Jackets in T.V. Series Twelve O’Clock High

[CoopDog]

I have been watching re-runs of the 1960’s T.V. series Twelve O’Clock High. The A-2 jackets look very un-authentic to me. Likely poor quality cowhide commercially made relicas. Also, in the later seasons, they all had American Flag embroidered patches sewn on the right arm. I’ve never seen that in any period photos. Also, very few A-2’s in Europe in WWII had the Army Air Force stencil on the left shoulder. Thoughts?

 

[leper-colony]

I have been watching re-runs of the 1960’s T.V. series Twelve O’Clock High. The A-2 jackets look very un-authentic to me. Likely poor quality cowhide commercially made relicas. Also, in the later seasons, they all had American Flag embroidered patches sewn on the right arm. I’ve never seen that in any period photos. Also, very few A-2’s in Europe in WWII had the Army Air Force stencil on the left shoulder. Thoughts?

Flags were common in the Italian theater.

 

[Smithy]

Yup, I saw a 15th AF one for sale awhile back which had a US flag on the right shoulder (in leather IIRC).

 

[STEVE S.]

Most of the ones in that TV series had the two piece back with that seam running from sleeve to sleeve in the shoulder blade area. Also the 3 piece sleeves.

 

[Pa12]

Even Gregory pecks in the original had a 2 piece back. Always surprised me considering when the movie was made.

 

[Yardstick]

Flags were common in the Italian theater.

Lots of examples out there for 12th and 15th AAF jackets with US flags on the shoulder.

 

[Dumpster D]

Don't mean to derail the main topic. Just quickly On a side note I've always wondered about the scarf worn by Frank Savage in the original film. Is it the one I'm thinking of? I see these OD Green double knitted ones that might go with the Jeep Driver Sweater and hat, if you know the one? I found a vintage one from the local surplus for cheap and the tag looks 1960's era possibly? The scarf in the film looks more like Oscar the grouch if you know what I mean? It's got a lot of 'pilling' like it was felted from being washed and worn a lot, giving it more of a 'fleece' looking texture...I've only found one scarf in a photo online that looked like the right scarf, it's a lighter green with a single edge I think, and fluffy. Just wondering if there were a few different versions of scarves? Ok Thank you, I've been wanting to ask this for years, thought someone here might know the Scarf. PS. I started watching the TV series last month, there's about 80 episodes, the plan is to go watch once a week all the way through each season.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

Mr.Peck’s scarf

 

[Pa12]

Mr.Peck’s scarf

View attachment 100725View attachment 100727

Don’t know About the scarf but most of the jackets have 2 piece backs in the movie. And peck’s jacket has a real 70’s collar

 

[Micawber]

Consider that his character probably popped into the local town and bought it. Happened all the time.

 

[ZuZu]

I went through the IMDB photos for the series. It's a total mixture of original and repro jackets. The main guy in the first couple of seasons seems to have worn both an original and a repro depending. That being sid- in general the clothing, the way it's worn and the actors look much more "WW2" than anything done today. The repros generally have the right shape and collar sit, unlike say the Eastamn jackets in Catch 22 which had those awful disc collars and tube bodies.

Original:

Repro:

Original and repro in one shot:

 

[ZuZu]

Robert Lansing seems to have had multiple jackets, both original and repro:

Original (possibly a big Poughkeepsie)

Original: (possibly the same jacket in which case it is a Star:

and repro: (I think)

 

[Dumpster D]

Consider that his character probably popped into the local town and bought it. Happened all the time.

Bought the scarf you mean? I'm open to speculation, maybe the scarf was a private purchase, but not wholly convinced yet in this case. (I'm sure it was not uncommon to wear non-issued items) In a colorized version of the photo of Gregory peck (the Iconic one) the scarf looks like it was tinted brown and not green, but that might just have been from the hand tinting. I think in the TV series you can clearly tell It was a shade of OD green and the double knit version which is common. I've found one or two photos of WWII GI scarves that look like a match. However, If you watch the Film 'Target for Today' There's several enlisted men wearing similar type scarf with their A-2's seated alongside one another at breakfast that look similar to the double knit version. There was no 'pilling' on those scarves yet as it the narrator suggested for some of these men it might be their first mission. There's also a possibility these scarves may have been available from QM's or simply trading kit among themselves. Ok thank you for the reply! I'll do some more research and report back when I can find some examples of the type of Scarf that might have been worn in the original film and TV Series. Here's the double knit scarf I'm thinking it could be:

 

[B-Man2]

Don’t forget that in addition to wearing private purchase and non regulation items such as cowboy boots, ( you see several pilots wearing them in various photos) US pilots also had access to British kit items. So the scarf might well be a British military piece of kit .

Edit : I just found a repro on EBay see below

WWII US ARMY PARATROOPER INFANTRY WINTER WOOL UNDER KNIT SCARF | eBay

There were two main variations of wool scarf issued in WWII. One was tubular in construction and the other was a thicker, one piece pattern. Our scarves are the second style.

www.ebay.com

 

[B-Man2]

Also a while back there was a guy selling original WWII scarfs made in the UK and dated. I purchased a couple and I think someone else on the forum purchased a few of them.,I’ll see if I can find a photo of them .
Edit : Here’s some info for you .

BRITISH ARMY UNIFORM WOOLEN SCARF ORIGINAL WWII

I don't know if they actually are orig WWII scarfs but I bought one and I like it. It's very short at 28"(71cm) but I suppose that's just so you don't have a heap of material stuffed down your jacket. They are made as a tube then flattened and the ends are sewn up. Nice maker stamp too. I hope...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

 

[B-Man2]

Here’s anothet

British J W & S Co 1942 Military Issue Scarf-has Broad Arrow Symbol | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for British J W & S Co 1942 Military Issue Scarf-has Broad Arrow Symbol at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Dumpster D]

That's a good thought, It was at the back of my mind. Could very well have been a British scarf. That's how he got his boots in the film. 'Had to steal 'em from the RAF'.

 

[Micawber]

I live in England right in the heart of 8th AF country and have been involved in museums connected with the subject. Over the years I have talked to and been friends with enough veterans who served with the 8th to know that passes for days off base involved hitting the local towns and cities for the social side.... and that included shopping.
That aside 12 o'clock High is a film, and film productions are not always 100% accurate.
It's a woolly scarf that could have been donated by a sweetheart or local Womens Voluntary Service. Who knows
Of course all this does not detract from the fact that it is a fantastic and well acted production that deals with a sensitive subject.

 

[Dumpster D]

film productions are not always 100% accurate.

Memphis Belle comes to mind.

 

[Dnewc]

The scarf is simply an OD mohair scarf popular with American service members at the time. They aren’t as common as the several styles of knit ones but it’s nothing crazy either.