Flying Leathernecks (1951)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

James Edward Grant (screenplay)
Kenneth Gamet (story)

Release Date:

28 August 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War | Action

Tagline:

AIR-DEVILS OF THE SKY!

Plot:

Major Kirby leads The Wildcats squadron into the historic WWII battle of Guadalcanal.

Plot Keywords:

Marine | Guadalcanal | WWII | Drunk Scene | Okinawa Japan

Cast

John Wayne	...	Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
Robert Ryan	...	Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin
Don Taylor	...	Lt. Vern 'Cowboy' Blithe
Janis Carter	...	Joan Kirby
Jay C. Flippen	...	MSgt. Clancy, Line Chief
William Harrigan	...	Dr. Lt.Cdr. Joe Curran
James Bell	...	Colonel
Barry Kelley	...	Brigadier General
Maurice Jara	...	Shorty Vegay
Adam Williams	...	Lt. Bert Malotke
James Dobson	...	Lt. Pudge McCabe
Carleton Young	...	Col. Riley
Michael St. Angel	...	Capt. Harold Jorgensen, Ops. Officer (as Steve Flagg)
Brett King	...	1st Lt. Ernie Stark
Gordon Gebert	...	Tommy Kirby

Also Known As:

Devil Dogs of the Air (USA) (working title)
Flying Devil Dogs (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-8 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #14994)

Filming Locations:

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

This movie is often considered merely another assignment of Nicholas Ray's at RKO for Howard Hughes to prove his political and professional alliance during the Red Scare. A blatant pro-war movie that Hughes cared about and Ray did not, Ray disagreed with the film's politics and is said to have, along with Robert Ryan, intentionally over-act. Ryan and Ray, who were leftist liberals, constantly fought against John Wayne and Jay C. Flippen, who were conservatives and supported the Blacklist.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Early in the movie, it states the date was summer 1941. This would make the planes and insignia incorrect. The insignia after Pearl Harbor removed the red circle inside the white star, but didn't have the white sidebars. Further, the planes shown are Grumman F6F Hellcats. In 1941 the Navy/Marines used the Grumman F4F Wildcat. The Hellcat didn't tangle with Japanese planes until the later half of 1943.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel) (#2.7)" (1973)

Guadacanal

Nicholas Ray, an excellent director, did some of this best work in the 50s. "Flying Leathernecks", his 1951 war movie came out six years after the end of WWII. The film looks at the men who were involved in the Pacific theater, and more specifically, on Guadacanal, where the Japanese held most of the territory and had caused a lot of damage to the US forces that were trying to chase them out of the island.

The film juxtaposes two men, Major Dan Kirby and Col. Carl Griffin. Where Griffin is seen as one of the guys, Kirby, who is perceived as a distant disciplinarian; both men come to battle their own war. This aspect didn't play too often in movies of this genre, as everyone was presented as men who followed their leaders without any doubts. The film relies on a lot of the combats against the Japanese in the air, where the Americans seemed to be matched by their counterparts. The air fighting could have used a more realistic approach, or at least another man's vision other than Mr. Ray's, who doesn't give it the realism to pull the viewer into the action.

John Wayne makes a good appearance as Dan Kirby, the hard man who wanted his men to do better. The wonderful Robert Ryan plays Col Griffin, a man that has the admiration and respect of the pilots under his command and who sees himself being passed for the promotion he deserved.

The film shows glimpses of Nicholas Ray's genius, but ultimately the film doesn't live up to its promise.