A Guy Named Joe (1943)

Maj. Pete Sandidge is a very able pilot who seems to have a streak of luck as far as flying goes. World War II is raging and Pete has come out of it pretty so far. He even has a beautiful ... See full summary »

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

Chandler Sprague (story), David Boehm (story),

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Spencer Tracy	...	Pete Sandidge
Irene Dunne	...	Dorinda Durston
Van Johnson	...	Ted Randall
Ward Bond	...	Al Yackey
James Gleason	...	'Nails' Kilpatrick
Lionel Barrymore	...	The General
Barry Nelson	...	Dick Rumney
Esther Williams	...	Ellen Bright
Henry O'Neill	...	Col. Sykes
Don DeFore	...	James J. Rourke (as Don De Fore)
Charles Smith	...	Sanderson
Addison Richards	...	Maj. Corbett

Storyline

Maj. Pete Sandidge is a very able pilot who seems to have a streak of luck as far as flying goes. World War II is raging and Pete has come out of it pretty so far. He even has a beautiful girlfriend Dorinda Durston, herself a qualified pilot who ferries aircraft to different bases. When Pete is killed however, he finds himself in heaven and learns that every pilot has a guardian angel. He returns to Earth where, unseen by anyone, he coaches a pilot-in-training Ted Randall. Ted is a pretty good kid and is coming along nicely but when he's shipped to New Guinea he runs into Dorinda who has remained faithful to her lost love. As Ted pursues her, Pete will have to decide what he wants to do about it.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | marriage proposal | american abroad | jealousy | bar | 

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Taglines:

A GUY - A GAL - A PAL - It's Swell!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dois no Céu

Filming Locations:

Columbia Army Air Base, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,627,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 122 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fillm debut of Edward Hardwicke.

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Goofs

When "Nails" confronts Pete with a combat photo of Pete's bomber flying much too low during a raid, the aircraft seen in the picture is a Lockheed Hudson. Pete piloted a North American B-25 Mitchell.

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Connections

Remade as Always (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Fight On"
(1922)
Music and Milo Sweet
Lyrics by Milo Sweet and Glen Grant
Sung a cappella by Don DeFore
(USC's Official Fight Song)

User Reviews

This is a touching story about love which knows no end.

This is one of the best love stories ever. It isn't a war story, war simply happens to be the setting. And I don't see how a movie can prevent nations from winning a war. The whole fact that Spencer Tracy's character loves Irene Dunne's so much that he will watch her marry another man is the most amazing testimony of love. I don't know how you can watch one of the final scenes; in which Tracy and Dunne are in the plane and he says that their love is too good to make her unhappy; and still call "A Guy Named Joe," a silly movie. Again, the war was simply a setting, because war in itself isn't very interesting, it is the human experience in war which creates a story.

The Fact that Spielberg enjoyed and admired it so much that he remade it also says a little for the film.