The George Lucas film, Red Tails, about Alabama’s Tuskegee Airmen premieres Friday, January 20, 2012. In celebration of the movie release, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and Museum at Moton Field is offering an extended schedule of tours Jan. 20-22.
Montgomery, AL (PRWEB) January 09, 2012
“The public can watch the movie in theatres over the weekend then visit our museum to see the real deal,” said Sandy Taylor, Superintendent, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. “Visitors will get the chance to join a ranger-guided tour of Hangar One and youth can become Junior Rangers.”
Six guided tours will be offered each day beginning at 9, 10, 11 a.m. and 1, 2, 3 p.m. The site is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Red Tails is a high-flying action epic about the first African American combat pilots in the Tuskegee training program whose abilities were called into question as a result of segregation. The airmen were mostly untested, but proved themselves during WWII combat missions in Sicily and Italy. They also escorted bombers across Europe. Their nickname “red tails” stems from the paint that they applied to the tails of their planes.
The storyline follows the lives of the 332nd Fighter Group who are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard played by Oscar nominee Terrence Howard. Howard’s character is loosely based on Tuskegee Airmen commander Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. Davis became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force.
The movie also stars Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Major Emanuelle Stance and Theo James plays an intelligence officer. Lucas is the executive producer and Anthony Hemingway directed the action drama. The co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson is a native of Camden, Alabama.
Although none of the scenes were filmed in Alabama, the shoot took place in Prague over 13 weeks. The story follows lives of the 332d Fighter Group, which saw action in Sicily and Italy and also escorted bombers across Europe. The group acquired the nickname “red tails” for the paint they applied to the tails of their planes.
“Once moviegoers see the film, we are hoping they will come to Alabama to visit the actual site of the Tuskegee Airmen national Site and Museum,” said tourism director Lee Sentell. “Visitors can see planes used by the airmen during WWII and they can experience the real history,” added Sentell.
Moton Field opened in 1941 and was the training base for the Tuskegee Airmen. Today visitors can tour the Hangar One Museum at Moton Field for free. The hangar houses WWII-era training planes and interactive displays that tell the story of the airmen. For more information about the movie, Red Tails, visit http://www.redtailsfilm.com. For more information on the museum and other Tuskegee attractions visit http://www.alabama.travel.
###
Edith parten
Alabama Tourism Department
334.242.4537
Email Information
There are no comments yet