Frank Tallman

Frank Gifford Tallman was a stunt pilot in Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s. (Born 17 April 1919 in Orange, New Jersey.) He formed a company with legendary pilot Paul Mantz named Tallmantz Aviation in 1961 based at Orange County Airport (now John Wayne Airport) in Southern California. They provided pilots, camera planes, and a small fleet of antique and historic aircraft for movie and television productions. Mantz was killed in 1965 while flying a cobbled-together aircraft that represented the rebuilt Fairchild C-82 Packet reconstructed by oil explorers downed in the North African desert in "The Flight of the Phoenix". On what was supposed to be his retirement job, he hooked a skid on a sand dune and was thrown from the tumbling airframe.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - 1960 - 1970 - 17 April - 1919 - Orange - New Jersey - Paul Mantz - Orange County Airport - John Wayne Airport - 1965 - Fairchild - C-82 - Packet - The Flight of the Phoenix

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Tallman did the stunt flying in the 1963 chase movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", and contributed to "The Carpetbaggers" (1964), as well as "The Wrecking Crew", a Dean Martin "Matt Helm" detective movie, and 'The Thousand Plane Raid", both in 1969. He served as the flying supervisor for "Catch-22" in 1970 and Tallmantz Aviation was integrally involved in rounding up the eighteen or so flyable B-25s that appeared in the film. Tallman himself flew the vertigo-inducing night shots of the Milo Minderbinder Air Force B-25 bombing its own base just over the heads of actors Jon Voight and Martin Sheen.

Related Topics:
1963 - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - The Carpetbaggers - 1964 - The Wrecking Crew - The Thousand Plane Raid - 1969 - Catch-22 - 1970 - B-25 - Vertigo - Milo Minderbinder - Jon Voight - Martin Sheen

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In 1971 Tallman flew a Grumman Duck amphibian in "Murphy's War" and in 1973 flew for the cameras in "Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies" and piloted a Stearman cropduster in "Charlie Varrick" as well as doing a television pilot, "Death Race". He was aerial supervisor for "The Great Waldo Pepper" and flew in "Lucky Lady", both in 1975. Tallman also served as aerial coordinator and pilot for "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and flew in "Amelia Earhart", both television projects in 1976.

Related Topics:
1971 - Grumman - Duck - Amphibian - Murphy's War - 1973 - Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies - Stearman - Charlie Varrick - Death Race - The Great Waldo Pepper - Lucky Lady - 1975 - Baa Baa Black Sheep - Amelia Earhart - 1976

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His last film projects were "The Cat From Outer Space" and "Capricorn One", both in 1978, and "1941" released in 1979 after Tallman's death in an accident.

Related Topics:
The Cat From Outer Space - Capricorn One - 1978 - 1941 - 1979

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On Saturday 15 April 1978, Tallman was making a routine ferry flight of a Piper PA-23 from Santa Monica, California to Phoenix, Arizona under visual flight rules. He continued the flight into deteriorating weather of a lowering ceiling and rain. The aircraft struck the side of Santiago Peak in the Santa Ana Mountains near Trabuco Canyon in a cruise attitude killing the pilot.

Related Topics:
Saturday - 15 April - 1978 - Piper PA-23 - Santa Monica - California - Phoenix - Arizona - Visual flight rules - Santiago Peak - Santa Ana Mountains - Trabuco Canyon

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Following Tallman's death, his historic collection of movie warbirds and camera planes were sold off.

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