Roaring Glory Warbirds, Vol. 3: B-17 Flying Fortress

Basically what we have here is a toy for older boys (i.e. men) who want to experience the vicarious thrill of being in a B-17 bomber. Nicely filmed, and featuring excellent digital sound, the program opens with some misty re-enactment sequences of actors dressed in WWII garb, while various voices on the overlaid narration recall the excitement, danger, and horrors of war. Host Jeff Ethell then offers some background information on the history of the B-17, before climbing aboard with pilot David Jackson for a test drive. If you find the airline attendant's safety remarks a tedious, though certainly necessary, prelude to departure, you'll just love the pre-flight checklist (carried out in real time) which virtually screams "buffs only." Although the back of the tape package boasts that "you'll lift off into the sky with a full crew of ten men aboard," I only saw one extra guy. Once airborne, there's a lot of looking out the window, presumably offering the same view as B-17 pilots saw--a view that can be obtained in any relatively low-flying aircraft. The low point of the video comes when an actor with a poor German accent pretends to start shaking in his Messerschmidt over the sight of approaching B-17s, which is apparently supposed to really stir up the audience's warmongering juices. Bottom line: it's a vicarious thrill toy made for people who weren't there to begin with. The other titles in the series include: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Mitchell B-25 Bomber, and Mustang P-51 Fighter. Not recommended. (Available from: Professional Media Services, Inc., 19122 S. Vermont Ave., Gardena, CA 90248; (800) 223-7672, in CA (800) 826-2169.)