This film from the 1970s titled “Quickest Draw in the West” is a Cold War-era propaganda film made by North American, highlighting their AGM-28 Hound Dog missile system. It was directed by one of North American’s outstanding staff members, Cal Reed, and photographed by Paul Hipp, Donald Coones and Dave Weeks. The film was produced for The Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force. (SAC) was active between 1947-1992 and was both a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command (MAJCOM), responsible for Cold War command and control of two of the three components of the U.S. military’s strategic nuclear strike forces. Narrated by voice-actor John McIntire, the film uses the metaphor of a sheriff patrolling the Wild West and keeping it safe to promote American values as it is the “sheriff of The West” during the Cold War trying to keep the world safe from the Soviet threat. Additionally, the film highlights the advanced technology that the United States is armed with, thanks to its superior defense industry. This includes the Hound Dog and the Boeing B-52 “Stratofortress” launch platform, the principal bomber of the Strategic Air Command since the 1950s.
Cowboy rides on horse through arid landscape that resembles that of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona (0:27). Nature scenes from “The West,” narration begins (1:35). Contrast between free world and the lands behind the Iron Curtain: barbed wire fences, barricades, and patrolmen in East Berlin (1:56). Horse-drawn carriage on empty road in East Berlin (2:11). Bystanders look solemnly at The Berlin Wall towards West Berlin while the narrator discusses Horace Greeley quote (2:18). Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate (2:41). Tourists ride on river boat down the Seine in the direction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (2:49). London’s Tower Bridge in England (2:59). New York City skyline (3:05). Niagara Falls (3:08). Mount Fuji in Japan (3:21). Japanese farmers cultivate a crop (3:22). The Queen’s Guard marches in front of the Palace of Westminster and the Houses of Parliament (3:28). Military tanks drive down a street during a parade in France (3:36). U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Plane lands on desert tarmac (3:56). Description of plane and its power (4:22). SAC B-52 in the air (6:17). Close-up of an launched Hound Dog cruise missile approaching a target (6:39). Observer looks through a theodolite type telescope (8:16). Kids looking up to the sky to see the cruise missile in the air (9:38). Cowboy from the opening scene looks up to the sky from his horse (10:34).
The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet-propelled, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capable of attacking Soviet ground-based air defense sites prior to a potential air attack by B-52 Stratofortress long range bombers during the Cold War. The Hound Dog was first given the designation B-77, then redesignated GAM-77, and finally AGM-28. It was conceived as a temporary standoff missile for the B-52, to be used until the GAM-87 Skybolt air-launched ballistic missile was available. Instead, the Skybolt was cancelled within a few years and the Hound Dog continued to be deployed for a total of 15 years until its replacement by newer missiles, including the AGM-69 SRAM and then the AGM-86 ALCM.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
