The screenplay intercuts scenes of the top-secret training sessions, meetings in Washington over whether the bomb should be used, and dainty little vignettes of life in Japan, where James Shigeta, as Field Marshall Abehata, is seen leading a strangely leisurely life devoted to walking in the woods and spouting philosophies.Īn attempt at humanizing the tale with the domestic strife endured by Col. Armageddon deserves a better class of pallbearer than this. The producers harvested a bumper crop of second bananas to play soldier in the film most of the actors are tired and callow TV series stars like the insufferable Gregory Harrison ('Trapper John, M.D.'), the simpering Gary Rank ('Family'), the abrasive Robert Walden ('Lou Grant') and, as bombardier Jake Beser, the minimal Billy Crystal ('Soap').
The story of the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and preparations for the mission is put over with little more impact than the typical war-caper drama. Considering the explosiveness of its subject matter, 'Enola Gay,' the three-hour NBC Big Event tomorrow at 8 on Channel 4, should have been a far more substantial production.
