and over and then there is a threasure trove of facts about every aspect of this great series...." Read more

"...Highly recommend this book. A delightful, exciting, detailed book. The terrible irony, however, is that the original novel is long out of print...." Read more

"...There is a LOT of behind the scenes info." Read more

8 customers mention "Storyline"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the storyline brilliant, detailed, and true to the real story. They also say it relates well and provides jaw-dropping background on the real life men.

"Wonderful companion to the iconic movie." Read more

"...The Logbook in my opinion was a brilliant look at the backstory behind the movie and ultimately the series...." Read more

"Great background a great movie and TV show." Read more

"...and TV series, with tremendous background, interviews and behind-the-scenes stories, plus jaw-dropping background on the real life men that the reel..." Read more

5 customers mention "Image quality"3 positive2 negative

Customers are mixed about the image quality. Some mention that the pictures are good quality and show up well enough on the Kindle 2, while others say that they returned it because of the poor images in this version. They also mention that LOGBOOK contains almost no behind-the-scenes photos of the actual theatrical props.

"...The book is illustrated with dozens of rare photos and, again, it's a shame the publisher, BearManor Media, didn't use the better quality paper such..." Read more

"...LOGBOOK contains almost no behind-the-scenes photos of the actual theatrical props (meaning "properties" here)...." Read more

"...for the book information and collectibles, and the photos throughout the book are quite welcomed...." Read more

"...'s many high quality images, but returned it because of the poor images in this version...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the e-book formatting poor, making the history difficult to read and unreadable. They also say the Kindle version is a mess that makes it tiresome and uninteresting.

"...the fact that the contrast/quality of many of these photos is just pitiful...particularly in those dozen-or-so pages of miscellaneous photos tipped-..." Read more

"...This is not a book to read in order cover to cover. The Kindle version is a mess to try to find your way around in or to read...." Read more

"If it wasn't for the poor formatting in the Kindle edition (I also own a copy of the print edition) I would have rated it much higher...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Mike O'Connor
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Guide to a Classic Novel/Movie/TV Show!
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2007
Verified Purchase
"Twelve O'Clock High" is that rara avis -a bestselling novel turned into a hit movie turned into a successful TV series. This exhaustively researched, comprehensive and well-written book is what every fan of the book/movie/series was waiting for!

Written by two 8th Air Force veterans, "Twelve O'Clock High" the novel followed the trials and tribulations of General Frank Savage, a tough-as-nails commander, as he labored to salvage a demoralized Bomb Group that has suffered heavy losses to the Luftwaffe. Savage is successful in his efforts but at a great personal cost. In 1949 the novel became an Academy Award winning box office hit starring Gregory Peck. Frankly I have always enjoyed the movie more than the novel because it sliced away anything not related to Savage's struggle, turning it into a lean, mean chronicle of men at war. Then, in 1964, ABC and Quinn Martin Productions created a one-hour series starring Robert Lansing as General Savage. I rate Lansing's portrayal of Savage as THE BEST on film. Make no mistake about it; Lansing was MAGNIFICENT! A gifted actor, he turned Savage into a multi-dimensional, living, breathing, fascinating human being. Like many others I was appalled when ABC/Quinn Martin replaced Lansing with Paul Burke in season two. Burke simply wasn't the actor Lansing was and the series went down in flames after season three.

Duffin and Matheis' book chronicles the whole history of the "Twelve O'Clock High" saga, from the real-life World War II events and personalities that Beirne Lay and Sy Bartlett used to create the novel to the final episode of the TV show and what happened to the principals afterwards.

The depth of research is truly impressive; the book's bibliography alone runs to 23 pages. It's just a shame that Peck, Dean Jagger, Lansing, Frank Overton and others weren't alive when Duffin began his research. The book is illustrated with dozens of rare photos and, again, it's a shame the publisher, BearManor Media, didn't use the better quality paper such a quality manuscript deserved.

Whether you enjoyed the novel, movie or TV series - or all three - if you are a "Twelve O'Clock High" fan, you will want to buy this book! It is the definitive work on the subject and a good read as well. Highly recommended!
33 people found this helpful
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Mike V
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
Wonderful companion to the iconic movie.
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Leslie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Fabulous 12 O'Clock High Logbook
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
Allan T. Duffin and Paul Matheis has done an excellent job with this book as it the complete history of the 12 O'Clock High story. It covers the novel, the movie and the TV series.

THE NOVEL: Beirne Lay Jr. and Sy Barrlett were the co-authors and was published by Harper Brothers in 1948. Based on the 306th Bombardment Group which was one of the American units stationed in England during World War 2

After the war there was a fierce debate between Lay and Barrlett because of different ideas, but they decided to write a novel with a title of 12 O'Clock High. The idea for the novel came from Barrlett's wife when she heard the two authors discussing German fighter tactics.

When published in 1948, the novel was hailed as "a mixture of nostalgia, sorrow and pride" and an "authentic record of the men and operations of a typical heavy bomber group."

Barrlett and Lay believed that truth would strengthen the drama of the book, so it is no surprise that 12 O'Clock High was lauded for it's grit and authentisity.

THE MOVIE: Before the movie was produced there was another film called "Command Decision", which stared Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon, and had a similar theme as 12 O'Clock High.

Sensing a good deal Fox and Paramount Studios started fighting Lay and Barrlett for the story rights. Darryl F. Zanuck of Fox finally won, by the tune of $100,000.

Zanuck's job started by asking Bud Lighten to be producer and William Wellman as director.

The Air Force was called in as technical advisors and also to lend support along with miltary equipment to the studio.

On 3 November 1947 a synopsis had to be submited to the Pentagon for the Air Force to review. After a long back and forth battle, Col. John deRussy was assigned as technical advisor on 15 February 1949. He had a 90-day stint as liaison officer-technical advisor and was in charge of obtaining equipment and personnel for the film.

Zanuck got rid of Lighten and Wellman, took over as producer and hired Henry King as director. The final script was complete on 30 March 1949.

Casting director, Jim Ryan, had selected a large list of actors for the role of actors, and Gregory Peck was cast as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage and Dean Jagger, Milland Mitchell, Hugh Marlowe, Paul Stewart, Bob Patten and Lee MacGregor were cast for the film.

12 O'Clock High was rapped up on 1 July 1949, a rough preview on 20 October and a world premiere was on 21 December 1949 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood.

TV SERIES: In 1962, Twentieth Century-Fox faced crises in leadership, finaces and creativity which nearly saw the studio go under. This happened because of decreasing sales at the cinema from the introduction of television in the 1950s, and all the Hollywood studios were going broke.

Fox introduced CinemaScope which was a radical change to the way people viewed films. After much soul searching the studios started to do shows for television.

Quinn Martin (television producer and entrepreneur) formed his own company in 1960, calling it QM Productions. Still holding the rights to the novel, he had the idea that 12 O'Clock High would make a good series, but Twentieth Century-Fox had the money and property, so a relationship was formed between the two.

In 1963, the pilot for the show began, and when the script was sorted out the title was 12 O'Clock High - The Series. The cast was Robert Lansing as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage with John Larkin, Frank Overton, Lew Gallo and Barney Phillips.

Friday, 18 September 1964, was a great day in television as 12 O'Clock High had it's debut, but it was not the pilot film that got top billing. It was the third episode.

Because of Quinn Martin's dislike of Robert Lansing, he was dropped after the first series, and later Martin wished that Lansing had not be replaced.

The show became Fox's renaissance and in the second season Paul Burke took the lead in 1965 as Major Joe Gallagher. Chris Robinson, Andrew Buggan and Robert Dorman were also signed up.

By 1967 the show had gone the same way as many before it and was re-assigned to the dustbin, after four seasons.

This is a terrific book for all 12 O'Clock High fans as it has the complete history, all in one book, with a complete episode guide, an extras for the book information and collectibles, and the photos throughout the book are quite welcomed.

It is one of those books that gets the respect it deserves, so I will give it five stars and recommend it to all fans, and to those people who wish to get a taste of what 12 O'Clock High was all about.

I only hope that the series is not too long coming to dvd as well.
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