Au grand balcon movie poster.
Movie (1949)
English title: Au grand terrace
Starring:
Pierre Fresnay (Gilles Carbot)
Georges Marchal (Jean Fabien)
Robert Arnoux (Vuillemin)
Félix Oudart (Garandoux)
Janine Crispin (Maryse)
Germaine Michel (Mademoiselle/Miss Adeline)
Abel Jacquin (Darbouin)
The Aéropostale story seen through the pen of Joseph Kessel.
Note: The romanticized names of Gilles Carbot and Jean Fabien are actually those of Didier Daurat and Jean Mermoz. Minus the aerobatics done during employment testing, most of the facts between Carbot and Fabien are highly romanticized.
Several scenes from the introduction will be repeated in Horizons sans fin.
Various Douglas Four-engined Airplane[]
Due to unreadable registration, several unidentified Douglas (DC-4 or C-54), all of Air France.
Most are reused in Horizons sans fin.
Footage too blurry ... F-BBDE ?
Douglas DC-4-1009[]
Reg. F-BBDI Ciel de Provence Douglas DC-4-1009 c/n 42941 of Air France.
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).
Note the I on the nosewheel bay door.
Reg. F-BBDE Ciel de Picardie Douglas DC-4-1009 c/n 42937. Same aircraft in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).
Reg. F-BBDK Ciel de Normandie Douglas DC-4-1009 c/n 42943.
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).
Lockheed L-749-79-22 Constellation[]
Reg. F-BAZK Lockheed L-749-79-22 Constellation c/n 2515 of Air France (1948-Jannuary 1962). Sold to Air Maroc (CN-CCM) and used for commercial purpose less two years. Canibalization for spare parts after 35 820 flight hours before being scrapped in 1964.
Another anonymous one seen at Aéroport de Paris-Orly.
J for F-BAZJ. Lockheed L-749-79-22 Constellation built in 1947 for France government (République Française - SGACC). To Air France in May 1951. Note the engine cowling with flames and Air France logo (before 1952?).
She will be modified for SAR duties in 1961 and became F-SSFJ for eight years. After 37 015 flight hours, was used for firemen training (1970-1975) at Toulouse, France before being scrapped.
Douglas C-54A-DC Skymaster[]
Registration F-BELD Douglas C-54A-DC Skymaster c/n 10372 of ... Air France.
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).
Morane-Saulnier AI[]
Always seen as an 'extra' in the background. Never used by l'Aéropostale.
The 'skeleton' (unskinned airframe) in the foreground is unidentified.
Caudron C.128/2[]
Reg. F-AJMS Caudron C.128/2 c/n 6434.4 built in 1925.
Another type of vintage aircraft with no connection to l'Aéropostale but aircraft of the 1920s were so few at the time of filming... This one is welcome to act as a Salmson 2 A.2, one of the very first aircraft used by Aéropostale in 1923.
Morane-Saulnier MS.315[]
Reg. F-BCNS Morane-Saulnier MS.315 c/n 349. Was lost in 1965.
As Fabien is performing aerobatics to impress Carbot, the Morane-Saulnier MS.315 is seen with registration F-BCNT (airframe c/n 350).
But eventually, Fabien jumps off the F-BCNS.
Breguet 14 A.2[]
Reg. F-BAHR Breguet 14 A.2 of the Lignes Aériennes Latécoère.
This first takeoff is a failure but it's F-ABUD we see crashed !
Thereafter, the two registrations will alternate.
Reg. F-BAHR Breguet 14 A.2.
Reg. F-ABUD Breguet 14 A.2 behind the Caudron and the Morane-Saulnier.
Several engravings on the walls of Carbot's office among numeous map and NOTAM.
Unidentified Aircraft[]
Unidentified French? twin-engine twin-tail? biplane.
Suzanne Dehelly acting as Mademoiselle Françoise (Miss Françoise) is passing on Carbot's orders for an urgency.
Nieuport-Delage Ni-D. 622[]
A model of what seems to be a Nieuport-Delage NiD-622 wearing the SPA 48 insignia. Possibly a hand-made wood model circa 1/25th scale.
Latécoère 298[]
Acting as Latécoère 28-3 « Comte de la Vaux » (which in fact was a high-wing floatplane; look at Saint-Exupéry: La dernière mission).
Latécoère 298.
Latécoère 298.
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