Dive Bomber (1941)

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.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Frank Wead (screenplay), Robert Buckner (screenplay),

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Errol Flynn	...	Doug Lee
Fred MacMurray	...	Joe Blake
Ralph Bellamy	...	Lance Rogers
Alexis Smith	...	Linda Fisher
Robert Armstrong	...	Art Lyons
Regis Toomey	...	Tim Griffin
Allen Jenkins	...	'Lucky' James
Craig Stevens	...	John Thomas Anthony
Herbert Anderson	...	Chubby
Moroni Olsen	...	Senior Surgeon at San Diego
Dennie Moore	...	Mrs. James
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Swede Larson
Cliff Nazarro	...	Corps Man

Storyline

A new flight surgeon and a Navy pilot overcome personal differences to work on solving the problem of Altitude Sickness which causes blackouts at high altitude. The real stars of the film are the pre-World War II navy aircraft featured in full color

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Plot Keywords:

blackout | altitude sickness | military | flight surgeon | naval uniform | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aeroplanon kathetou eformiseos

Filming Locations:

Hotel del Coronado - 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

Fred McMurray's outfit is variously described as a dive bomber and a fighter squadron. The aircraft alternate between Vought SB2U Vindicators and Brewster F2A Buffalos.

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Quotes

Lt. Douglas S. 'Doug' Lee, MD: As far as I'm concerned, a woman is like an elephant. I like to look at them, but I don't want to own one.

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Crazy Credits

This picture produced under the auspices of the motion picture committee, cooperating for national defense.

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Connections

Features Tin Pan Alley (1940)

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Soundtracks

"What's New?"
(uncredited)
Music by Bob Haggart
Lyrics by Johnny Burke
Sung by Jane Randolph at the nightclub

User Reviews

A wonderful look at US Naval Aviation on the eve of World War II

While Dive Bomber has some formulaic elements, it is a glorious technicolor view of US naval aviation just before the US entered World War II. The air sequences include shots of aircraft (Vindicators, Devastators, Curtiss Hawks, etc.) that soon became obsolete and that I have never seen in any other technicolor film. The carrier scenes are set on the USS Enterprise the year before this ship fought in the Midway and Guadalcanal battles. The film is shot on location in San Diego, and I noticed landmarks like the Hotel Del Coronado and the Cabrillo lighthouse in the background. Thanks to Turner Classic Movies for playing this.