Frank Tallman
Encyclopedia
Frank Gifford Tallman was a stunt pilot
who worked in Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s.
. Tallman took his first plane ride in his father's lap at age five. As a teenager he took flying lessons and became a pilot. When World War II
started, Tallman tried to enter the military as a pilot, but his application was declined due to his lack of the required two years of college. He worked as a time as a civilian pilot instructor and later in the war was able to join the U.S. Navy when they relaxed their education requirements. Tallman remained stateside until the end of the war.
. He had the opportunity to acquire a collection of pre-1920 aircraft and supplemented the collection with surplus World War II aircraft and more pre-war aircraft as he was able.
In the late 1950s he moved his business and aircraft to southern California
and began to do work for the entertainment business. He also performed in air show
s around the country.
. Based at Orange County Airport
(now John Wayne Airport) in Southern California, they provided pilots, camera planes, and a small fleet of antique and historic aircraft (along with background models of aircraft and ships) for movie and television productions. Mantz was killed in 1965 while flying a cobbled-together aircraft, the Tallmantz Phoenix P-1
, designed with the assistance of Otto Timm, representing the fictional type built by oil explorers of pieces of their crashed Fairchild C-82 Packet
downed in the North African desert in The Flight of the Phoenix
.
Tallman injured his leg in a go-cart accident with his small son in the driveway of their home (which meant Mantz had to fly the Phoenix). Tallman was hospitalized. Infection set in and most of the leg was amputated. Tallman taught himself to fly with one leg, reportedly preferring to fly some planes without the prosthetic he used for walking. As an amputee he eventually won back his FAA certificates and ratings in prop (multi and single-engine), jet, and rotary aircraft.
, including the flight through a Coca-Cola
billboard. He also contributed to The Carpetbaggers
(1964), The Wrecking Crew
(1969), and The Thousand Plane Raid
(also 1969).
He served as the flying supervisor for Catch-22
in 1970 and was personally involved in locating and acquiring the 18 or so flyable film unit B-25
s appearing in the film. Tallman flew the dramatic night shots of the Milo Minderbinder
Air Force B-25 bombing its own base just over the heads of actors Jon Voight
and Martin Sheen
.
In 1971, Tallman flew a Grumman Duck
amphibian
in Murphy's War
. In 1973 he flew in Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
and piloted a Stearman cropduster in Charley Varrick
along with the television pilot films Death Race and San Francisco International Airport
. He was aerial supervisor for The Great Waldo Pepper
in which he performed barnstorming stunts. When the controls failed in his WWI aircraft replica, the plane went out of control and struck power lines. Tallman suffered a head injury. He also flew in Lucky Lady
, both in 1975. Tallman also served as aerial coordinator and pilot for the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep
(1976–1979). He also flew in the six-episode TV series Spencer's Pilots
, starring Gene Evans
, and the television film, Amelia Earhart, both in 1976.
In 1973, Tallman recounted his experiences rebuilding and flying vintage aircraft in the book Flying the Old Planes.
His last film projects were The Cat From Outer Space
, Capricorn One
, and 1941
, all in 1978.
from Santa Monica Airport
, California
, to Phoenix
, Arizona
under visual flight rules
when he continued the flight into deteriorating weather, a lowering ceiling and rain. He struck the side of Santiago Peak
in the Santa Ana Mountains
near Trabuco Canyon at cruise altitude, dying in the ensuing crash.
Following his death, Tallman's historic collection of movie warplanes and camera planes was sold off. Many were purchased by entrepreneur Kermit Weeks
and went on display at his Fantasy of Flight
museum in Polk City, Florida. A Silver Line ship's model was donated to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
.
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
who worked in Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Frank Tallman's father had been a military pilot during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Tallman took his first plane ride in his father's lap at age five. As a teenager he took flying lessons and became a pilot. When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started, Tallman tried to enter the military as a pilot, but his application was declined due to his lack of the required two years of college. He worked as a time as a civilian pilot instructor and later in the war was able to join the U.S. Navy when they relaxed their education requirements. Tallman remained stateside until the end of the war.
Postwar
Tallman remained in the Navy Reserves after the war and started a business in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He had the opportunity to acquire a collection of pre-1920 aircraft and supplemented the collection with surplus World War II aircraft and more pre-war aircraft as he was able.
In the late 1950s he moved his business and aircraft to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and began to do work for the entertainment business. He also performed in air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s around the country.
Tallmantz Aviation
In 1961, Tallman formed Tallmantz Aviation with stunt pilot Paul MantzPaul Mantz
Albert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...
. Based at Orange County Airport
John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in...
(now John Wayne Airport) in Southern California, they provided pilots, camera planes, and a small fleet of antique and historic aircraft (along with background models of aircraft and ships) for movie and television productions. Mantz was killed in 1965 while flying a cobbled-together aircraft, the Tallmantz Phoenix P-1
Tallmantz Phoenix P-1
-Bibliography:* Dwiggins, Don. Hollywood Pilot: The Biography of Paul Mantz. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1967.* Dwiggins, Don. "Paul Mantz: Kingpin of the Hollywood Air Force." Air Classics Vol. 11, no. 10, October, 1975....
, designed with the assistance of Otto Timm, representing the fictional type built by oil explorers of pieces of their crashed Fairchild C-82 Packet
C-82 Packet
The C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy following World War II.-Design and development:...
downed in the North African desert in The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1964 novel by Elleston Trevor. The plot involves the crash of a transport aircraft in the middle of a desert and the survivors' desperate attempt to save themselves...
.
Tallman injured his leg in a go-cart accident with his small son in the driveway of their home (which meant Mantz had to fly the Phoenix). Tallman was hospitalized. Infection set in and most of the leg was amputated. Tallman taught himself to fly with one leg, reportedly preferring to fly some planes without the prosthetic he used for walking. As an amputee he eventually won back his FAA certificates and ratings in prop (multi and single-engine), jet, and rotary aircraft.
Film credits
Tallman performed the stunt flying in the 1963 chase movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers...
, including the flight through a Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
billboard. He also contributed to The Carpetbaggers
The Carpetbaggers
The Carpetbaggers is the title of a 1961 bestselling novel by Harold Robbins, which was adapted into a 1964 film of the same title.The term "carpetbagger" refers to an outsider relocating to exploit locals . It derives from post-bellum South usage, where it referred specifically to opportunistic...
(1964), The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (1969 film)
The Wrecking Crew, released in 1969 and starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate is the fourth and final film in a series of American comedy-spy-fi theatrical releases featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm....
(1969), and The Thousand Plane Raid
The Thousand Plane Raid
The Thousand Plane Raid is a 1969 film directed by Boris Sagal. It stars Christopher George and Laraine Stephens...
(also 1969).
He served as the flying supervisor for Catch-22
Catch-22 (film)
Catch-22 is a 1970 satirical war film adapted from the book of the same name by Joseph Heller. Considered a black comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical anti-war novel, it was the work of a talented production team which included director Mike Nichols and...
in 1970 and was personally involved in locating and acquiring the 18 or so flyable film unit B-25
B-25 Mitchell aircraft in Catch-22 (film)
When Catch-22 began preliminary production, Paramount made a decision to hire the Tallmantz Aviation organization to obtain sufficient B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft to recreate a Mediterranean wartime base as depicted in the Joseph Heller novel of the same name. Tallmantz president, Frank G...
s appearing in the film. Tallman flew the dramatic night shots of the Milo Minderbinder
Milo Minderbinder
First Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder is a fictional character in Joseph Heller's most successful novel, Catch-22. As the mess officer of Yossarian's squadron, Minderbinder is a war profiteer during World War II, "perhaps the best known of all fictional profiteers" in American literature...
Air Force B-25 bombing its own base just over the heads of actors Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
and Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
.
In 1971, Tallman flew a Grumman Duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
in Murphy's War
Murphy's War
Murphy's War is a 1971 war film starring Peter O'Toole. It was directed by Peter Yates.-Plot:In the closing days of World War II, an Irishman Murphy is the sole survivor of the crew of a merchant ship, Mount Kyle, which has been sunk by a German U-Boat, which then machine-gunned the survivors in...
. In 1973 he flew in Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies is a 1973 adventure-comedy film, with a story by Steven Spielberg. The film centers on a stunt pilot and his son as they fly around the United States in the 1920s, and their adventures along the way.-Background:Steven Spielberg had developed the story of a flyer...
and piloted a Stearman cropduster in Charley Varrick
Charley Varrick
Charley Varrick is a 1973 crime film directed by Don Siegel and starring Walter Matthau, Andrew Robinson, Joe Don Baker and John Vernon. The film was based on the novel The Looters by John H. Reese.-Plot:...
along with the television pilot films Death Race and San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport (TV series)
San Francisco International Airport was a television drama aired in the United States by NBC as a part of its 1970-71 wheel series Four in One....
. He was aerial supervisor for The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. It stars Robert Redford as a discontented airplane pilot in the years 1926-1931....
in which he performed barnstorming stunts. When the controls failed in his WWI aircraft replica, the plane went out of control and struck power lines. Tallman suffered a head injury. He also flew in Lucky Lady
Lucky Lady
Lucky Lady is a 1975 American film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Gene Hackman, Liza Minnelli and Burt Reynolds, with Robby Benson. Its story takes place during Prohibition in the United States in the year 1930....
, both in 1975. Tallman also served as aerial coordinator and pilot for the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)
Baa Baa Black Sheep is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Pappy Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell...
(1976–1979). He also flew in the six-episode TV series Spencer's Pilots
Spencer's Pilots
Spencer's Pilots is an American adventure series that aired on CBS from September 17 to November 19, 1976. Created by Larry Rosen, the series stars Gene Evans.-Synopsis:Evans stars as Spencer Parish, the owner of Spencer Aviation...
, starring Gene Evans
Gene Evans
Gene Evans was an American actor.He was born in Holbrook, Arizona, but reared in Colton, California. His acting career began while he was serving in World War II. He performed with a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. Evans made his film debut in 1947 and appeared in dozens of movies and...
, and the television film, Amelia Earhart, both in 1976.
In 1973, Tallman recounted his experiences rebuilding and flying vintage aircraft in the book Flying the Old Planes.
His last film projects were The Cat From Outer Space
The Cat from Outer Space
The Cat from Outer Space is a 1978 Disney film, starring Ronnie Schell, Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Harry Morgan, Roddy McDowall and McLean Stevenson.-Plot:...
, Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
, and 1941
1941 (film)
1941 is a 1979 period comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and featuring an ensemble cast including John Belushi, Ned Beatty, John Candy, Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee and Dan Aykroyd...
, all in 1978.
Death
On Saturday 15 April 1978, Tallman was making a routine ferry flight in a twin engine Piper AztecPiper Aztec
-Accidents and incidents:*On 18 April 1974, Aztec G-AYDE was involved in a ground collision with BAC One-Eleven G-AXMJ at London Luton Airport after the pilot of the Aztec entered the active runway without clearance. He was killed and his passenger was injured...
from Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport , also known as Santa Monica Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport located largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is located about from the Pacific Ocean and north of LAX...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
under visual flight rules
Visual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
when he continued the flight into deteriorating weather, a lowering ceiling and rain. He struck the side of Santiago Peak
Santiago Peak
Santiago Peak is the southern mountain of Orange County's Saddleback formation. It is the highest and most prominent peak of both the Santa Ana Mountains and Orange County, and also marks a border point with Riverside County. The top of it is covered with many microwave and telecommunication antennas...
in the Santa Ana Mountains
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
near Trabuco Canyon at cruise altitude, dying in the ensuing crash.
Following his death, Tallman's historic collection of movie warplanes and camera planes was sold off. Many were purchased by entrepreneur Kermit Weeks
Kermit Weeks
Kermit Weeks is an aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft collector. He was recently inducted into Florida's Aviation Hall Of Fame for his services to Florida's aviation history.Weeks was twice U.S. National Aerobatic Champion...
and went on display at his Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction opened in November of 1995, and houses the world's largest private aircraft collection on display...
museum in Polk City, Florida. A Silver Line ship's model was donated to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Los Angeles Maritime Museum
The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a non-profit museum.-The Museum:The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located on the main channel in Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, in the former Municipal Ferry Terminal building. The ferry ceased after the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened to traffic in...
.
See also
- Paul MantzPaul MantzAlbert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...
- B-25 Mitchell aircraft in Catch-22 (film)B-25 Mitchell aircraft in Catch-22 (film)When Catch-22 began preliminary production, Paramount made a decision to hire the Tallmantz Aviation organization to obtain sufficient B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft to recreate a Mediterranean wartime base as depicted in the Joseph Heller novel of the same name. Tallmantz president, Frank G...