A pair of vintage World War II aircraft restored to star in an HBO film, “Candybomber,” are for sale.
Hollywoodparts.com, a production asset management and movie prop broker, has been selected to find a home for the two Douglas DC-4 Skymasters, which were brought up to mechanical specifications to make the journey from the U.S. to England where many World War II aircraft were being gathered for the movie, which has since been cancelled.
The Candybomber was actually Gail Halvorsen, who flew the Douglas C-54 (DC-4) during the 1948 Berlin airlift. After befriending German children, he began dropping small bags of candy tied to handkerchief parachutes as he flew food and supplies into Berlin, which was isolated by the Russians. Word of the Candybomber soon spread throughout the military and back to the U.S. where soldiers, school children and candy companies started sending candy of all types to Halvorsen to drop to the German children as he waggled his wings to signal when the plane unloaded its sweet cargo.
“It’s a great story, and these Douglas DC-4s were going to star in the film,” said Mike Filonczuk, exec vp of operations and development at Hollywoodparts.com. “These planes are some of the largest movie props we have handled. It is just a shame the film didn’t get made, but we are happy to find a new home for the DC-4s.”
The two Douglas aircraft are powered by four Pratt & Whitney engines with low hours, according to company officials. Both aircraft will be readied to make the return flight to the U.S. unless they are sold to a buyer elsewhere in the world. The planes are valued at around $400,000 each.
For more information: Hollywoodparts.com
