The Starfighters is a 1964 American Cold War film. It was written and directed by Will Zens and stars Bob Dornan, Richard Jordahl and Richard Masters. In an unusual twist based on the storyline of a pilot and his congressman father, pilot and actor Dornan would seek and win election as a U.S. congressman in California. The Starfighters did not go into wide release. It was the subject of episode #612 of Comedy Central's Mystery Science Theater 3000 and was labeled one of their "10 most unwatchable films" viewed by Paste magazine. Plot Lieutenant John "Junior" Witkowski (Bob Dornan) and his buddy, Lieutenant York (Steve Early), arrive at George Air Force Base, Tactical Air Command, in Southern California to train to fly the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, with special emphasis on the complicated mid-air refueling maneuver. Witkowski's congressman father (Carl Rogers), a famed World War II bomber pilot, frequently calls him, concerned about the safety of fighter aircraft. The congressman wants his son to be transferred to a Convair B-58 Hustler or Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber squadron in the Strategic Air Command. Witkowski also finds romance with Mary Davidson (Shirley Olmstead), an Iowa girl. During training, Major Stevens (Richard Jordahl) sends Witkowski, York and Lieutenant Lyons (Robert Winston) on a cross-country mission. The three trainees are forced to separate as they encounter a storm. Lyons' aircraft goes down in the mountains, while Witkowski is feared lost. Later, they learn that Lyons parachuted safely, and Witkowski has landed safely at an alternate base. Witkowski, who has impressed senior officers and won his father's admiration, is among those selected to be transferred to a unit in Europe and bids a temporary good-bye to Mary. Cast Robert Dornan as Lieutenant John Witkowski Jr. Richard Jordahl as Major "Madge" Stevens Shirley Olmstead as Mary Davidson Richard Masters as Colonel Hunt Steve Early as Lieutenant York Robert Winston as Lieutenant Lyons Carl Rogers as Congressman John Witkowski Ralph Thomas as Captain O'Brien Joan Lougee as Betty Lyon Production The catchline: "The blazing adventure of the men and planes who rocket to the very edge of space" and the poster showing a character with a full-face visor helmet similar to an astronaut belies the film's very evident "infomercial" look. The majority of The Starfighters deals with the training of F-104 pilots during the period when the aircraft was being introduced in the United States Air Force, and