Dive Bomber (1941)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Frank Wead (story)
Frank Wead (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 August 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

WINGS TO THE WIND...EYES TO THE SKIES! (original print media ad - all caps)

Plot:

A military surgeon teams with a ranking navy flyer to develop a high-altitude suit which will protect pilots from blacking out when they go into a steep dive.

Plot Keywords:

Blackout | Military | Flight Surgeon | Altitude Sickness | Flight School

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Lt. Douglas S. 'Doug' Lee, MD
Fred MacMurray	...	Lt. Cmdr. Joe Blake, squadron commander
Ralph Bellamy	...	Lt. Cmdr. Lance Rogers, MD, Flight Surgeon
Alexis Smith	...	Mrs. Linda Fisher
Robert Armstrong	...	Art Lyons - aviation designer
Regis Toomey	...	Lt. Tim Griffin
Allen Jenkins	...	Corpsman 2nd Class 'Lucky' James
Craig Stevens	...	Pilot Trainee Anthony
Herbert Anderson	...	Lt. Markham MD - assigned to Norfolk
Moroni Olsen	...	Senior Surgeon at San Diego
Dennie Moore	...	Ex-wife of Lucky James
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Lt. Swede Larson
Cliff Nazarro	...	Corpsman - Lucky's fast-talking buddy

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #7199) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The Navy Department allowed filming on the U.S.S. Enterprise aircraft carrier at sea for only three days.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The airfield used in the beginning of the movie was never identified, nor does it look like Ford Island which is used by the Navy. Eva Field was a Marine airfield near Pearl Harbor which it could have been. There are several Army airfields that it could also have been used.

Quotes:

Lt. Douglas S. 'Doug' Lee, MD: [Regarding Lance Rogers] Surly character, isn't he? I'll bet a sample of his blood would show gall, bile, with a good dash of sulphuric acid.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dive Bomber: Keep 'Em in the Air (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

What's New?

Plays out more like a newsreel, than a film.

Dive Bomber is a movie that seems like it could be based on a true story, but the problem is it's just not that entertaining of a story or film. The film actually seems like a overlong newsreel about the importance of aviation and it's safety. Errol Flynn does a great job and so does Fred McMurray. But the rest of the cast is downright annoying, especially the one naval officer who has the problems with his sister. Ohh man, I have no idea what the filmmakers were thinking when they put that garbage in the film. I think that guy and Joe Brown have got to be probably the two most annoying actors to ever grace the big screen. I feel sorry for Olivia De Havilland, she had the wonderful oppurtunity to work with these two goof balls. In all not one of Errol Flynn's better films. *1/2 out of ****.