Flying Tigers (1942)

Capt. Jim Gordon's command of the famed American mercenary fighter group in China is complicated by the recruitment of an old friend who is a reckless hotshot.

Director:

David Miller

Writers:

Kenneth Gamet (screenplay), Barry Trivers (screenplay),

Stars:

John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Capt. Jim Gordon
John Carroll	...	Woody Jason
Anna Lee	...	Brooke Elliott
Paul Kelly	...	Hap Smith
Gordon Jones	...	Alabama Smith
Mae Clarke	...	Verna Bales
Addison Richards	...	Col. Lindsay
Edmund MacDonald	...	Blackie Bales
Bill Shirley	...	Dale
Tom Neal	...	Reardon
Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart	...	McCurdy (as Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart)
David Bruce	...	Lt. Barton
Chester Gan	...	Mike
Jimmie Dodd	...	McIntosh (as James Dodd)
Gregg Barton	...	Tex Norton

Storyline

Jim Gordon commands a unit of the famed Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group which fought the Japanese in China before America's entry into World War II. Gordon must send his outnumbered band of fighter pilots out against overwhelming odds while juggling the disparate personalities and problems of his fellow flyers. In particular, he must handle the difficulties created by a reckless hot-shot pilot named Woody Jason, who not only wants to fight a one-man war but to waltz off with Gordon's girlfriend.

---

Plot Keywords:

china | pilot | american | fighter pilot | japanese | 

---

Taglines:

HEADED For The Greatest Entertainment Ovation Given A Motion Pictures in Years

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | War | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

De vliegende tijgers

Filming Locations:

Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Co., Buffalo, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie broke all boxoffice records for Republic Pictures by a large margin and was one of the top grossing movies of the year.

---

Goofs

When the burning cargo plane is waved off at the Rangoon airport, it has only the right landing gear down. Moments later the pilots are shown raising the left landing gear.

---

Quotes

Alabama Smith: Doggone it, you ought to be tarred and feathered Woody, gettin' slung out of this outfit just when things are getting exciting.
Woody Jason: What's going on out there?
Alabama Smith: Huh?
Woody Jason: You heard me, what's happening?
Alabama Smith: Oh, that's the skipper's idea, he's going over to fix breakfast for the Jappies. Gonna serve 'em soup.
Woody Jason: Who's going with him?
Alabama Smith: Nobody, and if you ask me, it's a one way trip.

---

Connections

Featured in That's Action (1977)

---

Soundtracks

"That Old Feeling"
(uncredited)
Music by Sammy Fain
Played on a record in the Chinese restaurant

User Reviews

Tigers Opted Out

Several friends of mine flew with the AVG. One of them who attended the premiere (c. October '42) recalls that he and a couple other Tigers were so embarrassed by the film that they were caught sneaking out of the theater.

However, the loathing of John Wayne contained in other reviews on this site demonstrates a total lack of objectivity. Wayne was 35 at the time of Pearl Harbor, and not even his friendship with then-Cdr. John Ford could get him accepted for military service. (according to one bio, his distinctive walk resulted from a football injury.) On one tour of the Pacific, Wayne got dead drunk with some fighter pilots in New Guinea. They placed his inert form on a cot and carried it into the middle of the compound and allowed him to awake with a hangover: stark naked. He rolled over and went back to sleep...

Whatever anybody thinks of Wayne or the Vietnam War, he was still visiting troops in-country at age 63.