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Wed 28 Jan, 2004 12:02 am
I saw the movie in the 70's and bought the CD recently and watched it again.I know,like all movies, they are fiction.But this one had facts about WW1,but fictitious names.At the end,it showed a picture of an aviator on a plane(I dont think it was R. Redford),and at the bottom it had "Waldo Pepper"
1895-1931.Was he a real pilot of that era?-I have been unable to find any info on him after several searches of WW1 pilots.Anybody know?
edfs: It has been a long time since I've seen "The Great Waldo Pepper," but I believe that the picture you're referring to is of Redford. The birth and death dates are there to indicate that Pepper died (presumably in an airplane crash) not long after the events of the movie, thus lending a somber, bittersweet note to the film. There was, in short, no real Waldo Pepper.
joe is, I believe, correct. The photo was made purposefully blurry and antique looking so it was hard to recognize it was Redford as the fictional character. A fun movie and if you like this one, try on "The Blue Max" with some of the best "flying music" accompanying some real vintage planes in WWI shoot-em-ups (with very little reliance on special effects).