DAYTON, Ohio -- Actor and filmmaker Matthew Modine, who played the role of the pilot in the 1990 movie “Memphis Belle,” will see the new Memphis Belle™ exhibit for the first time as he tours the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and signs free autographs for the public on Saturday, June 16 from 2-3 p.m.
Modine, whose uncle Wylder Modine was an actual B-17 pilot during WWII, wore his uncle's uniform and bomber jacket in the film.
The original B-17F Memphis Belle – the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to return to the United States after completing 25 combat missions over occupied Europe – was unveiled to the public on May 17 - exactly 75 years after its crew finished their last mission in the war against Nazi Germany on May 17, 1943. The new exhibit tells the complete story of the Memphis Belle and addresses the many myths associated with the aircraft.
Modine will also speak in the Air Force Museum Theatre prior to a screening of the restored 1944 film "Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress" at 4 p.m. To purchase tickets or for additional information on the film visit: https://airforcemuseum.centeredgeonline.com/movie/buyticketswithdate/32/06-16-2018.
Currently starring in the Netflix original drama “Stranger Things,” Modine has also appeared in numerous other films including “Full Metal Jacket;” “Married to the Mob;” “Gross Anatomy;” “Notting Hill;” “Any Given Sunday;” and “47 Meters Down,” as well as the television series “Weeds.” In addition, he is presently filming an upcoming independent family drama in southwestern Ohio, titled “Chance.”
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Rob Bardua at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1386.