Stinson Model 108 Voyager Movie Credits By Larry Westin - August 26, 1996 Rev 27 - 07/09/11 The Stinson model 108 airplane has appeared in the following movies I know about. Note list now includes some movies with other type light Stinson airplanes such as the L-5. **************************************************************** Possible use of N4111C in the movies? Tony Roca provides this information. Any help you can provide is very much appreciated. Hi Larry, I own 108-3 N4111C, serial number 108-5111. I was looking at the movie lists on your site and wanted to add the following: 4111C was owned by Frank Tallman of Talmanz aviation and by Daryl Zanuck of 20th Century Fox for a brief time in 1964. The FAA records show this. I also have all the old paperwork with 337's showing drawings of how a motion picture camera (yes, the old two reel type) was mounted on the nose of the aircraft and from the way the drawings look to me, it may have been pointing into the cockpit. Anyway, I have been trying to find out how it was used for some time and the answer may be in the old Fox archives now in the Motion Picture History Archives in LA, as Fox had a big fire some years ago and the current Fox didn't keep any of the old records, but gave them all to the archives. More questions than answers, but she was definitely going to be fitted for some filming at one time and was owned by the right guys to do so! If you ever get any hints of what 4111C may have been doing in '64, please let me know. Best Regards, Tony W. Roca If any reader can help provide answers, please contact Tony Roca at Added 7/24/09 **************************************************************** "BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP," (later "Black Sheep Squadron") - the television series used a Stinson L-5 in a number of episodes. One particular episode involved one of the Black Sheep pilots being shot down and rescued by an Australian Coast Watcher. Star Robert Conrad and the L-5 pilot fly up to get the pilot now on a northern island in the Solomon's. The L-5 pilot leaves with the wounded downed pilot, with Robert Conrad staying behind to keep the load light. Other episodes also used the L-5 Stinson. My thanks to Abram Karl for providing this information. Added 6/1/01. Updated Information - The above Black Sheep Squadron episode is titled " A Little Bit of England.' I believe the Australian coast watcher was the English rock star Ted Nugent." My thanks to Chris Soares for this added info. Updated 7/8/01. Further Updated Information - I just noticed your reference to the Black Sheep Squadron episodes with the L-5. Just as "Heads Up", the Coast Watcher was played by Peter Frampton. You can find a complete list of all episodes at the following link: http://www.acepilots.com/misc_baa_baa.html#top My thanks to Dale H. Shipman for this corrected info. Updated 8/15/01. **************************************************************** "BLACK SUNDAY," (1975?) about a terrorist (Bruce Dern) who tries to fly a blimp into the Super Bowl and blow off a bomb that would propel darts into the crowd. About half way through the movie, the terrorist wants to test the bomb and dart combo, so he packs it into his V-tail Bonanza and flies to a remote desert strip. There he sets the bomb up in an hangar which, sure enough, contains a Stinson L-5. An unsuspecting man asks him what he is doing. The terrorist says that he is testing photographic equipment, and convinces the man to pose next to the L-5 for a "shot." Of course, the terrorist leaves the building and sets off the bomb, killing the innocent man and presumably destroying the L-5. My thanks to Andrew Auchincloss for providing the information about "Black Sunday." **************************************************************** "BORDERLINE," 1951, B&W, 88 min, Not Rated, starring Fred MacMurray, Claire Trevor and Raymond Burr. MacMurray and Trevor are both cops, although they don't know each other, and they don't know that the other is a cop. Both are trying to nail Raymond Burr in Mexico. During the movie Raymond Burr goes after them and they make a run for the U.S. border. One segment they rent an airplane, a Stinson 108, and pilot to fly them north to the U.S. border. The Stinson shown in the movie is painted with the false registration number XA907D. There are close ups enough to see the NC has been painted over for the XA. Of course Mexican registrations do not use numbers, but all letters. I can say, with a fair amount of confidence, this is Stinson 108-2 serial number 108-2907, actual registration being NC907D. This airplane is still listed on the FAA register. During the movie there are a few scenes which show the airplane flying over what is suppose to be Baja California along the coast. The engine stops for lack of fuel and the Mexican pilot lands the airplane on the beach. Surprisingly for this time frame, the scenes appear to be the actual airplane not a model. I enjoyed this circa 1950's Film Noir movie, which is available on VHS. Added 11/11/00. **************************************************************** "CATCH 22," I noticed that you missed the cameo appearance of an L-5 in "Catch-22". The scene involves one of the pilots going crazy, buzzing the swimming dock (and decapitating someone standing on it) before crashing into the hill. It's brief, it's mostly silhouetted, but it's unmistakably a Stinson L-5. My thanks to Doug Girling for providing this information about Catch 22. Added 8/5/01. **************************************************************** "CHAIN LIGHTNING," 1950, B&W, 94 min, Not Rated, starring Humphrey bogart. Humphrey Bogart as an x-WWII bomber pilot had bought a plane and was a fight instructor. He had a female student flying solo coming in for a landing and ran it off the runway and nosed over in a small ditch. She got out as he was running over and said she would do better tomorrow. Well that ended the flight school and he went off to look for another job as a test pilot. It was a small part for the Stinson, max 1 min in the movie, but made an impression on me. She cracks up and wants go back for more. Available on video. My thanks to Sam Burton for providing this information about Chain Lightning. **************************************************************** "CLIPPED WINGS," 1953, staring Renie Riano, Todd Karne, two of the Bowery Boys dressed up in AF uniforms. The scenes went back and forth showing the Stinson 108 several times. The Bowery boys join the Air Force and help capture spies. It is currently showing on Turner Classic Movies. The movie was made by Warner Brothers. They had the Stinson painted up in what looks to be olive drab. Viewed on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) - usually shows a movie several times. My thanks to David & Miriam Talley for this addition on Clipped Wings. Added 9/20/99. **************************************************************** "CYCLOPS," 1957, black and white. It stars James Craig (not a big name in Hollywood) and Lon Chaney (well known). The aircraft is clearly a Stinson Voyager because there is a scene where Lon Chaney (who plays a mentally unbalanced character - as usual) says to the pilot 'why don't you land this thing like I told you?' and a struggle for control of the aircraft follows. They are both grabbing at the control column and one can see 'VOYAGER' printed on it for one brief second. My thanks to Douglas Bray for this information on Cyclops. Added 6/17/00. Seen on the space channel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Update 07/09/11 - the registration of the Stinson in Cyclops is N6647M, a model 108-3. My thanks to Bill at for sending the registration number of this airplane. **************************************************************** "MISSION OVER KOREA," 1953, Black and White, 85 min, Not Rated, starring John Hodiak, John Derek, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Classic 1950's war movie about hostilities between two officers during the Korea War. My information is that this movie is NOT available on video. My thanks to jimnjudy@execpc.com for this information on Mission Over Korea. Alan Ohm e-mailed to say he has a copy of this movie on VHS. Information on the box is: Goodtimes Home Video, 401 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016; With the number 4475 on both the video and package. It also has the numbers:ISBN-1-55510-337-5 on it. It was recorded in LP mode. I have watched it numerous times. The star (Stinson L-5) is very talented. My thanks to Alan Ohm for updating this entry. Update 11/27/00. **************************************************************** "MISSISSIPPI BURNING," 1988, Color, 127 minuets, rated "R," starring Gene Hackman and Willen Dafoe. A 4 star movie about racial prejudice in the deep south of the United States during the mid 1960's. The main story revolves around FBI agents investigating the possible murder of 3 civil rights activists. After team leader Special Agent Willen Dafoe's traditional methods fail to resolve the issue, Gene Hackman convinces him to use somewhat unorthodox techniques. To this end Hackman brings in a Black FBI agent to "interrogate" the mayor. The Black agent quickly has the mayor talking after which he flies out in the Stinson 108, in a rather bad rain storm no less. The Stinson 108 has only a short part in this powerful movie. My thanks to Aubie Pearman at for this entry on Mississippi Burning. **************************************************************** "RADAR MEM FROM THE MOON," a serial featuring Commander Cody, they guy who wore the backpack rocket. You'll know it if you're a child of the 50's or so. Anyway a Stinson 108-3 is featured in episode seven. I was able to read the NC number (NC 6076M) and traced it to s/n 108-4076, currently registered as N48SW. My thanks to Edward Clark for sending this entry. Added 8/2/08. **************************************************************** "STINSON AIR DISASTER," an Australian documentary on the crash involving Stinson VH-UHH on a routine flight from Brisbane to Sydney on Feb 20 1937. Amazingly two people lived and were rescued. The documentary is about how the crash site was found 10 days after the aircraft went missing. There is a small amount of footage showing an aircraft "VH-UGG" flying over Sydney. I have twice visited the actual site which is at an elevation of around 3000ft in the middle of dense rain forest 40 miles south of Brisbane (it's quite a hard walk to reach it). There is only around 10Kg of twisted rusted metal left now, but a shrine has been erected to those that died, and the site has a lot of appeal. My thanks to Alan Williams for providing this information on Stinson Air Disaster. Update by Bruce McDonald, who is the author of a book about this crash titled "Once Upon a Mountain." Copies of the book can be purchased from the web site at URL http://www.stinson-disaster.com/ The events actually occurred with a Stinson Model A Tri-motor named the 'City of Brisbane' and registered VH-UHH. Further details and photographs available at ttp://www.stinson-disaster.com/ My thanks to Bruce McDonald at Updated 4/28/03. **************************************************************** "STATE DEPARTMENT FILE 649," 1948, B&W, 87 minuets, Not Rated, staring William Lundigan and Virginia Bruce. Lundigan is State Department Vice Counsel Victor Seeley sent to Mongolia. After arriving in China a Stinson 108-3 is used for his travel into Mongolia. The Stinson is shown landing, taxing and a couple minuets of close up. Some interesting points about the airplane. Color scheme (olive drab color with U.S. national markings) indicates it is a USAF airplane, but the USAF never used the Stinson 108. Second point is that it has a 108-3 tail, however the rear windows appear to be a 108-2 in the close up. It does have a baggage compartment. No national registration is visible. **************************************************************** "THE SIMPSONS," the episode titled "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs," which is the first episode of Season 19. Basically, Homer rescues his boss from drowning, so he takes him on his personal jet, a Gulfstream. On approach into Chicago, the pilot makes a radio call calling himself "November 543 Charlie." Of course, this is a Stinson N Number, registered to a 108-3, 108-3543, which is still active. Guess they picked the number because it sounded good, don't know. Updated 5/10/08, my thanks to MSgt. Wade Jones, for this information on the "Simpsons" Stinson call sign. **************************************************************** "THE WAR OF THE WORLDS," 1953, Color, 85 minuets, not rated, starring Gene Barry, and Ann Robinson. A classic science fiction movie of the early 1950's from the H. G. Wells book. The main story revolves Earth being attacked by Martians. Gene Barry and friends are fishing in hills above Pamona, California, when the Martians land. After the initial devastation, Gene Barry and Ann Robinson escape in a Stinson (either a L-5 or a 108). My thanks to Gary Sturm for this entry. Added 03/05/05. **************************************************************** "THIS ISLAND EARTH," 1955, Color, 86 min, Not Rated, starring Rex Reason, Faith Domergue and Jeff Morrow. Classic 1950's Sci-Fi movie. Two Rocket scientists (Reason and Domergue) are taken to an out of the way location where they try and escape from the alien (Morrow) in a Stinson 108. The Stinson is lifted into a space ship and taken to a dying planet. Returning to earth the scientists escape from the space ship again using the Stinson. Available on video. As a side note to "This Island Earth" Watched ET, the Extraterrestrial, again. In one scene, ET is watching TV and a scene from This Island Earth is shown, where the Stinson is "beamed up" to the flying saucer. My thanks to John Baker for this information on This Island Earth. Additional Updates to "This Island Earth" I have spent the last three years or so researching the Stinson in "This Island Earth," NC97422, 108-422. Almost two of those were spent waiting on its records from the FAA. In fact, I reserved the N Number thinking it would speed up my records request. Not so much. I became interested in it because of its close proximity to my own Stinson, and because it wears the original blue and yellow paint mine will when its done. Anyway, here's what I've found: 1. I couldn't ascertain ownership when it was in the movie. Its fairly common knowledge that this movie took over two years to "make." Its even boasted on one of the movie posters. So determining when that scene was shot is difficult, and it didn't have one owner during that time. 2. It was re registered to N25S in the late 50's or early 60's. Sorry, I'm at work, away from my files. 25S was a Standard Oil Company number, and it was "given" to an employee after the B-24? that was wearing it was sold. 3. It was destroyed in a hangar fire sometime before March 1970. Its owner at the time was a Mr George in Grass Valley CA. He owned a Chrysler dealership there. I've written a letter to his descendent asking for details, but no response. I had the local librarian search their clipping file, looking for news of the hangar fire, thinking it would be newsworthy since I'm thinking more than one plane would have been lost, but no luck. One of these days, I'm going to visit the library in person and see if I can turn up something myself. 4. I contacted the Motion Picture Archives (wrong name, but I'm going on memory). They were kind enough to give a cursory look through their records for me, but anything in depth has to be a more "legitimate" pursuit. The tidbit they did give me was that a woman flew it in the movie, and she was a 99 in the San Diego area. Her name slips me right now. She was later killed in an airplane. Updated 4/27/08, my thanks to MSgt. Wade Jones, for this information on the "This Island Earth" Stinson. **************************************************************** Please contact me with additional information you may have on these or any other movie which has footage of a Stinson 108 airplane. Larry Westin westin@Tdstelme.net