Captains of the Clouds (1942)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Arthur T. Horman (story) and
Roland Gillett (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 February 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

Inspired by Churcill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF but are deemed too old to be fliers.

Plot Keywords:

Bush Pilot | Speech | Canada | Enlistment | Asian Stereotype

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

James Cagney	...	Brian MacLean
Dennis Morgan	...	Johnny Dutton
Brenda Marshall	...	Emily Foster
Alan Hale	...	'Tiny' Murphy
George Tobias	...	Blimp Lebec
Reginald Gardiner	...	Scrounger Harris
W.A. Bishop	...	Himself (as Air Marshal W.A. Bishop)
Reginald Denny	...	Commanding Officer
Russell Arms	...	Louis 'Alabama' Prentiss
Paul Cavanagh	...	Group Captain
Clem Bevans	...	Sam 'Store-Teeth' Morrison
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Foster
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Dr. Neville (as J. Farrell Macdonald)
Patrick O'Moore	...	Fyffe
Morton Lowry	...	Carmichael
Owen Cathcart-Jones	...	Chief Flying Instructor (as S/L O. Cathcart-Jones)
Frederick Worlock	...	President of court-martial
Roland Drew	...	Officer
Lucia Carroll	...	Blonde
George Meeker	...	Playboy
Benny Baker	...	Popcorn Kearns
Hardie Albright	...	Kingsley
Ray Walker	...	Mason
Charles Halton	...	Supt. Nolan
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Provost Marshal
Gig Young	...	Student Pilot (as Byron Barr)
Tod Andrews	...	Student Pilot (as Michael Ames)
Willie Fung	...	Willie
Carl Harbord	...	Blake
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
P.G. Abercrombie	...	Flying Instructor (uncredited)
Lane Allan	...	Canadian (uncredited)
Sam Ault	...	L.A.C. Grove - Texan (uncredited)
Barry Bernard	...	Gilbert (uncredited)
Wing Commander Brian	...	Wing Commander (uncredited)
Walter Brooke	...	Duty Officer (uncredited)
James Bush	...	Sergeant Pilot (uncredited)
Joseph Carr	...	Man (uncredited)
James Craven	...	Instructor (uncredited)
Charles De Ravenne	...	French Canadian (uncredited)
Leslie Denison	...	Flight Lieutenant (uncredited)
Don Dillaway	...	Instructor (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Dave Duncan	...	Sergeant-Major (uncredited)
Flying Officer Evans	...	Flying Officer (uncredited)
Gerald Fielding	...	Flight Lt. Holt (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Drill Sergeant (uncredited)
John Gallaudet	...	Colby (uncredited)
Squadron Leader Greene	...	Squadron Leader (uncredited)
Herbert Gunn	...	Aircraftsman (uncredited)
Tom Hamilton	...	Man (uncredited)
Winifred Harris	...	Red Cross Collector (uncredited)
John Hartley	...	Cranbrook (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Man Entering Hotel (uncredited)
J. Anthony Hughes	...	Hunter - RCAF Applicant (uncredited)
Jack Hyde	...	Man (uncredited)
Ellis Irving	...	Commanding Officer (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Chief Ground Instructor (uncredited)
John Kellogg	...	Aircraftsman Lawrence (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen	...	Indian at Foster's (uncredited)
Harry Lewis	...	Mr. Burton - RCAF Applicant (uncredited)
Miles Mander	...	Winston S. Churchill (voice) (uncredited)
Anthony Marsh	...	Officer (uncredited)
Edward McNamara	...	Man Buying Dog Team (uncredited)
Ray Montgomery	...	Aircraftsman Hodges (uncredited)
Will Morgan	...	Flying Instructor (uncredited)
Gavin Muir	...	Orderly (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Mechanic (uncredited)
George Ovey	...	News Vendor (uncredited)
Henry Rowland	...	German Pilot (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Piano Player (uncredited)
Charles Smith	...	Chateau Laurier Bellboy (uncredited)
Sergeant-Major Spratt	...	Sergeant-Major (uncredited)
James Stevens	...	Indian (uncredited)
Rafael Storm	...	Playboy (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Chateau Laurier Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	Mechanic (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Flight Lt. Wood (uncredited)
Billy Wilkerson	...	Indian at Foster's (uncredited)
Larry Williams	...	Duty Officer (uncredited)
Flying Officer Willis	...	Liaison Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
Arthur T. Horman		(story) and
Roland Gillett		(story)
Arthur T. Horman		(screenplay) &
Richard Macaulay		(screenplay) &
Norman Reilly Raine		(screenplay)

Produced by
William Cagney	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Wilfred M. Cline		(director of photography)
Sol Polito		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Amy

Art Direction by
Ted Smith

Costume Design by
Howard Shoup		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Heath	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.A. Riggs	....	sound

Special Effects by
Byron Haskin	....	special effects
Rex Wimpy	....	special effects

Stunts
Paul Mantz	....	stunt pilot (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Elmer Dyer	....	aerial photographer
Winton C. Hoch	....	aerial photographer
Charles A. Marshall	....	aerial photographer (as Charles Marshall)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Owen Cathcart-Jones	....	technical advisor (as Squadron Leader O. Cathcart-Jones)
Frank Clarke	....	chief pilot: Warner Bros.
Henri Jaffa	....	associate technicolor color director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Hugh MacMullan	....	dialogue director

Thanks
W.A. Bishop	....	thanks (as Air Marshal Bishop)
L.S. Breadner	....	sincere appreciation: Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Canadian Air Force (as Air Marshal L.S. Breadner)
C.G. Power	....	sincere appreciation: Minister of National Defence for Air, Canada (as Major the Honorable C.G. Power)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1942) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
• Warner Bros. (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

114 min | USA:113 min (Turner library print) | Argentina:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7627) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

James Cagney's first film in Technicolor.

Goofs:

Continuity: As MacLean is coasting up to the dock he's moving at would be at least speed walking pace; he throws his mooring rope to Emily on the dock after she catches it the view switches back to him and his plane and it has completely stopped. There is no way a float plane could stop that quickly.

Quotes:

Francis Patrick 'Tiny' Murphy:You know MacLean?
Scrounger Harris:Yeah, I've met him, but I don't like him.
Blimp Lebec:You don't like him? You should know how I don't like him!
Brian MacLean:And why do you say that? You know, I've always been very happy to see you. Look at Tiny. He never used to like me. Now he hates me.
[to Willie]
Brian MacLean:Willie!
Willie:Hello! Happy landings!
Francis Patrick 'Tiny' Murphy:[to Blimp and Scrounger] Oh, come on and sit down. Come on, come on here.
[to Willie]
Francis Patrick 'Tiny' Murphy:Listen, Willie, we want four black coffees and some cake.
[...]

Soundtrack:

What's New?

A different observation .

The comments of earlier folks were appreciated .As a Canadian viewer I too appreciated it's accurate parts.And I also thought that Jimmies New Yawk accent was funny for a Canadian .The sentiment was great and the overall picture was good for the times .

In the scene in a pub where the boys sang "Bless Them All" and two of them lamented being rejected from flight school , it was interesting to note (along with the wonderful nostalgia throughout)the long necked beer bottles they drank from.

We old timers knew that they were the originals,before stubby bottles. I say this after recently hearing young people refer to the fact that there used to be stubby beer bottles before the present long neck bottles .Or ,was that only here in B.C.?

Thanks to one commenter for the aircraft info too . And another , for the location of the lake .