Needing a location to shoot all takeoffs and landings for the 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High, including the spectacular B-17 Flying Fortress belly landing sequence early in the film, director Henry King selected Ozark since its dark runways more closely matched wartime bases in England as opposed to the light-colored runways at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the primary shoot location.

Since the field had been allowed to overgrow during its inactive status, it was also an ideal location for the character Harvey Stovall to post-war reminisce about his World War II service (which is seen at the beginning of the film) before the crew mowed and dressed the field to start the rest of shooting.

[2] Released by the U.S. Air Force as excess, the field was subsequently acquired by the U.S. Army as part of the Fort Rucker complex in 1952.

He was en-route to Matteson Range to observe a firepower rehearsal in preparation for a full-scale armed helicopter display.

[citation needed] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Download coordinates as: