Aerial Gunner (1943)

Director:

William H. Pine

Writers:

Maxwell Shane (screenplay)
Jack F. Dailey (idea)

Release Date:

20 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

THRILLS...ACTION..."Somewhere in the Pacific"

Plot:

Old rivals are pitted against each other in basic training and fight for the same woman. |

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Aerial Gunner | Airplane | Fighter Pilot

Cast

Chester Morris	...	Sgt. 'Foxy' Pattis
Richard Arlen	...	Sgt / Lt. Jonathan 'Jon' Davis
Jimmy Lydon	...	Pvt. Sanford 'Sandy' Lunt
Amelita Ward	...	Peggy Lunt (as Lita Ward)
Dick Purcell	...	Pvt. Lancelot 'Gadget' Blaine
Keith Richards	...	Sgt. Henry 'Jonesy' Jones
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Pvt. Jackson 'Sleepy' Laswell (as William Benedict)
Olive Blakeney	...	Mrs. Sanford Lunt

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Harlingen Aerial Gunnery School, Harlingen, Texas, USA

Company:

Pine-Thomas Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Japanese fighters attack the bomber, we can clearly see that there are five of them. Foxie also confirms there are five enemy planes, and the planes are counted during the attack as they are shot down by the gunners. But when we cut to a close-up of the Japanese pilot, more than five planes can be seen on the far side of his fighter.

The Usual WWII Buddy/Guys Fight Over Gal Flick

Hollywood during World War II was slightly schizophrenic as it alternated releasing escapist movies that allowed theater-goers to momentarily forget about the war and patriotic "B" films that reminded all of the continuing threat and the cost of fighting.

"Aerial Gunner" is in the latter category, reflecting Tinseltown's desire to showcase every branch of the service and virtually every specialty (no film that I can recall honored the Graves Registration units nor were black contributions to victory the subject of main features. I wonder why.).

"Aerial Gunner" deals with - aerial gunners, those enlisted men whose skill with machine guns in swerving aircraft under furious attack often made the difference between getting back to base or going down in flames.

The government generously supported these film projects and in this movie the producer, director and cast were given not only stock footage but also a base, hundreds of servicemen as extras and planes to film.

Ex-New York City assistant district attorney John Davis (Richard Arlen) was quite hated before the war by Coney Island barker "Foxy" Pattis for prosecuting his dad, leading to the old man killing himself. Big surprise, both men wind up at aerial gunnery school where SGT Pattis is SGT Davis's instructor. And he's determined to wash the lawyer out. Real original plot.

But then the scriptwriter came up with something truly novel. Both Pattis and Davis fall in love with the same girl, Peggy Lunt, played by Lita Ward. I don't think this had ever been done before in a war movie.

Pattis and Davis are sort of reconciled and, somehow, both wind up in the same unit in the Pacific where Pattis has become both an officer and a pilot (beyond highly unlikely for a noncom who graduated aerial gunnery school).

The rest of the drama is predictable. "Aerial Gunner" offers hefty shots of patriotism and reminds all that Americans make great sacrifices at the front.

What truly enraged me, and I'm sure will infuriate other viewers, was the scene when a gunner calls out that Japanese Zeros were attacking and there immediately is shown a single-engine monoplane with FIXED landing gear. Is there an American kid today who doesn't know that the vaunted Mitsubishi fighter had retractable gear?

5/10 (but it does recapture a time in which movies made the war more immediate and, dare I say it, entertaining).