The Tuskegee Airmen

The story of the “Fighting 99th,” the first squadron of African-American fighter pilots, is brilliantly told by executive producer Frank Price, producer William Carraro, and director Robert Markowitz in The Tuskegee Airmen. This select group of aviators was trained at the Tuskegee Institute, the prestigious black university in Alabama. Despite aptitude scores and flight evaluations among the highest on record, for many months the squadron was perceived as being incapable of air combat. Only after the intervention of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was the unit sent into action in the European and North African theaters. To the surprise of the brass and many of their fellow fliers, the “Fighting 99th” performed with courage and distinction. In fact, during their dangerous missions escorting bomber squadrons to their target zones, not a single bomber was lost. Actors Laurence Fishburne, Andre Braugher, John Lithgow, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. bring this teleplay to life. For a presenting the remarkable story of the U.S. Army Air Corp’s first squadron of African-American combat pilots in World War II, a Peabody to Home Box Office and Price Entertainment for The Tuskegee Airmen.