Winged Victory (1944)

Pinky Scariano, Allan Ross, and Frankie Davis all join the Army Air Forces with hopes of becoming pilots. In training, they meet and become pals with Bobby Grills and Irving Miller, and the... See full summary »

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Moss Hart (play), Moss Hart (screenplay),

Stars:

Lon McCallister, Jeanne Crain, Edmond O'Brien

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lon McCallister	...	Francis William 'Frankie' Davis (as Pvt. Lon McCallister)
Jeanne Crain	...	Helen
Edmond O'Brien	...	Irving Miller (as Sgt. Edmond O'Brien)
Jane Ball	...	Jane Preston
Mark Daniels	...	Alan William Ross (as Sgt. Mark Daniels)
Jo-Carroll Dennison	...	Dorothy Ross
Don Taylor	...	Danny 'Pinkie' Scariano (as Cpl. Don Taylor)
Judy Holliday	...	Ruth Miller
Lee J. Cobb	...	Doctor (as Cpl. Lee Cobb)
Peter Lind Hayes	...	O'Brien (as T/Sgt. Peter Lind Hayes)
Red Buttons	...	Whitey / Andrews Sister (as Cpl. Red Buttons)
Barry Nelson	...	Robert Edward 'Bobby' Crills (as Cpl. Barry Nelson)
Rune Hultman	...	Dave Anderson (as Sgt. Rune Hultman)
Gary Merrill	...	Capt. McIntyre (as Cpl. Garry Merrill)
George Reeves	...	Lt. Thompson (as Sgt. George Reeves)

Storyline

Pinky Scariano, Allan Ross, and Frankie Davis all join the Army Air Forces with hopes of becoming pilots. In training, they meet and become pals with Bobby Grills and Irving Miller, and the five struggle through the rigid training and grueling tests involved in becoming pilots. Not all of them succeed, and tragedy awaits for some.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | based on play

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cita en los cielos

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the movie the B-24 bombers, flown by actual Army Air Corp pilots, were flying toward the bridge. The movie appears to cut filming the bombers before the three planes reach the bridge. During the filming the three bombers actually flew under the bridge, which if shown in the movie houses would have caused the pilots a great deal of troubles with the Army brass.

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Give You Anything But Love"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Music by Jimmy McHugh

User Reviews

Still a classic

As has been noted, this is one wartime film that got it right. Apart from the accurate depiction of army flight training, WV probably remains the only movie featuring the Consolidated B-24. A flight instructor who helped with the film reports that most of the cast got along well with the supporting officers and men, the exception being Edmund O'Brien. While filming an engine-start sequence he noted the usual "fire guard" with the extinguisher and became exceedingly nervous. Finally he "abandoned ship" and refused to proceed with the shot. Considering that his performance was witnessed by genuine airmen, let alone some combat veterans, EO's stock plummeted on base.