<Li> Richard Deacon as Charles A. Levine (uncredited) </Li> <P> When production began in August 1955, Jack Warner offered the role of Lindbergh to John Kerr, who turned it down . Numerous sources indicate that Stewart was lobbying Warner Bros. executives for the role as early as 1954 . At age 47 when the film was shot, Stewart even underwent a strenuous diet and regimen to look more like the real 25 - year - old Lindbergh of 1927 . Stewart (with hair dyed blond) was ultimately cast as Lindbergh, but his age was pointedly an issue in post-production reviews . Stewart had a lifelong passion about Lindbergh and aviation . Later in his life, he said the "Lone Eagle" 's flight was one of the most significant episodes of his youth, leading him to seek a career as an aviator . Like Lindbergh, Stewart had been an USAAF pilot, and both eventually retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve at the grade of Brigadier General . </P> <P> In order to accurately depict the transatlantic flight, three replicas, at a cost of $1.3 million (equal to $11.9 million today), were made of the Spirit of St. Louis for the various filming units stateside, in Europe, and for in - studio shots . A similar Ryan Brougham was bought by Stewart and modified with Lindbergh's supervision . It was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan by Stewart in 1959 . The third replica is displayed in the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis . Filming took place at the Santa Maria Public Airport in Santa Maria, California, at what is currently the site of Allan Hancock College . A non-flying replica for ground shots was also built, and hangs in the Minneapolis − Saint Paul International Airport . Aerial sequences were directed by Paul Mantz and taken from a North American B - 25 bomber converted as a camera platform for photography . </P> <P> In order to begin work, a small pre-production crew was sent in August 1955 to New York, to film at Roosevelt Field in Long Island, and later, aerial sequences over the Appalachian Mountains in Nova Scotia and at St. John's, Newfoundland, recreating the initial stages of the transatlantic flight . Principal photography began on September 2, 1955, with filming taking place at L'aérodrome de Guyancourt, near Versailles, which would stand - in for le Bourget . Difficulties with Stewart's schedule led to the abandoning of aerial sequences that had been planned with the veteran pilot actually flying one of the replicas over European locales . Ultimately, staged scenes using a mock - up on a sound stage had to suffice . The film's schedule was disrupted throughout the fall and only resumed in November when Stewart had completed two other films . The original 64 - day schedule ballooned into a 115 - day marathon, as weather and the star's unavailability hampered the production, with final sequences shot in March 1956 . </P>

Where was the spirit of st louis filmed