User Reviews

"The Albatross" is not among the better episodes of "12 O'Clock High", mostly because the show just isn't all that well written nor acted. It's sad....as it really could have been a lot better.

When the film begins, the General asks Lt. Kane (Robert Drivas) to fly one more mission, even though he had reached the limit of 25...at which point bomber crews would be sent home. This is because they are short staffed and need his skills as a pilot. During the trip, however, there's a bad fire and this up and coming film star appears to be permanently scarred....and he's no longer pretty. As a result, the guy seems to have a nervous breakdown...big time.

A problem with the script is that if anyone acted the way the Lieutenant did in the military, they'd be immediately placed in a locked psychiatric facility, as he was definitely a risk to himself and possibly others. But the show allows him to bellow, scream and throw temper tantrums...and it just didn't seem realistic. It also seemed pretty silly, too.

This is the only episode written by Richard Landau, which is just as well. The pilot wit facial burns was an actor prior to enlisting, so both Doc Kaiser and the General handle his emotional outbursts more lightly than they would for someone with a mundane job. In addition the General feels guilty, because the pilot was taking an extra flight as a favor to him . Doc Kaiser himself points out that both he and the General are enabling the pilots emotional actions, but they don't stop that behavior, which seems quite unrealistic. Essentially this story seems like a vehicle for Robert Drivas exercise his considerable acting skills, rather than deal with the very real disabling injuries like amputation and blindness that many men faced.