Command Decision (1948)

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

George Froeschel (writer)
William Wister Haines (play)
(more)

Release Date:

February 1949 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

Heroes, cowards, fighters, braggarts, liars...and what goes on in their hearts!

Plot:

Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.

Plot Keywords:

Jet | Nephew | B 29 | Journalist | All Male Cast

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis
Walter Pidgeon	...	Maj. Gen. Roland Goodlaw Kane
Van Johnson	...	TSgt. Immanuel T. Evans
Brian Donlevy	...	Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnet
Charles Bickford	...	Elmer Brockhurst
John Hodiak	...	Col. Edward Rayton Martin
Edward Arnold	...	Congressman Arthur Malcolm
Marshall Thompson	...	Capt. George Washington Bellpepper Lee
Richard Quine	...	Maj. George Rockton
Cameron Mitchell	...	Lt. Ansel Goldberg
Clinton Sundberg	...	Maj. Homer V. Prescott
Ray Collins	...	Maj. Desmond Lansing
Warner Anderson	...	Col. Earnest Haley
John McIntire	...	Maj. Belding Davis
Moroni Olsen	...	Congressman Stone
John Ridgely	...	James Carwood
Michael Steele	...	Capt. Lucius Malcolm Jenks
Edward Earle	...	Congressman Watson
Mack Williams	...	Lt. Col. Virgil Jackson
James Millican	...	Maj. Garrett Davenport
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lane Allan	...	(uncredited)
Joel Allen	...	(uncredited)
George Backus	...	(uncredited)
Gregg Barton	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
William Cabanne	...	(uncredited)
Bruce Cowling	...	Operations officer (uncredited)
James Dale	...	(uncredited)
Fred Datig Jr.	...	(uncredited)
Bert Davidson	...	(uncredited)
Dennis Dengate	...	(uncredited)
Tay Dunn	...	(uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Congressman (uncredited)
Don Garner	...	(uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Command officer (uncredited)
Henry Hall	...	Congressman (uncredited)
Alvin Hammer	...	Machine shop sergeant (uncredited)
Clarke Hardwicke	...	(uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	Chairman (uncredited)
David Holt	...	(uncredited)
James Horne Jr.	...	(uncredited)
Robin Hughes	...	(uncredited)
John James	...	Officer (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	(uncredited)
Marten Lamont	...	RAF officer (uncredited)
William F. Leicester	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)
Peter Martin	...	Command sergeant (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	(uncredited)
John McGuire	...	(uncredited)
Bill McIvor	...	(uncredited)
George Melford	...	(uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	(uncredited)
Bill Neff	...	(uncredited)
Barry Nelson	...	Cumquat B-Baker crewman (voice) (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Waiter (uncredited)
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Jeep driver (uncredited)
Frank J. Scannell	...	(uncredited)
Robin Short	...	(uncredited)
J. Lewis Smith	...	(uncredited)
Buddy Swan	...	(uncredited)
William Tannen	...	(uncredited)
Arthur Walsh	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Douglas Walton	...	(uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	(uncredited)
Wilson Wood	...	(uncredited)
Jimmy Zahner	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Wood

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
George Froeschel		writer
William Wister Haines		play
William R. Laidlaw		writer

Produced by
Sidney Franklin	....	producer
Gottfried Reinhardt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa

Cinematography by
Harold Rosson

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Urie McCleary

Set Decoration by
Jack D. Moore
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Al Shenberg	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sid Sidman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
James Brock	....	sound (as James K. Brock)
Douglas Shearer	....	sound

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Ed Hubbell	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Lloyd Isbell	....	grip (uncredited)
Robert Martin	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Leslie H. Martinson	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Clark Gable had an officer's commission of Major in the Army Air Corps during WWII.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The very title is a goof. In the movie, Clark Gable's character is a group commander, yet he picks the targets for the bombers. His "Command Decision". For strategic bombing, the targets were selected at the very highest levels, either by 8th Air Force Bomber Command, or by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. The group commander's job was to have the maximum possible number of planes and crews ready, but no more than that.

Quotes:

Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis: There's no room in this job for a personal slant, Cliff.
Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnet: He told me he was going to be married.
Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis: Yes, I know. You can only hope you don't have to kill him before he does. It's your baby, Cliff. I found out long ago to let the chaplain handle those. He's our laison with the headquarters that decides that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

An actor's movie...

"Command Decision" is a wonderful film filled with several great performances. It's Gable's movie, but he's very capably supported by Walter Pigeon, Brian Donlevy and John Hodiak, who nearly equals his "Lifeboat" performance.

Pigeon is especially good in the roll of a senior commander who is more concerned with the political considerations of the war effort than the tactical and strategic goals. (Not without reason - The film correctly details the perilous and tenuous position that the 8th Air Force found itself in during the worst combat period of 1943.)

One of the best scenes in the film is a very long speech given by Pigeon, wherein he explains his reasons for fighting the good fight to keep American air power strong. The scene is a good 6 or 7 minutes long, one camera shot, entirely done without cuts. It must have been rehearsed extensively as it requires about 10 actors to interact with Pigeon at several times, all the while he is moving about the room. Seamless, and very well done! This remarkable scene is followed up with one almost as long, given by Gable.

The drama is occasionally broken up with comic moments provided by Van Johnson, as a savvy sergeant, and Clinton Sunberg as a fastidious aide to Pigeon's General Kane.

If you like to watch actors banging away with words instead of guns, this is the war movie for you.