Command Decision (1948)

Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

William R. Laidlaw (screenplay), George Froeschel (screenplay),

Stars:

Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clark Gable	...	Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis
Walter Pidgeon	...	Maj. Gen. Roland Goodlow Kane
Van Johnson	...	Tech. Sgt. Immanuel T. Evans
Brian Donlevy	...	Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnet
Charles Bickford	...	Elmer Brockhurst
John Hodiak	...	Col. Edward Rayton Martin
Edward Arnold	...	Congressman Arthur Malcolm
Marshall Thompson	...	Capt. George Washington Bellpepper Lee
Richard Quine	...	Maj. George Rockton
Cameron Mitchell	...	Lt. Ansel Goldberg
Clinton Sundberg	...	Maj. Homer V. Prescott
Ray Collins	...	Maj. Desmond Lansing
Warner Anderson	...	Col. Earnest Haley
John McIntire	...	Maj. Belding Davis
Moroni Olsen	...	Congressman Stone

Storyline

General Dennis of the US Force in England in World War II finds that he must order his planes deeper and deeper into Germany to prevent the production of military jet planes that will turn the tide of battle to the Germans. He must fight congressmen, and his own chain of command to win the political battle before he can send his planes out. His problem is complicated by a very narrow window of good weather necessary to allow his effort to be successful. Adapted from a stage play, it attempts to look at the challenges of command in the political arena.

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Plot Keywords:

jet | factory | germany | world war two | army air force | 

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Taglines:

Heroes, cowards, fighters, braggarts, liars...and what goes on in their hearts!

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

De flög i gryningen

Filming Locations:

March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clark Gable enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces after his wife Carole Lombard died in a plane crash on a war bonds selling trip assisting the war effort. Gable went to Officers Canidate School graduating as a second lieutenant, and was eventually promoted to major. He was trained as an aerial gunner and combat cameraman and was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for at least five aerial bombing missions over Germany from England with the 351st Bomb Group (Heavy). Adolf Hitler personally offered a reward to the pilot or anti-aircraft gun crew who shot down Gable's plane.

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Goofs

When Casey is wondering about the weather for the third straight day of maximum effort, he tells his staff to keep him informed with weather updates. But when he does so, his lips don't move.

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Quotes

Congressman Arthur Malcolm: But it seems to me our boys are paying a pretty bloody price for General Dennis' record!
Congressman Stone: Arthur!
Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis: Arthur, they're paying a price for the country's record.

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Connections

Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

User Reviews

Under-Appreciated, A Great War-Movie

This is an under-appreciated gem of a move.

To start with, the core story sounds utterly fantastic, but it is partly true. There was never a "Lance-Wulf 190", but there really was a Messerschmidt Me-262 in World War 2. The Me-262 wasn't quite the wonder-plane which the mythical Lance-Wulf was, but it was a swept-wing jet with a top speed of 540 mph, a blinding speed for the time. And, as fighter pilots say, "speed is life".

American bombing in August, 1943 did delay the introduction of the real Me-262. (The pre-production aircraft were wrecked on an assembly line, forcing a delay of several months.) The irony is that the German jet fighter program was really stymied by Hitler's aversion to defensive weapons and the German feeling that the war could be won with existing fighter types.

There is, however, a "message" in this film which fully applies to civilian life. You know that everything is okay just now, but this will soon come to an end. Given those facts, are you willing to take some massive losses now and solve the problem? Or do you just wait for the situation to become visible to everyone before you act?

I don't know how many times I've seen people--even bright ones--opt for the "wait and see" course of action. It never works.

Just as Betty Davis's 1938 film "Jezebel" was overshadowed by "Gone With The Wind", this film was overshadowed by "Twelve O'Clock High".