Air Force (1943)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writer:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

GIANTS OF THE SKY...blazing a trail to victory!

Plot:

The crew of an Air Force bomber arrives in Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of the Japanese attack and is sent on to Manila to help with the defense of the Philippines.

Plot Keywords:

Attack | Pearl Harbor | Philippines | Japanese | Wake Island

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

John Ridgely	...	Pilot
Gig Young	...	Co-Pilot
Arthur Kennedy	...	Bombardier
Charles Drake	...	Navigator
Harry Carey	...	Crew Chief
George Tobias	...	Asst. Crew Chief
Ward Wood	...	Radio Operator
Ray Montgomery	...	Asst. Radio Operator
John Garfield	...	Aerial Gunner
James Brown	...	Pursuit Pilot - Passenger
Stanley Ridges	...	Major Mallory - Clark Field
Willard Robertson	...	Colonel at Hickam Field
Moroni Olsen	...	Colonel Blake - Commanding Officer at Manila
Edward Brophy	...	Marine Sergeant J.J. Callahan (as Edward S. Brophy)
Richard Lane	...	Major W.G. Roberts

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #8438) | Australia:G (alternate rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Drew Army Air Field, Tampa, Florida, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The aircraft used to play "Mary Ann" was a B-17B, one of 19 that had the gunners' bubbles replaced by the flush gun positions of the B-17C and B-17D. This aircraft MAY have been aircraft 38-583 or possibly 39-010. Also, aircraft "18" in the movie is 38-269. Pause the scenes where John Ridgely has walked in front of the daytime flight line with numbers "18" and "05" in the back ground, and, as he is talking to the crew in the bomb=bay, look through the gap between the bomb bay door and the fuselage: as you pause and forward frame-by-frame, you will see the tail of "18" just barely enough to see the numbers "8269" showing! This means that aircraft "18" is actually B-17B 38-269.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The national insignias on the "Mary-Ann's" fuselage and wingtips (a white star in a solid blue disc) are incorrect for the period depicted in the film. At the beginning of World War II, U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft insignia was a white star in a blue disc, with a smaller red disc in the middle of the star. According to "The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces," published in May of 1944, "the red disc was removed to prevent confusion with Japanese marking(s)" effective August 18, 1942, eight months after the events in the film take place.

Quotes:

Pilot Irish Quincannon: Tell the crew they can sleep in the next world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Great movie for the times and even today.

I've seen this on cable dozens of times and almost never turn it off when it comes on. Some of the comments about the racist terms are simply naive. Trying to judge a movie 60 years later using political correctness as a measurement is like trying to compare Slater Martin with Michael Jordan. Air Force was released in 1943 meaning it was written and produced shortly after Pearl Harbor. So, the terms "Fried Jap" are understandable considering the times. Yes, the death bed scene was sappy. But the scene where the "Mary Anne" is trying to take off just one step ahead of invading japaness troops is exciting. The special effects are good (again, considering the technology 60 years ago) and although you can point to problems here or there, I think Howard Hawks and a great cast make this a movie people will enjoy for many more decades.