 The film was loosely based on Hall's experience in the Army after being declared to be too old to fly fighters, but too inexperienced to fly bombers, leaving his only option to fly troop transport gliders.He then worked as a stuntman in Hollywood in the 1930s, a job which expanded into small acting roles in various films, usually Westerns.Hall Sr. formed his own movie studio, Fairway Productions, in Burbank, California.