The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle

April 30, 2001
Made famous in a 1944 William Wyler documentary—and inspiring a 1990 movie starring Matthew Modine, Harry Conick Jr. and Eric Stolz—Morgan, a B17F "Flying Fortress" pilot, here fleshes out his own story, together with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ron Powers (Flags of Our Fathers). Morgan's depression-era childhood in Asheville, N.C., was cushioned by his mother's friendship with Cornelia Vanderbilt, who stepped in when the family went bust. Fond of fast cars and women, a grown-up Morgan joined the Army Air Corps in late 1940 and found that he had a natural talent for flying. In spite of less than perfect eyesight, he was chosen to pilot the newly developed Flying Fortress, designed to take flak and keep flying. When he met Memphis-born Margaret Polk, the two fell in love and planned to marry. On every mission over Germany and France, Morgan flew the Memphis Belle
with a photo of Polk taped to the instrument panel (16 pages of photos here in all), which made for great publicity. After 25 harrowing daylight missions, the crew endured an exhausting 31-city U.S. tour, which ruined Morgan's marriage plans and led to his assignment as a B-29 Superfortress squadron commander. He flew 26 missions over Japan in 1944 and early 1945 before being rotated home. His search for the woman to replace his deceased mother led him through several marriages and engagements, which he chronicles in detail. Morgan also recounts (with the aid of 16 pages of photos) the tale of the Memphis Belle
itself, which went from being a vandalized and forgotten plane to a national treasure. (On-sale: May 7)Forecast:Fans of military memoirs will like the first-person straight talk and action, but few outside the subject will come along for the ride through Morgan's personal life, though it is presented with ease and relative candor. And with
Memphis Belle the movie 10 years in the can, there's little hope of the book being swept along in its breeze, despite Morgan's heroics.

July 2, 2001
Obviously a brave man and an intriguing character, Morgan was glorified in a 1944 William Wyler documentary and was the subject of a somewhat less distinguished 1990 movie starring Matthew Modine. As commander of one of WWII's heavy B-17 bombers, the Memphis Belle, Morgan led 25 missions over Europe. And Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author Powers (Flags of Our Fathers)
is a proven story-teller. The problem with this abridged audio version is that McLarty reads it in a pretentious, overly dramatic manner, evincing the tedium and tenacity of a boring but unshakable travel companion. So despite the colorful details—from Morgan's Depression-era childhood in Asheville, N.C., where his mother's best friend was a Vanderbilt, to his touching love affair with a flesh-and-blood Memphis belle named Margaret Polk, through his record-breaking daylight bombing missions in the Flying Fortress he named after her and on through the other wartime and peacetime activities that have filled his remarkable life—this tape, disappointingly, quickens one's irritation and fatigue rather than one's heart. Simultaneous release with Dutton/Plume hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 30).