BROOKLINE — The Coolidge Corner Theatre was packed Friday night as the family of Harry H. Crosby attended a screening of the first episode of “Masters of the Air,” a new show produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman.
Crosby, the father of retired IUE-CWA Local 201 President Jeff Crosby, served as a navigator flying B-17 bombers with the “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force during World War II. “Masters of the Air,” a nine-part series, follows the 100th Bomb Group from its deployment in England in 1943 until the end of the war in 1945.
Jeff, Steve, and Rebecca Crosby watched in awe as Irish actor Anthony Boyle portrayed their father piloting a B-17 bomber in the pilot of the series.
“We are honored that the 100th Bomb Group was chosen to tell the story of the men and women who answered the call of their generation to fight fascism,” Rebecca Crosby said to the crowd before the screening. “It feels important to remember this now, as we see parallel threads throughout the world and here at home.”
The hour-long screening was followed by a question-and-answer session, in which Boyle was joined by Producer Kirk Saduski and Screenwriter and Executive Producer John Orloff.
Boyle said that he studied Harry H. Crosby’s character intensely while preparing for the role.
“As I read the first scene of Harry Crosby, I just fell in love with him. I just thought that’s a human being — someone who’s vulnerable and has love and humor in him even at dark moments, and I thought it would be just a real honor to play him,” Boyle said.
The Crosby family was first approached regarding the show 10 years ago. In the time since, the family worked with the writers and producers of “Masters of the Air,” telling them about Harry H. Crosby’s story. Much of the story, Jeff Crosby said, was documented in Harry H. Crosby’s 1997 memoir, “A Wing and a Prayer.”
Harry H. Crosby is one of the show’s four main characters, and serves as its narrator.
“The major idea was to make Harry Crosby the fourth major character,” Orloff said. “He wrote a fantastic book, and almost more importantly, he’s the only guy who was there in June of ‘43 as a flight officer, and he was still there on D-Day. Everybody else was shot or killed, or they made their 25 missions, which was quite rare, but Crosby was there the whole time.”
Jeff Crosby’s daughter, Laura, was wearing her grandfather’s bomber jacket throughout the screening. Jeff Crosby said he was impressed with the show’s pilot episode.
“It was terrific, I can’t wait to watch the rest of it,” Jeff Crosby said.
