The Dawn Patrol (1930)

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

John Monk Saunders (story), Dan Totheroh (adaptation),

Stars:

Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Neil Hamilton

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Barthelmess	...	Dick Courtney
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Douglas Scott
Neil Hamilton	...	Major Brand
Frank McHugh	...	Flaherty
Clyde Cook	...	Bott
James Finlayson	...	Field Sergeant
Gardner James	...	Ralph Hollister
William Janney	...	Gordon Scott
Edmund Breon	...	Lieut. Phipps

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | machine gun | gunfire | bombing | self sacrifice | 

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Taglines:

Greatest Air Epic Ever!

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Genres:

War | Drama | Action

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

20 August 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flight Commander

Filming Locations:

Metropolitan Airport - 6590 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$611,722 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 106 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vitaphone production reels #4272-4283.

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Goofs

William Janney's character name is credited as "Gordon" on screen, but he is called "Donny" throughout.

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Connections

Featured in The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Plum and Apple"
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Sung a cappella by Frank McHugh, Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

User Reviews

Air War

Many on this board have compared this movie to TOP GUN which is a good movie but lacks Dawn Patrol's depth.

The early version of DAWN PATROL tells a complex tale of leadership and command best illustrated by the scene in which the commanding officer is promoted out of the unit and command falls into the hands of his highly critical, hot dog, second in command. I don't remember exactly was the CO said when he opened the orders relieving him. I believe the line goes, "Now see what you can do now that you can't do everything you want." The tension between the commander and his second is what find to be the most interesting part of the movie. Top Gun simply lacks that type of insight. Top Gun is more of an adventure story of a hot dog pilot.

Movies comparable to Dawn Patrol in the military war genre which attain the understanding of the conflict at the top.are Major Dundee, Twelve O'Clock High and surprisingly the John Wayne film Flying Leathernecks.

This film was remade in 1938 with Errol Flynn in the lead role. I'm told that it was so gripping that French spies on the Luxembourg border went to see it and missed the onset of the German invasion.