Wing and a Prayer (1944)

An aircraft carrier is sent on a decoy mission around the Pacific, with orders to avoid combat, thus lulling Japanese alertness before the battle of Midway. All the men have their ... See full summary »

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Jerome Cady (story), Jerome Cady (screenplay),

Stars:

Don Ameche, Dana Andrews, William Eythe

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Ameche	...	Flight Cmdr. Bingo Harper
Dana Andrews	...	Lt. Cmdr. Edward Moulton
William Eythe	...	Ens. Hallam 'Oscar' Scott
Charles Bickford	...	Capt. Waddell
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Admiral (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Kevin O'Shea	...	Ens. Charles 'Cookie' Cunningham
Richard Jaeckel	...	Beezy Bessemer
Harry Morgan	...	Ens. Malcolm Brainard (as Henry Morgan)
Richard Crane	...	Ens. Gus Chisholm
Glenn Langan	...	Executive Officer
Renny McEvoy	...	Ens. Cliff Hale
Robert Bailey	...	Ens. Paducah Holloway
Reed Hadley	...	Cmdr. O'Donnell
George Mathews	...	Dooley
B.S. Pully	...	Flat Top

Storyline

An aircraft carrier is sent on a decoy mission around the Pacific, with orders to avoid combat, thus lulling Japanese alertness before the battle of Midway. All the men have their individual worries and concerns, but become increasingly frustrated at their avoidance of combat, for reasons unknown to them. But in the end, all get their chance to fight.

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Plot Keywords:

aircraft carrier | decoy | u.s. navy | urban legend vector | world war two | 

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Taglines:

MIGHTY DRAMA OF AIRCRAFT CARRIER X (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1945 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Queen of the Flat Tops

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another contributor stated that some scenes were filmed aboard USS Yorktown. In 1944 this would have been USS Yorktown (CV-10). Originally scheduled to be named Bon Homme Richard. After the sinking of CV-5 at the Battle of Midway, the name was changed to Yorktown to commemorate the ship and men who went down with her. USS Yorktown is now a museum at Charleston, SC. (The name Bon Homme Richard, aka Bonnie Dick, later went to CV-31.)

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Goofs

An SB2C Helldiver (which was actually a post-Midway era aircraft) coded B-31 is shown preparing for launch, but when it goes into the water ahead of the carrier in a failed take-off it is B-27.

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Connections

Edited into All This and World War II (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Chattanooga Choo Choo"
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played during the dart-throwing scene

User Reviews

Great movie view of WWII Carrier War.

Movie gives authentic view of TBM's, carrier torpedo bombers of mid-WWII. The tensions before the battle as well as the battle and aftermath are well covered. Acting is down-to-earth and realistic in terms of Combat Aircrew and Deck crews. More of a 'documentry' and memory bank for those who flew...and those who died! The USA won the battle AND the War. The TBM survived and saw service in the Korean War. A REAL FLAG WAVER!!!